The Centre for Digital Media (CDM) invites applications for four 12.5% part-time limited term practitioner faculty positions at the rank of Assistant Professor starting May 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025. The successful candidates will supervise students in the Master of Digital Media program in their final capstone client project and provide mentorship in one of the following areas based on their area of expertise: (1) Art and/or Technical Art, (2) Design, (3) Project and/or Product Management, (4) Technical Product Development and/or Programming. Each position would include supervision of one project and mentorship in one of the listed specializations.
About CDM and MDM:
Centre for Digital Media (CDM) was established through the ground-breaking partnership of four leading academic institutions: The University of British Columbia (UBC), Simon Fraser University (SFU), Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU), and the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). CDM collaborates with our four founding academic institution partners, industry and the community to create world-leading digital media programming that focuses on addressing society’s most important challenges.
The Master of Digital Media (MDM) is a 16-month applied research professional graduate program that emphasizes collaborative, project-based learning. In collaboration with industry, students receive hands-on applied research experience developing digital media products. CDM faculty emphasize a holistic educational process that addresses the needs of each individual student within our cohort-based MDM program. There is emphasis on an end-to-end student experience focusing on support across all courses, one-on-one professional support, and mentorship. The program equips students with the skills, knowledge, and experience to become future leaders in the digital media workforce. Faculty in CDM’s MDM program are members of SFU’s Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology and School of Interactive Arts and Technology.
Duties:
The practitioner faculty positions will join the MDM program to supervise and mentor students. In the first term, they will supervise students in their final capstone client projects. In the second term, they will be supervising students in their respective discipline as they embark on supported job searches. Based on their extensive industry experience, the incumbent will provide mentorship on professional standards, job seeking, and professional conduct to support job placements for specific fields of practice. They are expected to contribute to CDM’s teaching excellence and academic community through activities such as attending meetings, mentorship and ongoing curriculum enhancements. The workload consists both of supervision of industry-focused project teams and accessibility via office hours. Weekly client and student meetings will take place during regular business hours Monday-Thursday.
Required Qualifications:
Professional experience, teaching excellence and cutting-edge immersion in the Digital Creative Technology field are key criteria for this position.
All successful candidates must have:
- A Master’s degree or higher in Digital Media or a related field; or must hold a Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of professional experience at the executive level in Digital Media or a related field
- Significant recent industry expertise in problem solving and cross-disciplinary collaboration
- Supervised or played a senior role in shipping or producing digital media product or projects in the past 3 years outside of an academic setting
- Applied industry experience with rapid iterative methodologies and other project management frameworks
- Demonstrated stakeholder management and client relations expertise.=
- Been involved in hiring process in the Digital Media field in the past 3 years and familiar with professional portfolio requirements and interview processes for creative positions
- Extensive professional networks within the given area of specialization relevant to the North American job search experience
- Experience teaching in adult education and/or coaching, training or mentoring in professional practice
Requirements for mentorship in Art and/or Technical Art:
- A professional specialization in Art and/or Technical Art in areas such as 2D/3D animation, asset creation, visual development or technical art
- Significant recent industry expertise in the following areas:
- Deep familiarity with production pipelines from concept to final implementation
- Iterative art development
- Optimization of assets for various technical constraints
- Familiarity with real-time rendering for game engines
Requirements for mentorship in Design:
- A professional specialization in Design: UX/UI, interaction design, and/or user experience research.
- Significant recent industry expertise in the following areas:
- End-to-end product design expertise
- Iterative design methodologies
- Production pipelines for various platforms
Requirements for mentorship in Project and/or Product Management:
- A professional specialization in Project and/or Product Management
- Significant recent industry expertise in the following areas:
- Project and/or product management for digital media
- Technical workflow and delivery insight
- Team leadership
Requirements for mentorship in Technical Product Development and/or Programming:
- A professional specialization in Technical Product Development and/or Programming
- Significant recent industry expertise in the following areas:
- Digital media product development
- Systems architecture
- Technical production workflow for various platforms
- Debugging and Optimization
- End-to-end product development processes
Desired Qualifications:
- Ability to engage diverse students in the classroom using innovative pedagogies and teaching practices informed by the latest research.
- Demonstrate industry leadership through paid senior positions in digital media and thought leadership.
- A demonstrated record of teaching excellence with students in a post-secondary or professional environment is an asset.
Applications must contain:
- A recent curriculum vitae and, if applicable, portfolio
- Three reference letters
- Answers to the following questions:
- Q1 Why are you interested in teaching/mentoring in an applied research program such as the MDM program?
- Q2 What skills and specializations make you the best candidate for this position?
- Q3 How will you utilize your professional industry experience to teach and mentor multidisciplinary professional students?
Applications should be submitted to: hr@thecdm.ca by April 22, 2025. Review of applications will occur April 15-24, 2025. Please indicate which mentorship area you are applying for in the application.
Faculty salaries at SFU are based on the salary scales defined by the collective agreement between the University and the SFU Faculty Association. A reasonable estimate of the base salary range for these part-time limited term practitioner faculty positions at the rank of Assistant Professor is $104,700 to $133,322 per annum, depending on experience, prorated to the appointment FTE (12.5%).
Simon Fraser University is an institution whose strength is based on our shared commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Diversity is an underlying principle of our Strategic Vision, which pledges SFU to “foster a culture of inclusion and mutual respect, celebrating the diversity reflected among its students, faculty, staff, and our community.” SFU is committed to ensuring that no individual is denied access to employment opportunities for reasons unrelated to ability or qualifications. Consistent with this principle, SFU will advance the interests of underrepresented members of the work force, including Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized persons, and women; embrace gender and sexual diversity; ensure that equal opportunity is afforded to all who seek employment at the University; and treat all employees equitably. Candidates that belong to underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.
Personal information that forms part of an application is collected under the general authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, applicable University Policies, and the SFUFA/SFU Collective Agreement. For further details see the full Collection Notice.