Digital and Creative Media Technician - School of English, Drama and Creative Studies - 105926 [...]

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Birmingham is seeking a Digital and Creative Media Technician to enhance its dynamic arts education environment. This role involves providing technical support for digital media and communication within the School of English, Drama and Creative Studies. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in digital media and excellent problem-solving skills, with a commitment to supporting student learning and promoting an inclusive culture. The position offers a competitive salary, generous benefits, and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday a year

Paid day for volunteering

Occupational sick pay

Pension scheme

Access to state-of-the-art sports centre

Subsidised day nurseries

Qualifications

• Experience in digital media, film/television or related field.
• Knowledge of safe working practices and risk assessments.
• Ability to deliver training in digital media.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and manage practical audio-visual equipment.
• Support digital media teaching to students in workshops.
• Diagnose and solve technical issues for users.

Skills

Technical knowledge of audio-visual practices

Problem-solving skills

Flexibility and multitasking

Excellent communication skills

Education

Degree in digital media or related field

GCSE level 2 qualification in mathematics and English

Tools

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe After Effects

Da Vinci Resolve

Job description

Position Details

School of English, Drama and Creative Studies

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £29,647 to £31,460, with potential progression once in post to £35,388

Grade: 5

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 13th July 2025

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, andweare equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here todevelopthrough our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programmewhichprovides allprofessionalservices staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.With almost 5,000professionalservices jobs in a wide-range of functionsin Edgbaston andin our campus inDubai, there are plenty of opportunities foryou to be able to develop yourcareer at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are,and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees andtothe success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer avarietyof flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 dayspaid holidaya year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site.On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops,places to eat and drink,our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham

Background

The School of English, Drama and Creative Studieshosts a community of academics and students researching and learning in all areas of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Drama and Theatre Arts and Creative Studies. We have a growing number of programmes offering students cutting edge opportunities in the areas of film, digital media and the creative arts and this new post will bring additional technical capacity to a well-established team under the management of the Film Manager.The post holder will also provide some day-to-day technical support for the College of Arts and Law’s cutting-edge Birmingham Transformative Humanities Lab (BTHL) which is based in the same building as our film and digital media facilities.The BTHL brings together high tech equipment (EEG, Eye Tracking, Mixed Reality, Motion Capture) in four bespoke labs, for use in research and teaching activityon the arts science frontier.

The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies (EDACS)

This is a vibrant and thriving school, situated within the College of Arts and Law. It hosts a community of academics and students researching and learning in all areas of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Drama and Theatre Arts and Creative Studies. It has particular strengths in the study of Shakespeare both on the Edgbaston campus and at our Shakespeare Institute in Stratford upon Avon. Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offer students the opportunity to combine academic scholarship with creative practice through performance, film and creative writing. EDACS aims to promote inter-disciplinarily and intellectual collaboration both in teaching and research.

Equal Opportunities

The University of Birmingham is an equal opportunities employer. The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies recognises that strength and success comes from diversity and strives to maintain a flexible and supportive environment that enables all staff and students to flourish. The School holds a Silver Athena SWAN award.

Informal enquiries

We recognise that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job unless they think they match every requirement. Don’t let that hold you back. If you are excited about the role and think you can do what we have described but aren’t sure if you are quite who we’re looking for… give it a try or email Nina Jones, Film Manager, Department of Film and Creative Writing, email: [e-mail].

There will be an on-line drop-insession with Nina Jones, Film Manager on 3rd July, between 12-2pm for people who might wish to ask a question in person rather than via email.If you would like to book a short slot, please email Nina Jones ([e-mail]).

Role Summary

The Digital andCreative Media Technician will support the delivery of our expanding activity in the areas of digital media, communication and creative industries.Primary responsibilities for the Technician will include:

• maintaining a comprehensive store of practical audio-visual equipment and studio and managing equipment access for our student and staff population.
• setting up/advising on a variety of equipment and digital media tools for use by others.
• support the delivery of practical creative, digital and media teaching to students in small groups, workshops or one-to-one sessions within a clear and established teaching programme set by the academic responsible for the course.
• maintain digital, creative and media-related teaching spaces including iMac edit suites and studio spaces.
• In the context of the Birmingham Transformative Humanities lab the post holder will be maintaining and supporting equipment (eg eye tracking and motion capture) and responding to user enquiries.

The post holder will report to the Film Manager and work in partnership with them and other technical staff to deliver sector-leading and industry focused opportunities for our undergraduate and postgraduate student populations.The post holder will also engage in outreach projects, industry focused events, University open days and applicant visit days.In order to undertake the duties outlined in this job description the post holder will need to be primarily campus-based. The role also involves a significant amount of manual handling of equipment.

Main Duties

• To support the delivery of practical digital and media teaching to students in small groups, workshops or one-to-one sessions within a clear and established teaching programme set by the academic responsible for the course.Although the Technician will offer practical advice and guidance, academic colleagues will be responsible for designing the course content, mode of delivery, and assessment criteria.
• To offer students advice and guidance in solving technical problems ensuring that all levels of student ability are catered for and learning objectives met.
• Providing ad-hoc support and supervision for staff and students using digital media tools and specialist technical equipment.
• Promote equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• To maintain an inventory of digital and media equipment and support student access to equipment via a loan system that is clear, accessible and fair.
• To test, maintain, update, and replace digital media equipment, liaising with relevant parties.
• Monitor and audit use of both IT and AV equipment, supervising the workflow in the video editing and podcasting Suites.
• To support the appropriate and ethical disposal of equipment.
• To use initiative to identify technical problems using a variety of diagnostic techniques and judge the appropriate solution without regular reference to a third party. To take actions to prevent a recurrence of the problem.
• To keep up to date with latest developments in the field, providing others with assistance and explanation as required.
• To support the maintenance of digital and media-related teaching spaces including iMac clusters, editing suites, podcasting and media studios.
• To work in collaboration with other technical and production staff in the School and College.
• Providing ad-hoctechnical support for screenings and events.
• Any other duties as allocated by the line manager following consultation with the post holder.

Person Specification

Essential:

• Substantial experience in the field of digital media, film/television or related field, equivalent professional qualification or degree in appropriate subject.
• GCSE level 2 (A*- C/4-9) or equivalent level 2 qualification in mathematics and English.
• Excellent level of technical knowledge and understanding of a wide range of audio-visual practices such as cinematography, photography, sound recording/engineering, post-production and podcasting.
• Knowledge and applied experience of video editing software (in particular Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Express, Adobe After Effects and Da Vinci Resolve).
• Excellent diagnostic and problem-solving skills.
• Must have demonstrable experience in AV and/or relevant technical industry experience (film/theatre/music/events).
• Proven ability to work well in a team whilst also taking independent responsibility for areas of work.
• The ability to exercise sound professional and technical knowledge and to keep up to date with new developments / best practice.
• Flexibility and the ability to juggle tasks.
• Proven ability to deliver training in a field related to digital media and audio-visual production.
• Ability to access and organise media resources successfully.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.
• Experience of working in a student/customer facing environment delivering front-line support and advice.
• Familiarity with health and safety protocols, safe working practices and the ability to produce risk assessments.

Knowledge/experience of any of the following is desirable but not essential:

• Maintaining on-line resources in a virtual learning environment (e.g. Canvas).
• Sony and Black Magic camera operating systems.
• Audio engineering and audio mastering in Adobe Audition.
• Higher education working.
• Live streaming and capturing live performance.
• Animation (Blender, Adobe Animate and After Effects).
• Working knowledge of QLab for audio and video design and playback.
• Experience of working withsound consoles, lighting desks and luminaries.
• Running and maintaining local servers and networks.
• Coding.
• Virtual Production.
• Driving licence to move equipment between sites.

Informal enquiries to Nina Jones, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviourshere

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .