Sculpture Area Lab Supervisor

The Regents of the University of California on behalf of their Los Angeles Campus; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The UCLA Department of Art is seeking a Staff Research Associate 3 to manage the Sculpture Area laboratories, ensuring safety, quality, and efficient operations. You will supervise facilities, support undergraduate and graduate students, and coordinate equipment, inventory, and budget transactions while guiding technical training and exhibitions.

This role requires strong knowledge of welding, mold making, digital fabrication, and related equipment, along with the ability to adapt to a busy

Qualifications

• Demonstrated working knowledge of welding, cutting, rolling, and bending equipment and methods used in Welding Lab.
• Proficiency with carpentry, plumbing, and electrical systems for installations and repairs.
• Excellent oral communication to instruct safety procedures and equipment use.
• Ability to train and supervise students and lab personnel for safe operations.
• Negotiation and policy development skills with ability to establish procedures.
• Knowledge of Sculpture equipment and maintenance (blades, bits, tools).
• Ability to work under stress with fluctuating workload and maintain a positive attitude.
• Computer skills to control machinery, track inventories, and manage budgets.
• Experience with sensors, motors, electronic systems, solar power, and computer‑controlled equipment.
• Willingness to work extended shifts, evenings, and weekends; travel to vendors as needed.
• First‑aid knowledge and safety training.

Responsibilities

• Manage the daily operations, safety, security, and budget of the Sculpture Area laboratories, including metal fabrication, mold making, and digital fabrication.
• Provide technical guidance and training to undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff on sculpture research and materials.
• Oversee equipment maintenance, inventory, checkout systems, supplies, and acquisitions; coordinate exhibitions, field trips, and special projects.
• Ensure compliance with safety regulations, training requirements, and standard operating procedures.

Skills

Safety instruction

Oral communication

Supervise students & lab personnel

Policy development

Negotiation

Working under stress

Inventory/budget tracking (computer)

Education

Master's Degree MFA in Sculpture or equivalent

Tools

Welding equipment (MIG/TIG/ARC)

Mold making equipment

Woodworking & metal fabrication tools

Electrical & plumbing systems knowledge

Digital fabrication tools

Sensors & electronics

Job description

Department Summary

The UCLA Department of Art empowers students to reshape their worlds through critical inquiry and transformative creativity. Committed to equity and inclusion in the arts, the department attracts and embraces diverse, curious, and motivated students who are encouraged to engage society's challenges and envision change. The Department of Art is one of five academic departments and programs in the School of the Arts and Architecture. The Department of Art’s M.F.A. curriculum fosters the development of a sustained artistic practice through exploration, experimentation, and intensive studio work and study. The UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios provide individual and communal work spaces for M.F.A. Art students with a design that considers the nature of artistic practice today and can evolve to anticipate change.

Position Summary

Manages the daily operations, safety, security, technical instruction, and budget administration of the Sculpture Area’s laboratories, including metal fabrication/welding, mold‑making, woodworking, and digital fabrication, as well as the Resource/Reference Area and White Room exhibition space. Provides technical guidance and training to undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff in sculpture research, materials, tools, and fabrication techniques. Oversees equipment maintenance, inventory, checkout systems, supplies, and resource acquisitions; coordinates exhibitions, events, field trips, and special projects; and ensures compliance with safety regulations, training requirements, and established operating procedures.

Salary & Compensation

• *UCLA provides a full pay range. Actual salary offers consider factors, including budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations. Salary offers at the top of the range are not common. Visit UC Benefit package to discover benefits that start on day one, and UC Total Compensation Estimator to calculate the total compensation value with benefits.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated working knowledge of all welding, cutting, rolling, and bending equipment and methods that are utilized in the Welding Lab. Includes a wide variety of mig, tig, arc and spot welders, as well as plasma cutters, oxy‑acetylene torches. Demonstrated working knowledge of all equipment, materials, and methods that are utilized in the Mold Making Lab. Includes a wide variety of fabrication, armature, casting, and duplication techniques, such as plaster, latex, alginate, moulage, silicon (Required)
• Demonstrated skill working with different building materials, e.g. wood, plastic, metal, wire. Expertise with basic carpentry, plumbing and electrical systems sufficient to make major installations and minor repairs (Required)
• Excellent oral communication capability to instruct others about safety procedures and proper equipment and facility use. Ability to assert authority for maintaining safety standards as well as a clean working environment. Ability to train and supervise student and lab personnel to insure the safe and proper use of equipment, machinery, tools, materials and processes used in the Sculpture facilities, including the supervision of student‑performed clean‑up and maintenance (Required)
• Accomplished negotiating skills for exchanging ideas, information, directions, and opinions with students, faculty and staff. Ability to formulate policies and procedures, along with decisions and solutions. Able to establish and maintain cooperative work environment. Ability to maintain a professional, patient demeanor at all times. (Required)
• Demonstrated working knowledge of all Sculpture equipment which includes a wide variety of cutting, drilling, sanding, grinding and polishing devices, and a wide variety of hand tools for fabricating sculptures. Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to purchase and change sculpture equipment when it is worn down or destroyed. Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to purchase and change blades, belts, discs and bits for cutting, sawing and drilling equipment (Required)
• Accomplished at working in a stressful environment, with its fluctuating workload, frequent interruptions, and competing demands from students, faculty, teaching assistants, and staff, maintaining a positive, patient, and respectful attitude. Ability to maintain a positive attitude in the face of adversity. (Required)
• Ability and knowledge to use computers for the following: control machinery and equipment; track inventories and monitor budget; develop policies and guidelines; conduct research on tools, methods and techniques for building sculptures. (Required)
• Experience in working with a variety of electronic tools and materials, including sensors, interactive systems, motors, electronic systems, solar power, and computer‑controlled equipment. Knowledge of the principles of analog and digital electronics. Ability to trouble‑shoot, problem‑solve and analyze lab and gallery situations (Required)
• Able to function in a working‑shop environment, with its related noise, potential dangers, and occasional dust, fumes and smoke. (Required)
• Able to work occasional extended shifts, evenings, and weekends (Required)
• Ability to drive to off campus vendors and to the graduate facilities. (Required)
• Working knowledge of first‑aid procedures. (Required)

Education, Licenses, Certifications & Personal Affiliations

• Master's Degree MFA in Sculpture or equivalent experience (Required)
• Must possess, upon hire, and maintain a valid CA noncommercial Class C License in accordance with the California (CA) Department of Motor Vehicles. (Required)

Special Conditions for Employment

• Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.
• Live Scan Background Check: A Live Scan background check must be completed prior to the start of employment.
• CANRA: The position is designated as a mandatory reporter under CANRA. The employee must sign the "Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse".

Schedule

8:00am to 5:00pm, Occasional Evenings and Weekends

Union/Policy Covered

RX-Research Support Professionals

Complete Position Description

https://universityofcalifornia.marketpayjobs.com/ShowJob.aspx?EntityID=38&JDName=Staff%20Research%20Associate%203%20(40038056)