Full-Time Faculty Position in Fashion Business Management

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), an internationally renowned college of art and design, business and technology, of the State University of New York, invites nominations and applications for a full-time tenure-track faculty position in the Fashion Business Management Department.

The Fashion Institute of Technology, a part of the State University of New York, has been a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology for nearly 70 years. With a curriculum that provides a singular blend of hands-on, practical experience, classroom study, and a firm grounding in the liberal arts, FIT offers a wide range of outstanding programs that are relevant to today's rapidly changing industries. Internationally renowned, FIT draws on its New York City location to provide a vibrant, creative community in which to learn. The college offers more than 45 majors and grants AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees, preparing students for professional success and leadership in the global marketplace.

With close ties to industry, FIT draws faculty from the city's art, business, and design elite, and from the rich academic community of the region. The college continually seeks creative faculty members who are passionate about their field and demonstrate exceptional professional capability in the core competencies of instruction design, learning enrichment, globalism, and use of technology, as well as mastery of established and emerging industry practices.

The Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology educates students for management and leadership roles within the fashion and related creative industries. The curriculum integrates a deep appreciation of how markets, business environments, advanced business technology, and competition can be managed in a global context.  The Baker School provides a professional faculty and business climate that enables students to be immediately valuable contributors to their industries.

The Baker School of Business and Technology collaborates with both the School of Art and Design, and the School of Liberal Arts, whose courses help students to better understand themselves, others, and their place in an increasingly complex world. The Baker School cooperates to design curricular and educational experiences that help hone general skills and behaviors that employers increasingly demand: critical thinking and problem-solving skills, a strong sense of professional and ethical responsibility, social skills, the ability to work productively in teams, and good oral and written communications skills.

The vision of the School is to be the most academically recognized school of excellence where students come to learn about the business of the core industries that we serve-the creative, fashion, and design industries-and where industry, government, and associations see creative alliances for the development of ideas, solution innovation, future thinking, and problem-solving.

Seven of the ten Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).  ACBSP is dedicated to promoting continuous improvement in the practice of business in every industry worldwide. 

The Fashion Business Management program facilitates and guides the student of fashion business toward the culmination of various fashion-related careers including but not limited to product development, retail buying, planning and allocation, sales, retail and wholesale management, data analytics, and multi-channel merchandising. Students are taught by professionals who have all served in various key executive positions in the fashion industry. Students are afforded the opportunity to meet and learn from the major key global fashion companies. 

The FBM program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

Job Description:

The ideal candidate will be well-versed technologically to lecture, research, evaluate, and mentor students regarding emerging technologies and strategies in the fashion industry. The candidate should have experience in global commerce and be able to communicate the difference in digitizing visual content versus brick and mortar branding and consumer perception. The candidate should be immersed in AI, virtual reality, and/or new and innovative technologies in retailing and the supply chain.

Position responsibilities will include advisement and mentorship of students interested in the discipline, and cultivating and fostering partnerships in the global fashion industry. In addition to having unquestionable professional ability, the candidate should demonstrate interest in or possess experience in teaching or instruction, and academic scholarship; the ability to develop innovative curriculum; actively participate in departmental and college-wide service; demonstrate a commitment for the fashion industry; and the ability to convey this passion to students. This faculty opportunity is ideal for an accomplished professional executive who possesses a command of the discipline and a vision for the future.

Requirements:

Specific Competencies

Successful candidates will excel in the following areas:

Globalism

• Demonstrate an awareness of global issues and understanding of international connections and the impact on fashion business management and the fashion industry.
• Demonstrate industry experience with sustainable merchandising concept development and practices.
• Demonstrate the ability to share knowledge about current global fashion industry practices and future projections as related to the business of fashion business management.
• Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively, locally, and globally with colleagues regardless of location or background.
• Demonstrate appreciation for cultural diversity and a positive approach to cultural differences.
• Demonstrate awareness and sensitivity to all racial, ethnic, religious, and social groups, as well as gender identities, and incorporate this understanding into teaching-learning experiences.

Instructional Design

• Design and deliver coursework that links learning objectives across disciplines and reflects how work is performed in the fashion industry.
• Balance both theory and practical application of knowledge, to include building skills that are necessary to be successful in the fashion industry or related professions.
• Create experiences that require collaborative exercises, real work problem-solving, and a skills-based approach to learning.
• Utilize instructional variety in order to accommodate students of different learning styles, abilities, demographics, or diversity.
• Maintain connections to the fashion industry that allow integration of professional practices with classroom learning.

Learning Enrichment

• Demonstrate the ability to inspire interest, curiosity, creativity, and love of learning in students.
• Demonstrate the use of various instructional delivery methods that foster critical thinking and creative problem-solving.
• Demonstrate the capacity to incorporate interdisciplinary learning into the Fashion Business Management curriculum.
• Possess the vision to advance the department's revitalization of its AAS, BS, and international programs.
• Demonstrate responsiveness to industry changes and practices including technology and sustainability, with the ability to incorporate those changes into a progressive curriculum.
• Demonstrate the ability to support different student learning styles.

Professionalism

• Demonstrate highly active participation in the fashion industry with a demonstrated knowledge of fashion business concepts including buying, planning, marketing, team building, multi-channel merchandising, supply chain management, licensing/branding, and product development.
• Maintain active engagement in the profession in both scholarly and industry activities.
• Demonstrate willingness to share industry contacts and opportunities to help achieve department and college initiatives.
• Demonstrate the ability to speak effectively on behalf of the department and/or college with industry supporters.
• Create and maintain a network of alumni and industry experts who can be called upon as resources for course and curriculum development, guest speakers, internships, and placement opportunities for students.
• Maintain positive, helpful, supportive, respectful, collegial, and teamwork-oriented relationships with other faculty and professionals throughout the college.

Technology

• Demonstrate utilization of basic Microsoft Office Suite including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, and other related technologies.
• Possess industry-specific technological skills relating to software programs including but not limited to Adobe Creative Suite, buying and planning software (JDA preferred), and Gerber Web PDM, First Insight, and data analytics technology.
• Demonstrate commitment to maintaining currency in technological skills and knowledge.
• Demonstrate ability to communicate through technology and utilization of the college course management system and campus portal.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree is required for hiring with an earned Master's degree in an appropriate field of study required for tenure; and a minimum of seven (7) years as an executive in the fashion industry. Excellent oral and written communication skills and college-level teaching experience are required.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• A Terminal degree in a business discipline is strongly preferred. Preference will be given to candidates who possess several or all of the above-listed qualifications.

This position will be required to constantly read and comprehend, occasionally perform calculations, constantly verbally communicate, frequently analyze, and constantly write. The working conditions for this position will be any combination of the classroom, lab, and/or office space. Certain roles may be required to handle machinery and chemicals. The physical requirement for this position will require occasional sitting, constant standing, occasional bending, frequent walking, and occasionally lifting 10 lbs. or less.

Additional Information:

This is a new position in the department that will begin in Fall 2022. Review of applications will commence November 2021, and continue until the position is filled. The salary and appointment rank will be based on education level and cumulative experience.  

Application Instructions:

Please note that a background check is required for appointment to this position.

For consideration, please provide:

• Letter of interest clearly indicating your qualifications for the position;
• Curriculum Vitae/Resume;
• A minimum of three professional references, including names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, and email contact information;
• A list of academic activities beyond classroom instructions (course outlines, developed curricula, evidence of participation in accreditation processes, etc.).

Please note that due to the volume of applications, we will not be able to contact each applicant individually. Additional information about the Fashion Institute of Technology can be found at: www.fitnyc.edu. 

FIT is firmly committed to creating an environment that will attract and retain people of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. By providing a learning and working environment that encourages, utilizes, respects, and appreciates the full expression of every individual's ability, the FIT community fosters its mission and grows because of its rich, pluralistic experience. FIT is committed to prohibiting discrimination, whether based on race, national origin, gender, religion, ethnic background, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other criterion prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local laws. FIT is committed to providing equal opportunity in employment, including the opportunity for upward mobility for all qualified individuals.

The College reserves the right to select one or more candidates after having been duly reviewed and presented to the President in conformance with the provisions of Article 15 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.