Full-time Faculty Position in Textile Development and Marketing

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 Textile Development and Marketing Department of the Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology. 

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 mission of the Textile Development and Marketing Department is to prepare students for success in careers within the global textile supply chain and its related industries. The program offers education in the development of fabrics for the fashion apparel, home furnishings and other textile-related industries, with emphasis on global sourcing, fabric research and development, and end-use applications. The program emphasizes the need for students to work both individually and in teams in a mature and collegial manner. Alumni of the Textile Development and Marketing program are technologically competent, flexible, and familiar with all aspects of the fabric development process.

The Textile Development and Marketing Department is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. 

Job Description:

The successful candidate will be a motivated professional with proven credentials to teach courses that address the rapidly growing area of nonwoven textiles for industrial, technical, medical, and other high-performance end uses. The candidate must demonstrate the ability to develop products that utilize nonwoven textiles, and must have experience in teaching, training, or instruction, along with the desire to inspire and mentor our students to qualify for careers in these fields. The successful candidate will teach specialty classes relating to non-woven, and technical textiles in the Textile Development and Marketing major, as well as teach other textile courses at different depth levels of textile technology to additional majors serviced by the Department.

The candidate will be experienced in managing innovation and in developing non-woven textiles used in one or more of the following environments: smart fabrics, medical products, industrial, military, and protective clothing. Additionally, the candidate should have experience and a strong interest in the development and implementation of interdisciplinary research and should be familiar with emerging trends in these fields. Additional qualifications include knowledge of the textile supply chain, product and project management, global marketing, and understanding and conveying the importance of sustainable textiles.

The new faculty member will serve an integral role in the implementation of the strategic goals for the Department's program and will participate in administrative activities as required. Responsibilities will include cultivating and fostering partnerships in industry, promoting the program, advisement and mentorship of students interested in the discipline, and partial supervision of the Department's textile laboratory complex.

The faculty member will engage in academic service, actively pursue research grant opportunities, and conduct, implement and publish research relating to the mission of the TDM department.

Requirements:

Specific Competencies

Successful candidates will excel in the following areas:

Globalism

• Possess working experience and understanding of the global supply chain process focused in the textile product categories while embracing the use of sustainability as part of the learning process.
• Possess experience working with people from various cultural, racial, ethnic, religious and social groups that will support the education of a diverse student population.

Instructional Design

• Implement an academically rigorous and interesting experience integrating professional practice with classroom learning.
• Adapt the curriculum in response to emerging industry needs, changes, and practices.

Learning Enrichment

• Embrace new forms of pedagogy (online teaching, remote teaching, blended classes, experiential learning).
• Capitalize on and maximize the utilization of the Textile Development and Marketing laboratory facilities, including connecting academic assets to industry opportunities.
• Identify networking opportunities between industry professionals and the students through field trips, internships, seminars, and industry events.

Professionalism

• Create and maintain a network of alumni and industry experts who can be called upon as resources for course and curriculum development, focus groups, guest speakers, internships and placement opportunities for students.
• Actively develop research programs that are academically and financially beneficial to the College.
• Demonstrate active engagement in the profession and in scholarly or creative expression.

Technology

• Demonstrate effective use of technology and electronic information to deliver course material and learning experiences to students.
• Understand and manage new industry technologies related to the field of non-woven textiles.
• Demonstrate familiarity with professional written, oral, visual and technological presentation standards.

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD required in textile engineering/textile technology/textile chemistry/fiber engineering or related fields.
• The individual should also demonstrate experience or strong interest in interdisciplinary research and have experience in the development and writing of research grant and project proposals related to the Department's mission, and have a record of published articles relevant to fibers/polymers/textiles, and other scholarly endeavors.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• 7-10 years of relevant industry experience. Postgraduate degrees in textile engineering or related fields, marketing, or business. Preference will be given to candidates who have a portfolio of skills that include some of the following elements: professional technical knowledge of wet processing and all other areas of the fiber-to-fabric process.

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 faculty position will begin Fall 2022. Review of applications will commence on November 2021 and continue until the position is filled. The salary and appointment rank will be based on education level and cumulative experience.

Link to FIT Benefits for Full-Time Faculty

Salary Schedule (page 72)

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;
• Teaching Philosophy Statement;
• Research Philosophy Statement;
• A minimum of three professional references, including names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail contact information.

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.