About Birmingham City University
At Birmingham City University, we are a diverse and inclusive learning community of over 31,400 students from more than 120 countries. We aim to become an exemplar anchor institution, creating and sharing knowledge for a better and more inclusive society. We are committed to providing a transformational educational experience, supporting world-class research, and fostering a collaborative and supportive working environment for our staff.
Recognised as one of the UK’s Top 250 employers (Financial Times & Statista), we pride ourselves on being a place where colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to grow their careers while contributing to the success of our students and communities.
Our student demographic reflects the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, with a significant proportion of students from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and the majority of our home students coming from the West Midlands. This diversity is a strength, and it calls for a workforce that is equipped to challenge deficit narratives and thinking — those assumptions that position students from underrepresented groups as lacking rather than recognising their assets, strengths and potential.
By embracing this perspective, we aim to create an environment where all students and colleagues can thrive, and where our work contributes positively to the social, cultural and economic life of Birmingham and beyond.
Role Summary
We are seeking a Senior Lecturer in Architecture to join our School of Architecture, Built Environment, Computing and Engineering, to take a leading role in the development, delivery, and continual evolution of our B.Arch and M.Arch Programmes.
The successful candidate will join a forward-looking course built on teaching excellence, critical design thinking, and student wellbeing grounded in professional responsibility. Our programme values intellectually rigorous learning, strong student support, and an educational culture that prepares graduates to contribute ethically and creatively to contemporary practice.
As Senior Lecturer, you will be an experience practitioner, educator and academic leader, and have experience of course leadership, and be familiar with ARB and RIBA Accreditation and Validation Processes. The successful candidate will fill a vital role helping shape the future direction of our courses and ensuring their ongoing relevance, inclusivity, and excellence within a rapidly changing disciplinary landscape.
Powered by our distinctive STEAM agenda, we are committed to transforming the lives of our students and the communities we serve. We champion practice-based learning, socio-cultural and techno-political awareness, and design as a transformative force. Our studios are spaces of experimentation, speculation, and responsibility—cultivating a radically disruptive constituency of care and nurturing imaginative, socially engaged futures.
To drive this mission forward, we are investing in exceptional academic staff who are at the cutting edge of practice, research, and pedagogy. Through active, immersive, hands-on learning, our educators empower students to achieve significant educational gain and profound personal transformation. Together, we aim to shape designers capable of building a more just, inclusive, and caring world.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide academic leadership within the programmes, contributing to strategic planning, course direction, and enhancement of the student experience.
- Lead curriculum development, ensuring innovative, research-informed, industry-engaged, and socially responsive approaches across modules and studio pathways.
- Teach across undergraduate and postgraduate studios, with a focus on integrated design, spatial resolution, and real-world practice.
- Deliver research-informed, practice-aligned teaching that strengthens abilities in drawing, modelling, detailing, representation, digital workflows, material specification and spatial strategy.
- Model excellence in research-informed pedagogy, embedding sustainable, inclusive, and ethically grounded design principles.
- Mentor and support staff and students as makers, thinkers, activists, practitioners, and researchers.
- Champion diversity and belonging, fostering a learning environment that values multiple cultures, experiences, and perspectives.
- Provide responsible pastoral support, encouraging engagement, wellbeing, academic integrity and professional conduct.
- Help students connect design ideas to real-world considerations, including technical requirements, ethical implications, industry and regulatory standards.
- Contribute to industry-focused learning activities, such as external talks, practice workshops, or live briefs that enhance professional awareness and employability.
Essential Requirements
- An experienced Architect/educator with extensive professional knowledge from architectural practice, design intelligence and a reflective, evidence-based approach to teaching that raises student ambition and develops their confidence as emerging professionals.
- Demonstrate considered and fair student support, recognising that academic quality is strengthened through a respectful, supportive, and professional studio culture.
- UK Registered (ARB) and Chartered (RIBA) Architect with extensive prior experience teaching in a UK School of Architecture.
Further Information
If you are excited by the opportunity to help shape the future of School of Architecture, Built Environment, Computing and Engineering, we would love to hear from you.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Peter Baldwin at peter.baldwin@bcu.ac.uk.
Why not explore our campuses using our interactive map: Interactive Map | Birmingham City University
Why work for us
- Work–life balance – Generous leave and hybrid working (role dependent).
- Career development – Opportunities to grow, develop and progress your career.
- Reward and wellbeing – Competitive pay, pension, wellbeing support and staff benefits.
- Inclusive culture – A supportive, diverse environment where everyone belongs.