Secondary Makerspace Technician

About Bloom Secondary

Bloom Academy is a new secondary school focused on innovation and entrepreneurship education. Designed from the ground up by passionate educators, engineers, and entrepreneurs, we aim to establish ourselves as one of the leading K-12 institutions in Hong Kong, the China Greater Bay Area (GBA), and Asia. While the world faces many ongoing challenges, we are excited at the prospect of reimagining what education could be – especially within our Chinese context – and we invite you to join us in our efforts to innovate to prepare students for the challenges that lie ahead.

After the successful opening of our primary school in 2021, we look forward to the opening of our secondary program in August 2023. In preparation for this, we have been running pilot programs since 2018, which have served as incubation spaces for our unique school design and curricular innovation. We have been preparing our senior cohorts for their A-Levels and IGCSEs, while our junior cohorts are following our school-based curriculum.

We are seeking qualified and experienced teachers to join the effort to launch the new secondary program in August 2023. Because founding teachers have a strong effect on the development of school culture, we will be placing a high premium on individuals who possess the following characteristics:

• Courageous We are designing for the unknown. We do not seek failure, nor do we fear it.
• Energetic Starting a school is exciting and challenging. It requires a lot of stamina and hard work.
• Optimistic We must aim to inspire our students and one another.
• Kind Teachers, students, and parents are on the same team. Teams flourish when members treat one another with dignity.
• Creative Education has many problems, which we are trying to solve. We need problem-solvers to help and implement our vision.
• Open-Minded Those who can park aside educational assumptions aside will be able to contribute more to our vision, innovation, and culture.
• Adaptable Our design and implementation cycles are short. A nimble and evolving pedagogy will be necessary.
• Patient Good schools take years to build.

All trends point to a future in which AI will replace many current jobs, and a future in which humans may become liberated to pursue their creative dreams. This requires us to begin moving away from a teacher-led, exam-based, subject-siloed secondary curriculum that merely produces demonstrations of knowledge mastery. We believe that education has to change now in order to prepare our young people for a vastly different world of higher education and work than that which we are currently familiar with.

If you are similarly animated by the necessity for change, while also building on the best of what we already have in education, we encourage you to apply.

Job Description

We seek a dynamic, enthusiastic and talented Makerspace Technician [all subject specialisms will be considered]. This candidate will be responsible for managing and maintaining the makerspace facilities, tools, and equipment, and assisting students and staff in the creation of projects and prototypes using various materials and technologies. The ideal candidate will have experience working with makerspaces, a passion for making and creativity, and an ability to work collaboratively with students and staff.

The successful candidate will be able to help students understand STEM not just as subjects of academic study, but as a way of understanding themselves and their world. Applications of science will be realized through working in the MakerSpace where hands-on experiments, building, and projects will be part of learning. The candidate will work with our STEAM program director to support learning in an interdisciplinary manner, for example, linking biology to nutrition as we create our vertical farm, applying physics to design paper rockets as we celebrate NASA or China Space Days, and turning chemistry into an art form when students make their own lava lamps. Some of our STEAM classes will be conducted in a studio format that address specific career pathways and industry-based exploration and learning.

The Makerspace Technician will play a crucial role in supporting our STEAM program through teaching and managing the Makerspace professionally. Students will have the opportunity to collect raw data, contribute original knowledge to the scientific community, and act as citizen activists. At our school, we strive to leverage the power of science, technology, and engineering to solve pressing human problems and transform lives for the better. As the Makerspace Technician, you will have the opportunity to shape our students' understanding of STEAM and their ability to create and contribute to the community.

Our secondary program is inclusive, serving a range of learners and the position will suit teachers who thrive in diverse classrooms and professionally collaborative cultures.

Required Qualifications

Applicants should consider applying based on the below requirements:

Essential

• BSc in tech, art, computer science, engineering or Makerspace related fields;
• Experience working in the Makerspace, including woodwork, art work, metal work, robotics, programming;
• Experience with woodwork, metalwork, wearable computing, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, programming;
• Relevant industry, job or hobbyist experience in maker, engineering, technology, programming, woodwork, metalwork, sewing, food technology, organic farming;
• Strong familiarity with educational technology, especially Google Suite, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ICT;
• Native or near-native English and strong written and spoken communication skills. As our school will be bilingual, Putonghua is an advantage;
• A commitment to innovative and future-focused education including project-based learning.

Highly Desirable

• Valid teaching certification;
• A commitment to remaining in Hong Kong and to see through the initial development phase of the school;
• Experience teaching biology;
• Commitment to continuous professional development;
• Collaborative, positive and inclusive approach;
• Experience of working with students with a range of learning needs;
• Experience with developing and managing makerspaces and STEM / STEAM experience;
• Driven and motivated by the opportunity for professional growth and career advancement that joining a new school offers.
  

Qualified candidates will be remunerated with a competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.  To apply, please email your cover letter, resume and expected salary to recruitment@bloom.edu.hk. Personal information will be used for recruitment purposes only. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  Successful candidates will be expected to begin by August 2023.