Education Focused Academics (Sydney Horizon Educators) The School of Architecture, Design and Planning

Full time continuing academic Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor (Education Focused) positions at The University of Sydney

Opportunity for the best and brightest talented educators to be part of our future at The School of Architecture, Design and Planning

Base Salary Level C/D $156,103 p.a. - $207,069 p.a. + 17% superannuation

Join the Horizon Educators cohort, with access to apply for Education Focused specialist grants up to a total of AUD$30K to support education-related activities, primarily in the areas of scholarship of teaching and learning and improving current educational offerings at the University of Sydney

About The Opportunity

The University of Sydney welcomes applications for Education Focused Academics (Sydney Horizon Educators) in the academic disciplines outlined below, during an exciting and innovative time. With the introduction of the new University of Sydney Enterprise Agreement 2023-26, the University has committed to establishing and advertising new continuing education-focused (EF) academic positions across The School of Architecture, Design and Planning.

You will have the opportunity to make a significant contribution to teaching in your field of expertise while you also continue to build substantial research contribution, expertise, connections, and impact. As part of this role, you will also contribute to the governance, leadership, and engagement work of your employing school.

Over time, staff appointed to these roles will be supported to engage with professional development opportunities to build their capability to lead change and improvement in teaching and research at the University.

The Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning is an internationally acknowledged centre for intellectual and creative research. It attracts the highest-quality scholars in Australia and is committed to a sustainable future for Sydney and the world.

Creatively combining the disciplines of Architecture, Urbanism, and Design, we explore how cities, spaces, buildings, technologies, and services can better meet the needs of people and society. Our educators and researchers are experimental, imaginative, and critical, innovating at and beyond the boundaries of their disciplines and creating exciting, engaging learning experiences for our students.

Successful candidates will join the Sydney Horizon Educators cohort. For further insights into this exciting opportunity, we invite you to watch this video.

By offering these education focused roles, the University aims to attract and retain the best and brightest emerging academics, within a specialised category of academic engagement. Positions in this opportunity are for talented educators with a passion for, and demonstrated excellence in, educational practice and innovation, and research capability (in disciplinary and/or education-related research). This newly-recruited group of educators will support an uplift in the teaching capability and student experience at the University of Sydney, while also developing as leaders in the education space at the University.

Successful candidates will be expected to dedicate most of their contribution to teaching and teaching-related activities (70%), while also engaging in research (20%) and governance, leadership, and engagement (10%).  Successful appointees support, coordinate, and teach undergraduate and postgraduate coursework Units of Study. Laboratory tutorial, studio class deliveries, and workshop management and teaching may also be a key part of the roles. These positions may also assist and guide the academic coordinators of other units within the discipline.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• undertake a leadership role in educational innovation, curriculum design and review, contributing to outstanding educational delivery and outcomes
• design and engage in high-quality teaching and learning experiences which meet the University’s expectations and standards for education
• delivering outstanding teaching and learning outcomes for students
• develop teaching and unit materials, working with more senior academics within the University
• maintain relevant Work, Health and Safety requirements and management including laboratory and/or field work
• through research and scholarly creative work, contribute to knowledge within your discipline or area of expertise, particularly as it relates to teaching and learning in your discipline
• develop and refine your education research skills, particularly as they relate to evaluating and improving teaching and learning in your discipline
• maintain high quality, standards and excellence in your educational activities and output
• contribute to the governance, leadership, and engagement work in your school.

The University of Sydney is recognised as one of the top research and teaching universities in the world. A globally ranked university, ranked 25th in QS University World Rankings 2026, 2nd for sustainability in Australia.

To build on this performance, the University is seeking applications for the following positions:

(Please note when submitting your application, select the position(s) you would like to apply for).

Discipline Of Urbanism

Our Discipline of Urbanism is concerned with the design, characteristics, and processes of urbanism, as well as the policy and planning solutions proposed to create better cities. We embrace an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to the theory, policy, and design of how cities are made and shaped. We have strong research concentrations in the fields of housing, smart cities, and place. Our academics teach into undergraduate and postgraduate programs in urbanism, urban and regional planning, and urban design.

• Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Urban Heritage (Education Focused) Level C/D

Key Responsibilities:

• teach in the School’s master's and undergraduate programs, with a focus on urban heritage and cognate areas
• coordinate and deliver selected core and elective units of study, in whole or in part
• build industry links with the heritage sector
• provide educational leadership and innovation in curriculum development, assessment, and student experience
• apply for research funding to develop your research area
• publish in high-quality international outlets

Selection Criteria:

• PhD in a field relevant to the position and/or significant heritage sector experience
• demonstrated ability to develop, coordinate, and evaluate teaching and learning in urban and/or heritage studies or cognate areas
• demonstrated ability to build industry links, particularly with the heritage sector
• capacity to contribute to school-wide educational innovation and collaboration
• capacity to lead teaching teams
• capacity to apply for competitive grant funding and/or industry funding as an individual or as part of a team
• an established research track record or equivalent professional achievements relevant to the role (which will include evidence of high-quality education scholarship for applicants at level D).

Discipline Of Design

Design is a rapidly growing and highly successful discipline within the School. Our design research explores the role of design in speculating on the future—envisioning, defining, and informing the societal, ecological, political, and life-centred interactions and experiences that emerge between people and technology.

Pushing the boundaries of pedagogical practice in interaction and innovation, we encourage our students to critically rethink and prototype new objects, systems, experiences, and materials that shape human experience and life on the planet through the lens of design.

Recognising that design cannot happen in isolation, we actively collaborate across disciplines and with external partners, including industry, not-for-profit organisations, government, and community groups.

• Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Interaction Design (Education Focused) Level C/D

Key Responsibilities:

• coordinate and teach in interaction design, with a specific focus on information visualisation, web design, front-end/back-end web technologies, and creative coding
• contribute to the continued evolution of design programs in ADP—Bachelor of Design (Interaction Design), Master of Design, and Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts—including curriculum planning and development, program delivery and evaluation, innovative pedagogies, and studio practice
• pursue opportunities to enhance the profile and reputation of Design locally, nationally, and internationally through partnerships, projects, and collaboration in teaching, research, and engagement
• make a significant research contribution to the School through original, high-quality outputs that demonstrate robust disciplinary education scholarship, contribute to current discipline interest areas, and offer strong teaching–research linkages.

Selection Criteria:

• PhD in a related field and/or significant industry experience
• demonstrated ability to develop, coordinate, and evaluate teaching and learning
• demonstrated ability to build industry links
• capacity to contribute to school-wide educational innovation and collaboration
• capacity to lead teaching teams
• capacity to apply for competitive grant funding and/or industry funding, either individually or as part of a team
• an established research track record or equivalent professional achievements relevant to the role (which will include evidence of high-quality education scholarship for applicants at level D).

About You

The University values trust, accountability and excellence. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talented academics who align to these values and who will lead our teaching and research work at the university in the years to come. You will join a dynamic, engaged group in a highly collaborative and supportive teaching and research environment.  

We are looking for education focused candidates who understand the principles and pedagogy of good curriculum and assessment design, and who will make a significant contribution to improving the student experience at the University. Successful candidates will understand or be willing to learn the research principles around teaching and learning design, delivery, and evaluation. They will have a demonstrated ability to interact effectively with students, facilitating and guiding their learning in research, theory, and laboratory sessions. They will also have demonstrated ability to conduct research and (at all levels, but particularly at Level C and D) a willingness to develop a program of education-related research over time.

We are therefore looking for Education Focused Academics (Sydney Horizon Educators) who have:

• a PhD or nearly-completed PhD in an academic field relevant to the discipline
• experience in assessment, feedback and learning by design
• experience in contributing to outstanding educational design, delivery, evaluation and outcomes
• a track record of high-quality research outputs appropriate to the discipline or education in the discipline
• a developing network of relationships with key academic, industry or professional institutions partners and stakeholders
• demonstrated experience in supervising or mentoring others and/or coordinating team activities
• a demonstrated commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching
• sound experience of teaching and learning, and the ability to contribute to teaching at undergraduate, honours and postgraduate levels in lecture, tutorial and practical settings
• proven experience in designing, implementing and evaluating teaching and learning initiatives
• a record of excellent teaching, learning, and assessment practice in a tertiary environment, as evidenced through student and supervisor feedback
• the capacity to engage students and enable a supportive, inclusive learning environment
• a high level of interpersonal skills including the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues
• the ability to work collaboratively with other staff, including professional staff, and foster principles of equity, diversity and inclusion
• high-level written and verbal communication skills.

Senior Lecturers who, in addition to the above can demonstrate:

• their knowledge and understanding of the key, strategic, education-related issues in the higher education sector and/or the University
• their experience as an effective unit, course or program coordinator or director (especially for large classes), as evidenced by student and staff feedback 
• significant experience conducting original research and engaging in scholarly activity, with a developing record of high-quality scholarship of teaching and learning research
• significant capability in leadership, service, governance, and engagement.

Associate Professor who, in addition to the above can demonstrate:

• service, governance, and engagement through their prior work in university and/or complex non-university organisations
• their ability to attract nationally competitive research funding, particularly from the Australian Research Council
• leadership of curriculum development than enhances student learning in the discipline curriculum
• sustained record of excellence in teaching and learning design and practice
• extensive experience conducting original research and engaging in scholarly activity, with an established record of high-quality scholarship of teaching and learning research
• extensive experience supervising and mentoring others
• a wide network of established relationships with academic, industry and professional partners and stakeholders
• their ability to obtain competitive grant funding for their education scholarship
• their leadership within the higher education sector, including demonstrated success in supervising and/or mentoring others (including honours students) to achieve career progression or professional advancement
• establishment of relationships with key academic, industry and professional institutions, partners and stakeholders that can be leveraged to enhance the standing of education in the discipline, School, Faculty and University.

Pre-Employment Checks

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all role-required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to the University. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

Eeo Statement

At the University of Sydney, our shared values are trust, accountability and excellence and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community that thrives through diversity and reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this through our commitment to diversity and inclusion, evidenced by our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTQIA+. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds. 

We are proud to be recognised as an Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Platinum Employer. Find out more about our work on diversity and inclusion. 

How To Apply

Please prepare and upload a statement indicating how you believe you meet the criteria outlined in the “About you” of the advertisement (maximum 3 A4 pages) and a CV which can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page. Applications will be reviewed as received.

Current employee of the University or a contingent worker with access to Workday, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard. Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

Anticipated Timelines

Please refer to the Recruitment Guidelines for key information about this recruitment campaign.

Contact Information

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or any documents in alternate formats, please contact Justyn Griffin, Recruitment Partner, Recruitment Operations, Human Resources by email hr.recruitmentcampaign@sydney.edu.au

© The University of Sydney

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

Click to view the following Position Descriptions for these roles:

• Senior Lecturer (Education Focused) – Level C  
• Associate Professor (Education Focused) – Level D

Applications Close

Monday 03 November 2025 11:59 PM