Associate Professor/Full Professor in Lighting Design
Job Description
The University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Theater invites applications for a full-time Senior Faculty position at the rank of Associate or Full Professor with tenure in Lighting Design. The position is slated to begin September 1, 2027. The successful candidate will be a committed teacher who embraces a student-centered mentoring approach and an accomplished professional practitioner who brings significant experience and artistic vision to the Department. They will be an excellent and adaptable collaborator, able to work effectively across a range of budgets and performance spaces, and will possess the expertise to teach lighting design from the introductory through the professional level.
Experience and expertise in related areas of theatrical design and technology, such as projection design, video design, immersive design, or virtual reality, are desirable. Candidates who can integrate emerging technologies into teaching, creative practice, and production work are especially encouraged to apply.
The department depends on its faculty and staff being ensemble-oriented, communicative, adventurous, and able to model these traits to the students. We are particularly interested in artists who have diverse expertise or experience in theater-making.
Essential Functions
The successful candidate will be an artist-scholar and teacher whose primary area of expertise is lighting design. They will develop and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in lighting design artistry and technology, including foundational and advanced coursework. Instruction may encompass areas such as 3D lighting visualization, programming, drafting, and lighting design applications for related creative fields.
The faculty member will contribute to the department's production program by overseeing the lighting design activities associated with the mainstage season. Responsibilities include serving as lighting designer or production designer for selected productions; mentoring and supervising student lighting designers and related production personnel; attending design, production, and technical meetings; and participating in design and technical rehearsals as required.
The successful candidate will maintain an active professional and creative practice in lighting design and contribute to the artistic and intellectual life of the department through collaboration, mentoring, recruitment, advising, service, and participation in shared governance.
The successful candidate will have excellent administrative skills, significant leadership experience, and a record of scholarship, teaching, and service appropriate for appointment to a tenured Associate Professor/Full Professor rank at a R1 University.
Minimum Requirements
- MFA in Lighting Design or terminal degree in related field by time of hire.
- A record of teaching, research, and creative output appropriate for appointment at the rank of a tenured Associate/Full Professor at a R1 Research University.
- Demonstrated excellence in teaching lighting design at the college level.
- Substantial experience as a professional lighting designer and evidence of impact in the field; evidence of ongoing creative achievement.
- An ability to collaborate across disciplines.
- Working knowledge of contemporary trends and technology.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with Projection Design and Technology
Salary Information and Disclosures
The University expects to pay within an approximate range between $90,160 and $142,437 for this position if hired at the rank of Associate Professor. The expected range for a candidate hired at the rank of Full Professor is between $107,065 and $188,003. Salary is commensurate with experience. This position is a 9-month academic year appointment at 100% full-time equivalency with full benefits.
Please note: The low end of this range is based on the minimum salary for the rank included in the collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Massachusetts Society of Professors, UMass Amherst/MTA/NEA. The high-end of the pay range reflects an increase above the median salaries at this rank within the department for faculty who may have multiple years of faculty experience. The specific pay for this position will be determined by the University based on consideration of all relevant factors, including faculty rank and required relevant certifications, when and if it decides to extend an offer of employment.
Application Instructions
Please upload your cover letter, resume and/or curriculum vitae, a teaching philosophy statement, a link to your portfolio, along with a completed application and contact information for 3 professional references who are willing to provide letters of reference upon request.
Address your cover letter to the Lighting Design Search Committee discussing your interest in the position, artistic aims, ability to contribute meaningfully to the present and future activities of the Department of Theater, and how your work as artist, teacher, academic citizen and public servant would further the university’s values and goals as outlined in the university’s strategic plan. You can find these values and goals in our strategic plan here: https://www.umass.edu/strategicplan/strategic-plan.
Review of applications will begin on November 30, 2026. Applications received after this date may not be reviewed.
Additional Information
About the Department of Theater
The Department of Theater produces high-caliber, artistic creations on stage, telling human stories that connect audiences and performers in our increasingly interconnected, complex world. We model and practice professional theater-making at every level of our teaching and production process. The Department offers a robust undergraduate program, with a BA major, minor, and a Multicultural Theater Certificate, as well as an evolving MFA program. Our productions are a laboratory for our students, and we nurture a strong commitment to community engagement and participation.
For more information on living, working, and learning in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts please visit: https://www.umass.edu/faculty-development/prospective-faculty
This position will remain open for the time period required by any applicable collective bargaining agreement and will continue until a suitable candidate pool is identified. This position is subject to final administrative and budget approval.
