Fashion Institute of Technology is hiring: Full-Time Faculty Position in Illustr

Overview

Full-Time Faculty Position in Illustration and Interactive Media, School of Art and Design. Location: New York, NY. Category: Faculty. Posted On: Tue Aug 5 2025.

The Illustration and Interactive Media Department seeks a full-time, tenure-track faculty member who is an experienced illustrator/visual artist actively engaged in creating imagery in a range of specialized disciplines and platforms that include editorial and commercial print and online media.

The ideal candidate will be a highly creative artist and educator whose work and teaching reflect a strong understanding of fundamentals, including anatomy, composition, color theory, form, and space. The faculty member will be expected to teach and lead both in their specialties and foundation courses. The faculty member will work collaboratively to contribute and maintain a high level of creativity, academic excellence, and pedagogical and technological innovation.

In the conceptual process, the candidate will teach through demonstration and by example from their professional experience, the techniques of research, exploring multiple narrative and editorial directions, developing visual solutions, and determining an aesthetic approach that best communicates the ideas they choose or are commissioned to convey. As a practicing professional and teaching artist, the ideal candidate understands the importance of embracing all student perspectives that inform their work.

Specific Competencies Sought As Related To The Position

Globalism

• Demonstrate an understanding of how illustrators, as visual communicators, can educate and influence public perception and beliefs that influence global issues with national and international impact.
• Demonstrate an understanding of world and national history, as well as current events, as a means of context and perspective for effective decision-making in the role of visual communicator and illustrator.
• Demonstrate an appreciation of the benefits and opportunities of networking with the New York City Creative District and incorporate distinguished guest speakers and class field trips to local museums, galleries and other educational resources as means of enhancing class material and student learning experiences.
• Demonstrate ability to develop student awareness in the classroom environment for all groups.
• Demonstrate the ability to share extensive knowledge of art history in both Western and non-Western contexts, as well as current practices, approaches, and movements in the contemporary art world.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the global nature of today\'s illustration discipline.
• Demonstrate an awareness of professional, ethical and social responsibility.

Instructional Design

• Demonstrate ability to teach students to integrate traditional illustration skills and techniques with digital media in class assignments and projects.
• Demonstrate ability to teach students how to integrate and utilize information and skills from various disciplines including photography, design, animation, film, writing, social sciences, world history, and art history to create stimulating and effective visual communication images and illustrations.
• Demonstrate ability to design engrossing class assignments to enhance information literacy and research skills, foster experimentation, and to cultivate creative critical thinking.
• Demonstrate ability to be an effective verbal communicator and speaker who conducts enlightening and thought-provoking lectures, presentations, demonstrations, and critiques.
• Demonstrate the ability to teach a breadth of 2D processes to all levels of undergraduate students.
• Implement an academically rigorous experience by incorporating professional and business practices in classroom learning.
• Develop a variety of assessment methods for student work to capture various learning styles in the classroom.
• Serve as an active contributor to curricular assessment and development.
• Maintain strong connections within the illustration industry to provide currency and to introduce and integrate new methodologies into the curriculum.
• Utilize the college\'s learning management system to maintain information required for assessment monitoring.
• Demonstrate commitment to student-centeredness with active participation in student work reviews, and provide constructive feedback, assessment, and guidance.
• Incorporate instructional variety to service students of different learning styles and abilities.

Learning Enrichment

• Demonstrate and generate an excitement and passion for teaching, illustrating and learning that inspires students to experiment, innovate and create.
• Demonstrate ability to formulate and create a clear and concise class syllabus to enable and empower students to maximize their potential academically and creatively.
• Demonstrate integration of knowledge of industry and entrepreneurship in classes, and personal career development strategies and experiences, to support and encourage students\' creative and professional interest and progress.
• Demonstrate currency in the discipline, incorporating innovative technology in instructional pedagogy and changes into a progressive curriculum.
• Incorporate industry developments, technology updates and illustration applications into the curriculum, and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching.
• Contribute to ongoing student-centeredness through mentorship and advisement.
• Demonstrate the ability to support different student learning styles and abilities.
• Model and guide professional development and facilitate student engagement with the illustration community within and beyond FIT.

Professionalism

• Demonstrate active and continued engagement in professional, creative and scholarly work and activities aligned with the discipline of illustration in the competitive graphic arts business, and that inform and enhance the discipline.
• Demonstrate an understanding and mastery of established and emerging industry practices and their relevance to the illustration markets.
• Demonstrate expertise in the application of entrepreneurial skills, an understanding of copyright laws, and knowledge of billing practices, and current marketing and promotional protocols.
• Maintain active participation and engagement in discipline-related activities that inform and enhance the discipline.
• Maintain and foster a cultivated network of alumni and experts in the discipline who will serve as a resource for internships, mentors, curriculum development, guest speakers and placement opportunities for graduates.
• Demonstrate currency and engagement in the teaching discipline.
• Model professional behavior that prepares students for entry into related fields.
• Demonstrate ability to apply professional expertise in the continued advancement of the program, including curriculum, and program assessment and development, and program expansion into other areas of illustration applications and markets.
• Demonstrate collaboration and engagement in contributing to and participating in administrative and committee service for the department, the school, and the college.

Technology

• Utilize course management systems and demonstrate capability and currency in utilizing technology in the classroom/studio.
• Possess discipline-specific technology skills and demonstrate expertise and effective utilization of technology and software in illustration to deliver course material and convey practical learning experiences to students.
• Demonstrate ability to inspire students\' imaginations and educate them in further developing the integration of traditional with digital illustration proficiencies consistent with current industry standards and protocols.

Job Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor\'s degree required.
• Six (6) years professional experience as an illustrator in one or more visual storytelling media.
• Four years of college-level teaching.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MFA or MA degree in illustration, fine arts, design or other visual art discipline.
• Experience participating in, or chairing department committees, writing curriculum, curating, and organizing student exhibitions and competitions.

Additional Information:

Please note, all offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of the background check process.

Salary

The final starting salary and appointment rank will be based on education level and cumulative experience; Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Salary Schedules pg s. 73-74.

• Instructor: $69,346.37 - $80,793.82
• Assistant Professor: $80,736.40 - $118,984.88
• Associate Professor: $94,498.31 - $142,271.78
• Professor: $115,232.32 - $173,403.37

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.

Benefits

• Retirement Plans
• Health Care Plan and Dental Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Account
• Commuter Benefit Plan
• FIT Tuition Exemption Program
• Qualifying Employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program

For a full list of FIT benefits, visit our benefits webpage.

Visa Sponsorship: This position may be eligible for visa sponsorship by the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement: FIT is firmly committed to creating an environment that will attract and retain people from a range of backgrounds. FIT is committed to prohibiting discrimination and to providing equal opportunity in employment. Applications from veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged.

Physical Requirements And Work Environment: The working conditions will be in classroom, lab, and/or office space. Occasional lifting up to 10 lbs may be required.