California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Opened in 1965 and set at the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino mountains, the university serves approximately 19,000 students. CSUSB is a federally recognized minority-serving and Hispanic-serving institution that reflects the dynamic diversity of the region and has the most diverse student population of any university in the Inland Empire: 74 percent of its students are members of underrepresented groups, 80 percent are first-generation, and 56 percent are Pell eligible. For more information on the campus, please visit the CSUSB website.
CSUSB employs 467 full-time faculty and offers 48 undergraduate, 35 graduate, and one doctoral degree programs and 14 academic programs with national accreditation. At CSUSB, diversity, equity and inclusion are values central to our mission. We recognize that diversity and inclusion in all its forms are necessary for our institutional success. By fully leveraging our diverse experiences, backgrounds and insights, we inspire innovation, challenge the status quo and create better outcomes for our students and community. As part of
CSUSB’s commitment to hire, develop and retain a diverse faculty, we offer a variety of networking, mentoring and development programs for our junior faculty. We are committed to building and sustaining a CSUSB community that is supportive and inclusive of all individuals. Qualified applicants with experience in ethnically diverse settings and/or who demonstrate a commitment to serving diverse student populations are strongly encouraged to apply.
JOB SUMMARY
The Department of Theatre Arts invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Theatre Technology. This is a faculty position with a 75 percent assignment in the Department of Theatre Arts and a 25 percent assignment supporting experiential learning in the Performing Arts Center. The successful candidate will teach and mentor undergraduate students in theatre design and technology; contribute design, technical, or media expertise to the department's production program; and use the Performing Arts facilities as a laboratory for high-impact learning and innovative career preparation. We welcome candidates whose primary expertise may be in lighting, scenic, sound, rigging, projection/media, integrated entertainment systems, or another area of performance technology, and whose work connects established production practices with emerging technologies.
TYPICAL ACTIVITIES
The successful candidate will fulfill the normal responsibilities of a tenure-track faculty member, including teaching, student mentoring and advising, scholarly and/or creative activity, and service. Specific responsibilities include:
- Teach a 9-WTU assignment each semester in the Department of Theatre Arts. Courses may include introductory and advanced theatre technology, stagecraft, scenic design, lighting, sound, projection/media, computer applications, production practicum, and courses in the candidate's areas of expertise and departmental need.
- Contribute a 3-WTU-equivalent assignment, approximately 135 hours per semester, to Performing Arts Center learning initiatives. This work will focus on faculty-led instruction, curriculum-connected projects, and student mentorship developed in collaboration with faculty and Performing Arts Center professional staff.
- Develop hands-on learning experiences that introduce students to safe, current, and emerging production workflows, which may include rigging, digital lighting, networked audio and video, projection and media servers, stage and scenic automation, show control, and support motion and performance capture, virtual production, and immersive systems faculty.
- Mentor student designers, technicians, and crews through department productions and other approved curricular or co-curricular projects in the Performing Arts Center.
- Contribute design, technical direction, media design, systems integration, or related production leadership in an area aligned with the candidate's expertise, department needs, and assigned workload.
- Collaborate with faculty, staff, guest artists, and Performing Arts Center personnel to align production activity with student learning outcomes, accessibility, safety, available resources, and professional standards.
- Help strengthen curriculum and career pathways connecting theatre students with employment in live entertainment, themed entertainment, film and media, events, and other creative industries.
- Maintain an active record of scholarly and/or creative activity appropriate to the Department of Theatre Arts' retention, tenure, and promotion expectations.
- Participate in student advising, recruitment and retention, assessment, shared governance, and service at the department, college, and university levels.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Qualified candidates must demonstrate a commitment to excellence in teaching and mentoring a diverse student population and to working effectively with faculty, staff and students across a wide range of disciplines.
- An MFA or other terminal degree in theatre design and technology, technical production, entertainment technology, or a closely related field must be completed by the time of appointment.
- Professional experience in at least one area of theatre or live-performance design, technology, or production.
- Demonstrated ability or potential to teach undergraduate courses in theatre technology and/or design.
- Demonstrated knowledge of safe practices and current professional standards in performance production environments.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor diverse students equitably in applied, production-based learning.
- Demonstrated commitment to equitable teaching and mentoring for students from diverse backgrounds and with varied levels of prior experience.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively and equitably with faculty, professional staff, students, and guest artists.
-
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- University-level teaching experience and evidence of effective undergraduate instruction.
- An active professional or creative practice in theatre, live entertainment, events, themed entertainment, film/media production, arts entrepreneurship, or a related field.
- Expertise in one or more emerging performance technologies, such as rigging, motion capture, projection mapping, media servers, virtual production, augmented or virtual reality, interactive systems, automation, show control, or networked audio/video and lighting systems.
- Successful experience integrating new venue technologies into curriculum and project-based student learning.
- A secondary area of design or technical expertise that complements the candidate's primary specialization.
- Successful experience supervising or mentoring student designers, technicians, shop crews, or run crews.
- Successful experience with accessible, sustainable, culturally responsive, anti-racist, LGBTQIA+-affirming, and gender-inclusive approaches to performance design and production.
- Successful experience developing career pathways, internships, apprenticeships, or professional networks for students, including familiarity with entertainment-industry unions and professional organizations.
- Relevant professional safety or entertainment-technology credentials, such as ETCP, OSHA, MEWP/AWP, Dante, or manufacturer-specific certifications.
- Experience with public-facing arts venue operations.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS
The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.
Following a conditional offer of employment, a background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate may start work with CSUSB. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may result in the withdrawal of the offer of employment. Note: CSUSB cannot deny an applicant a position solely or in part due to a criminal conviction history until it has performed an individualized assessment and linked the relevant conviction history with specific job duties in the position being sought.
Please note: Current employees who are offered positions on campus will be required to undergo a background check for any position where a background check is required by law or that CSUSB has designated as sensitive. Sensitive positions are those requiring heightened scrutiny of individuals holding the position based on potential for harm to children, concerns for the safety and security of people, animals, or property, or heightened risk of financial loss to CSUSB or individuals in the university community.
For health and well-being, CSUSB is a smoke & tobacco-free campus. The university is committed to promoting a healthy environment for all members of our community.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Theatre Arts is composed of artist-educators committed to rigorous, equitable, and collaborative undergraduate education in full support of the CSU’s mission. The department offers a BA in Theatre with opportunities for focused study in performance, musical theatre, theatre education, and design and technology. Students develop their work through classroom study, production practice, creative research, and community engagement. The department's facilities include a new Performing Arts Center with a 478-seat theatre, a smaller thrust stage (the Ron Barnes Theatre), and an immersive performance and motion-capture studio, creating significant opportunities to connect foundational theatre training with contemporary and emerging performance technologies.
To find out more about the Department of Theatre Arts, visit https://www.csusb.edu/theatre-arts
For more information regarding the position, please contact:
Recruitment Chair
Professor Johanna Smith
johanna@csusb.edu
HOW TO APPLY
- Curriculum Vitae
- Cover Letter that includes:
- a. A statement of your teaching interest/philosophy (can be included in CL or separate)
- b. A statement of your research experience, creative scholarship, and/or professional creative work (can be included in CL or separate)
- c. A statement how you will serve the CSUSB community, including students and the campus at large
- If available, evidence of teaching effectiveness such as teaching portfolios, reports on teaching observations, and/or student evaluations of teaching.
- A professional portfolio or a link to a portfolio website demonstrating relevant design, technical, media, and/or production work.
- Unofficial copies of all postsecondary degree transcripts (official transcripts may be required prior to appointment).
- Reference List - names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of three (3) referees whom we may contact to obtain letters of recommendation.
- Confidential letters of recommendation may be solicited from those listed as references on the application if the applicant is moved forward in the recruitment process. Non-confidential letters of recommendation can be uploaded by the applicant during the application process.
Formal review of applications will begin October 31, 2026 and continue until the position is filled.
If you are interested in this opportunity, we invite you to apply by using this CSU Recruit Hyperlink at:
https://secure.dc4.pageuppeople.com/apply/873/gateway/Default.aspx?c=apply&sJobIDs=562824&SourceTypeID=803&sLanguage=en-us&lApplicationSubSourceID=11248
H-1B Employment: CSUSB is currently not sponsoring applicants for H-1B employment that are subject to the $100,000 fee established by the “Presidential Proclamation: Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers” issued on September 19, 2025. Applicants are responsible for determining the applicability of the fee.
CA Resident Requirement: The California State University (CSU) system is a network of twenty-three public universities providing access to a quality education through the support of California taxpayers. Part of CSU’s mission is to prepare educated, responsible individuals to contribute to California’s schools, economy, culture and future. As an agency of the State of California, the CSU’s business operations almost exclusively reside within California. As of the effective date of this policy, hiring employees to perform CSU-related work outside of California is prohibited. Exceptions to this prohibition are limited to approved purposes for conducting CSU business in a region outside of California. Out-of-state employment creates various legal and tax liabilities that the CSU must seriously consider when extending employment to individuals residing outside the state. For more information and the full policy, go to https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/10899725/latest/
Salary is commensurate with experience.
Assistant Professor (Range 3) - $6,221 – $13,224
Associate Professor (Range 4) - $6,825 – $14,523
Professor (Range 5) - $8,593 – $15,211
CSU Salary Schedule: https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/careers/compensation/Pages/salary-schedule.aspx
Education Code 89521 Requirements: Applicants will be required to disclose whether they have received a final administrative decision or final judicial decision determining that they have committed sexual harassment within the last 7 years only after a determination is made that they meet the minimum qualifications for the position, and before an offer of employment is extended. Applicants who reach the final stages of the application process must also sign a release form that authorizes the release of information by the applicant’s current and/or former employers to the CSU concerning any substantiated allegations of misconduct.
A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.
The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.
In our commitment to the furthering of knowledge and fulfilling our educational mission, California State University, San Bernardino seeks a campus climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the entire variety of human experience. We welcome people from all backgrounds, and we seek to include knowledge and values from many cultures in the curriculum and extra-curricular life of the campus community. We will create, promote, and maintain activities and programs that further our understanding of individual and group diversity. We will also develop and communicate policies and promote values that discourage intolerance and discrimination.
This position may be “Designated” under California State University's Conflict of Interest Code. This would require the filing of a Statement of Economic Interest on an annual basis and the completion of training within 6 months of assuming office and every 2 years thereafter. Visit the Human Resources Conflict of Interest webpage link for additional information:
https://www.csusb.edu/human-resources/current-employees/employee-relations/conflict-interest