01.
STUDIO TECHNICIAN
THE ROLE
Technicians are responsible for the day-to-day technical operation of the studio: firing, glaze and clay preparation, equipment condition, and the safe running of the space during their shifts. They are also the first point of contact for members on the floor. Technicians work daytime shifts and report to the Lead Technician and studio manager.
Reports to: Lead Technician
Location: Unit 102, 100 Royal College Street, London NW1
Hours: 12 hours per week over two daytime shifts, on a rota confirmed one month in advance. Weekend shifts form part of the rota.
Contract: Variable-hours employment contract (PAYE). This is an employed position, not a freelance engagement.
Pay:￡15 per hour, plus 12.07% statutory holiday pay
Start: November 2026, with paid induction prior to opening
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Kilns and firing
- Load, programme and unload the studio's electric kilns
- Maintain an accurate firing log so that all work is traceable
- Prepare and maintain kiln shelves and furniture, including removal of glaze residue
- Identify firing faults and report them to the Lead Technician the same day
Glaze and clay
- Weigh, mix, sieve, test and label studio glazes to the studio's recipes
- Maintain glaze buckets in good condition and replenish stock before it runs low
- Operate the reclaim process: collecting, drying, slaking, pugging and wedging, and maintaining an adequate stock of workable clay
- Empty and clean clay traps
Members
- Induct new members and introduce them to studio procedures
- Instruct members in the safe use of equipment and respond to questions on materials, drying, glazing and firing
- Conduct tours for prospective members
- Manage the collection of finished work and maintain a clear, labelled shelving system
Studio operation and safety
- Maintain a clean, safe and orderly studio throughout each shift, applying the studio's dust-control procedures (wet cleaning only)
- Carry out equipment checks at the start and end of each shift and report defects
- Assist in keeping safety documentation current, including material safety data sheets
- Receive deliveries, store stock correctly and report reordering needs to the Lead Technician
- Open and secure the studio at the start and end of shifts as required
* Machinery — pugmill, slab roller and kilns — is operated before 5pm only. The technical workload of the role is therefore concentrated in daytime hours.
QUALIFICATION
Essential
- Practical experience firing electric kilns and mixing glazes to a recipe
- Working knowledge of clay bodies, drying stages and reclaim
- Clear communication and a patient, professional manner with members of all levels, including beginners
- Reliability, attention to order and cleanliness, and the ability to work on own initiative
- Ability to lift 12.5kg clay bags and to work on foot for the duration of a shift
- Right to work in the UK
Desirable
- Experience in a membership or open-access studio
- Kiln maintenance experience, or a willingness to be trained
- A qualification in ceramics or an active making practice
- A current first aid certificate
* Applicants who meet most but not all of the essential criteria are encouraged to apply.
TERMS AND BENEFITS
All working time, including training, is paid at the contracted hourly rate with holiday pay in addition.
- ￡15 per hour plus 12.07% holiday pay, paid through PAYE
- Workplace pension, subject to eligibility
- Involvement in establishing the technical systems of a new studio
APPLICATION
Please email studio@38pottery.com with:
- A short statement on your experience with kilns, glazes and clay, and your interest in the role
- Your CV
02.
POTTERY TEACHER
THE ROLE
Tutors deliver the studio's class programme, which consists of two formats: single taster sessions for complete beginners, and multi-week courses that
take students from first principles to finished glazed work. Tutors may teach either or both formats according to their experience and availability.
Reports to: Studio Manager
Location: 102 Royal College Street, London NW1
Hours: Typically 4–12 hours per week, predominantly evenings and weekends. Schedules are confirmed one month in advance.
Contract: Variable-hours employment contract (PAYE). This is an employed position, not a freelance engagement.
Pay: ￡25–￡32 per hour depending on experience, plus 12.07% statutory holiday pay. Preparation and clear-down time is paid.
Start: November 2026
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Teaching
- Deliver throwing, handbuilding and glazing instruction to groups of upto 10 students, in taster sessions and multi-week courses
- Demonstrate techniques clearly and at a pace appropriate to the group
- Provide individual guidance and correction throughout each session
- Manage timing so that every student completes the session's objective
- For courses: plan and deliver a progressive curriculum with definedweekly objectives, monitor individual progress, and lead glazing sessions and reviews of fired work
- Apply the studio's health and safety procedures, including dust control, safe equipment use and accident response
Session preparation and close
- Prepare clay, tools, boards and wheels before each session
- Clear down afterwards: reclaim scrap clay, clean equipment and surfaces, wet-mop, and shelve and label all student work
- Record attendance and report absences to the Studio Manager
- Prepare student work for bisque firing in coordination with the technician on duty
Programme
- Contribute to the development of new courses and taster formats
- Provide occasional cover for colleagues
QUALIFICATION
Essential
- Experience teaching ceramics, or substantial making experience combined with experience of instructing others
- Confident, fluent throwing, with the ability to demonstrate while explaining and to correct a student's work in progress
- Competence in handbuilding techniques: pinch, coil and slab
- Sound understanding of the full ceramic process from raw clay to glaze firing, sufficient to diagnose common faults
- Clear communication and a patient, encouraging manner with beginners
- Availability for evening and weekend teaching
Desirable
- Experience teaching multi-week courses, including course planning
- Ability to teach intermediate techniques: trimming, handles, lidded forms, larger forms and surface decoration
- Confidence in glaze application and in interpreting fired results
- An active making practice with work available to view
- A qualification in ceramics or a related craft discipline
- Experience of glaze mixing, kiln programming or alternative firing
- A current first aid certificate
The hourly rate offered will reflect the depth of teaching experience, particularly in course delivery and planning. Applicants who meet most but not all of the essential criteria are encouraged to apply.
TERMS AND BENEFITS
All working time — teaching, preparation, clear-down and training — is paid at the contracted hourly rate, with holiday pay in addition. The studio does not offer facility access in lieu of pay.
- ￡25–￡32 per hour depending on experience, plus 12.07% holiday pay, paid through PAYE
- Preparation and clear-down time paid at the contracted rate
- Rate reviewed as experience and responsibilities within the studio grow
- Workplace pension, subject to eligibility
- Involvement in shaping the class programme of a new studio
APPLICATION
Please email studio@38pottery.com with:
- A short statement on your teaching experience, your approach, and your
interest in the role
- Your CV
- A link to your work (Instagram, website or a selection of images)
38 Pottery welcomes applications from all backgrounds. If you require adjustments to the application process, interview or role, please let us
know. Application materials are retained for six months and are not shared with third parties.
03.
BRAND & COMMERCIAL MANAGER
ABOUT 38 POTTERY
38 Pottery is a new 230 m² ceramics studio opening in Camden, London, in November 2026. It combines a membership-based making space (around 70 shelves), a taster and multi-week course programme, and a retail area at the entrance.
The ambition is bigger than a studio. We want 38 Pottery to grow into a lifestyle brand with its own product line and a lifestyle select shop. This role exists to lead that growth.
THE ROLE
Job title: Brand & Commercial Manager Reports to: the two founding directors Location: 38 Pottery, St Pancras Campus, 102 Royal College Street, London NW1
You will own brand, retail and commercial development for 38 Pottery. In year one the work is hands-on: build the retail area into a profitable shop, set up our digital and content channels, and prove the brand with real customers. In years two and three you will develop the 38 Pottery product line and lead the launch of online lifestyle select shop.
This is a founding commercial role in a small, fast-moving team. You will set strategy and then execute it yourself until the team grows around you.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Brand Development and Customer Engagement: Define the 38 Pottery brand: positioning, story, tone of voice and visual language across studio, shop, products and online
Build and run our digital channels: website shop, social media, email and content calendar
Use membership, booking and sales data to grow repeat visits, retention and spend per customer
Plan and run launches, collaborations, events and press around the studio and product line
Store Management and Retail Performance: Turn the retail area into a profitable lifestyle shop: category plan, price architecture, margin targets
Source and curate stock: homeware, ceramics, clothing and lifestyle goods from UK and international makers and brands
Set up and run retail operations: POS and stock systems, merchandising and display, inventory, reordering, shrinkage
Report retail performance monthly to the directors with clear actions
Product Development, Procurement and Supplier Relations: Lead the 38 Pottery product line from concept to shelf: briefs, sampling, costing, small-batch production
Build and manage a supplier base in the UK and International: contracts, quality standards, lead times, packaging, freight, import duty and VAT
Protect margin and cash: cost models, minimum order quantities, stock turn
Revenue Growth and Commercial Planning: Own the commercial plan and P&L for retail and products
Negotiate supplier, wholesale, consignment and partnership agreements
Identify new revenue: wholesale, online, corporate and gifting, pop-ups
People Management and Operational Planning: Hire, train and manage retail staff as the shop grows
Put in place simple processes and KPIs so the founders can step back from day-to-day retail
Contribute to the three-year business plan and investor updates
ABOUT YOU
Essential
Bachelor’s degree in Art, Management, Design or a related field, or equivalent qualification.
5+ years a relevant commercial management role, preferably within a consumer-facing retail or lifestyle business
Proven record of launching or growing a retail business or product line, with ownership of P&L
Hands-on experience of buying, merchandising and retail operations, including stock and POS systems
Experience managing suppliers and small-batch manufacturing, including coordinating production, quality standards and supplier relationships
Strong digital and content skills: e-commerce, social media, email, basic analytics
Comfortable building from zero: you can write the strategy and then do the work yourself
Fluent in English, with strong written and verbal communication skills
Right to work in the UK
Desirable
Experience opening a physical store or a select / concept shop
Background in ceramics, craft, design or the creative industries
Experience in an early-stage or founder-led business
Familiarity with Wix, Shopify or similar e-commerce platforms
Additional language skills, such as Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese would be an advantage.
How you work
You care about objects, makers and how things are made
You are commercially sharp but not corporate: direct, practical, low on process
You are happy on the shop floor one day and in a supplier negotiation the next
TERMS
Contract: Permanent, full-time, PAYE
Hours: 40 hours per week; some evenings and weekends around launches and events, with time off in lieu
Location: Primarily remote. You will be at the studio in Camden when the work needs it — launches, merchandising and display changes, photo and content shoots, supplier visits and key meetings — plus travel to suppliers, trade shows and partners
Salary:￡50,000–￡58,000 per year, plus phase-based performance bonus
Holiday: 28 days including bank holidays
Benefits: Workplace pension; staff discount in the shop; equity or profit-share to be discussed after the first year
Start date: By agreement; we are looking to fill this role as early as possible ahead of our full launch in January 2027
Probation: 6 months
HOW TO APPLY
Send a CV and a short note (no more than one page) to studio@38pottery.com. In the note, tell us about one retail or product launch you led: what you set out to do, what happened, and what you would do differently. Portfolio links or examples of brands you have shaped are welcome.
Process: Process: a 30-minute call, then a short practical task: a first-year retail plan for the 38 Pottery shop, which we will discuss together in a final in-person interview.
We will review applications as they come in. 38 Pottery welcomes applications from everyone. If you need any adjustments during the process, let us know.