Director of The Forge - Lyndon Center, VT
Date postedNovember 12, 2026
Opportunity
Last spring, a Lyndon Institute senior took half a canoe and turned it into a Viking ship on wheels, dragon head and sail included, then hauled it through the lobby to a cheering crowd. It was his own project, built to fill a real gap at our games and meets, and the snacks he sold from it helped pay for student travel. That is the kind of school we are, and we are hiring the Maker who looks at half a canoe and asks what it could become.
That person will run The Forge, Lyndon's makerspace and innovation center, a place to build, break, redesign, and try again. Students from across the school come to work on ideas of their own, and our FIRST Robotics team calls it home. The doors are open to the Northeast Kingdom too, so a neighbor can learn to rebuild a lawnmower engine or fabricate a metal sculpture while a ten-year-old spends a week covered in sawdust.
Behind it stands the Manufacturing Consortium, which gives us direct access to regional manufacturers for student and adult career-focused learning experiences, guest speakers, and mentorship [and, as the program matures, evening skills training for their employees].
If you are a skilled maker, builder, or industry professional who has wondered about working with students, we want to hear from you.
What you will do
Last spring, a Lyndon Institute senior took half a canoe and turned it into a Viking ship on wheels, dragon head and sail included, then hauled it through the lobby to a cheering crowd. It was his own project, built to fill a real gap at our games and meets, and the snacks he sold from it helped pay for student travel. That is the kind of school we are, and we are hiring the Maker who looks at half a canoe and asks what it could become.
That person will run The Forge, Lyndon's makerspace and innovation center, a place to build, break, redesign, and try again. Students from across the school come to work on ideas of their own, and our FIRST Robotics team calls it home. The doors are open to the Northeast Kingdom too, so a neighbor can learn to rebuild a lawnmower engine or fabricate a metal sculpture while a ten-year-old spends a week covered in sawdust.
Behind it stands the Manufacturing Consortium, which gives us direct access to regional manufacturers for student and adult career-focused learning experiences, guest speakers, and mentorship [and, as the program matures, evening skills training for their employees].
If you are a skilled maker, builder, or industry professional who has wondered about working with students, we want to hear from you.
What you will do
1. Lead The Forge
- Run the multi-discipline shop and the Advanced Manufacturing and Applied Engineering Center: woodworking, metal fabrication, CNC machining, 3D printing, laser, water-jet, and plasma cutting, and robotics, growing the offerings as community interest and resources allow.
- Set the culture: welcoming, collaborative, and equity-driven, so that every student and community member, whatever their background or prior experience, feels able to try making.
- Manage supply inventories, material ordering, and tool upgrades within the allocated budget.
2. Teach Advanced Manufacturing and Applied Engineering
- Teach sections covering CNC machining, additive manufacturing, and CAD/CAM using industry-standard platforms such as Fusion 360, SolidWorks, and Autodesk Inventor.
- Weave lean and Six Sigma principles into project work so students learn the efficiency standards of modern industry.
- Teach iterative design through project-based work, supervising students as they prototype, test, break, and refine their own engineering designs.
- Support students on the path to SkillsUSA competition and to careers or post-secondary study in engineering and manufacturing, working alongside our college and career counselor.
3. Connect The Forge to the classroom
- Partner with faculty in science, art, mathematics, and other CTE programs to bring Forge projects into regular coursework.
- Mentor students through prototyping, design thinking, engineering challenges, and independent creative projects.
- Coach our FIRST Robotics team through its design, build, and competition seasons, and help grow the mentor and sponsor base around it.
4. Open The Forge to the community
- Lead after-school maker clubs, project teams, and design competitions for middle and high school students.
- Direct and grow summer camp programming for youth and teens across the Northeast Kingdom.
- Build a catalog of evening and weekend classes for adults, from beginner-friendly introductions (including sessions designed to welcome women and first-time makers) to practical skills such as small engine repair, fine woodworking, stained glass, sewing, jewelry making, and home-improvement basics.
- Recruit, schedule, and support community instructors, local artisans, and volunteers to lead specialty classes, so that The Forge offers far more than any one person could teach.
- Coordinate open houses, student showcase nights, and collaborative projects with local organizations and businesses.
5. Build partnerships
- Collaborate with the Manufacturing Consortium and the CTE advisory boards to keep the program relevant, and coordinate field trips, off-site learning, and mentorship with regional employers.
- Stay current with industry trends, technology, and relevant certifications.
Qualifications
Required
- Three or more years leading a shop: as a manufacturing or production supervisor, a makerspace or fab lab manager, or a CTE, STEAM, or engineering teacher
- Hands-on proficiency in several fabrication areas: wood, metal, CAD/CAM, 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC, electronics, engines
- The ability to recruit, schedule, and lead instructors, artisans, and volunteers
- Experience training, mentoring, or coaching others, whether apprentices and new hires on a shop floor or students in a classroom, with the patience to do it well with high school students and diverse learners
- Experience planning and running programs, workshops, or training, in a school or on the job
- A track record of making technical spaces welcoming to beginners and to people who do not yet think of themselves as makers
- A deep commitment to shop safety and an organized workspace
Preferred
- Degree or certification in education, industrial design, engineering, fine arts, or a related field
- Industry certifications; knowledge of lean principles and sustainable manufacturing Experience designing project-based learning curricula
- Experience in independent schools or rural community development
- A commitment to the creative and entrepreneurial economy of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom
Pay Range: $70,000 - $80,000 per year