Job Vacancy
POTTERY WORKSHOP ASSISTANT
ABOUT US
Hello! We are DOR & TAN, a family-owned pottery studio based in Sheffield which designs and hand-crafts ceramic homewares and tableware for everyday use. The story of Dor and Tan was born of a desire to break away from the disposability of modern life, to create objects with a more personal connection that will be cherished for years to come. Think of the favourite cup you always pick when boiling the kettle, the soup bowl you reach for after being caught in the rain; we have a desire to bring people handcrafted items with a unique, soft character that cannot be created any other way than by the hand of a maker. When creating each piece we use traditional crafting techniques and skills which we hope to teach to others that become a part of our studio team.
Originating from Cornwall where our first two studios were by the sea, this put us on the front lines of what plastics and waste are doing to the environment. It’s hard to stay quiet and not express your ambition to change this when you could see the impact happening all around you. Our studio has been a part of Surfers Against Sewages Ocean Network since 2017 (previously called 250 Club). With this environmental charity membership we donate a percentage of our profits each year to help keep our oceans and beaches clean and protected.
Now being located in Sheffield which has an abundance of beautiful green space, we would like to focus more effort into local conservation as well. We are dedicated to being as sustainable as possible when running the pottery. We use electricity instead of gas-powered kilns, source materials locally and within the UK and we use no plastics in our packaging at all.
Last year we opened Kilnfolk cafe at Chaucer yard, a place to showcase our pottery in use and for sale. This has been a really exciting time of growth for us and we are now looking forward to expanding our pottery team as well.
You can have a look at our ceramics and other goods we sell at www.dorandtan.com.
The Sheffield workshop is located in Chaucer Yard, 50 Clough Road, S1 4TB.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES
A new workshop assistant will learn every aspect of running a pottery studio day-to-day and work alongside the rest of our team. They will be crafting items for hotels, cafes, restaurants and retail customers as well as for our very own web store and brick-and-mortar shop/cafe too. Here is a link to some of our clients.
We are very conscious of creating a good work life balance and will be flexible in regards to working around school pick up times. However our normal studio making hours are between 9.00am and 5.00pm, 5 working days a week. Also please be aware if you have pet allergies as we do have a studio dog called Juno, she is a very loving, gentle and incredibly lazy Greyhound who loves to meet new people.
The workshop assistant will be expected to;
- Recycle and prepare clay ready for throwing
- Throw pots using a jigger and jolly machine
- Trim and finish pots on a potters wheel
- Mix, sieve and apply glaze to pots
- load/unload kilns
- pack orders ready for despatch to customers
They will report to the workshop manager who will set production targets and quality guidelines.
We want a healthy work environment and all team members are responsible for keeping the pottery clean and tidy.
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS
Previous experience in a pottery is not essential as full training will be given on the job. Experience in a similar practical and hands-on environment is preferred.
We are looking for the successful candidate to be;
- Enthusiastic and motivated to learn new skills as part of a small, busy team
- Flexible and adaptable to a constantly changing workload
- Comfortable working individually on day-to-day tasks
- Organised and capable of maintaining a clean working environment
Please note that this job involves moving bags of clay and boards full of pots so some physical strength, good mobility and dexterity is required.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
We will pay £11.44 per hour. A bonus will be paid based on the performance of the pottery and the individual. Working hours are 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday with an hour for lunch, totalling 35 hours a week.
Benefits include,
- Holidays
- Flexible hours for those with families
- Training
- Kilnfolk Coffee cafe discount (drinks, food and goods), DOR & TAN Shop goods discount and DOR & TAN Pottery discount.
Please send applications to the following address: viola@dorandtan.com by 12/04/24 (Friday)
Thank you!