Since 2008 Rick Flowers has been Head of Adult Education and Postgraduate Programs in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). In this portfolio there are courses in popular education and social change, organisational and workplace learning, adult literacy and numeracy teaching, applied linguistics, TESOL, e-learning, Indigenous Studies, journalism, public relations, organisational communication, information and knowledge management, media arts production, creative writing and international studies.

Rick was Director of the Centre for Popular Education at the University of Technology, Sydney from 1999 to 2007. The Centre for Popular Education undertook research in environmental education and advocacy, community cultural development, health education and community development, the pedagogy and politics of working with young people, union and community organising, and community leadership. The Centres research annual income varied between $50,000 and $700,000. In 2005 it employed six contract researchers, a full-time manager, two research assistants. Seven tenured staff also worked with the Centre. In this time, Rick led over 20 commissioned action research, evaluation and curriculum projects. Clients have included national, state and local government agencies, philanthropic foundations and NGOs. Rick conceived and convened a series of three-day international conferences plus one-day symposia that earned him and the Centre

Previous work includes appointment as a Research Fellow (ARC grant) investigating Aboriginal adult educator training needs, co-ordinator of a rurally based community development training program, and community work in Western Sydney.

Rick has undertaken an extensive amount of pro bono work serving on boards of management with a range of community service and sporting organisations including a football club with almost 2,000 players, a regional football association, a youth refuge, a legal services body and youth sector training organisation.