Director of Curation Services

Description

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) seeks to appoint a Director of Curation Services to maintain and develop a comprehensive approach to data management and digital preservation. The holder of this position will lead a team with responsibility for policy implementation and planning across the data lifecycle, including metadata standards, repository management, digital preservation, and compliance with standards (such as Trusted Repositories Audit & Certification). The selected individual will report directly to the Director of ICPSR and will be a member of the ICPSR senior leadership. He or she will represent the organization to ICPSR's extensive network of partners in both the social science and the digital archiving communities.

The individual selected for this position will hold a research faculty appointment in ICPSR and the Institute of Social Research. The position may be in the Archivist (Assistant, Associate or Full), Research Scientist (Associate or Full) or Research Professor (Associate or Full) tracks, depending upon qualifications. Joint appointment with other University of Michigan units is possible.

Organizational Overview
The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, established in 1962, maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction, and offers training in quantitative methods. To ensure that data resources are available to future generations of scholars, ICPSR acquires, processes, and preserves data. In addition, ICPSR provides user support. A unit within the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan, ICPSR is a membership-based organization, with more than 700 member colleges and universities around the world. A Council of leading scholars and data professionals guides and oversees its activities. More information can be found about ICPSR at www.icpsr.umich.edu.

Responsibilities*

• Maintain and develop ICPSR's comprehensive digital preservation policy framework
• Plan collaboratively with others to oversee the continuous evaluation of the digital repository, including all policies, standards, and workflows
• Identify the necessary descriptive, technical, structural, and preservation metadata for ICPSR's diverse digital content
• Evaluate and maintain quality control of metadata operations
• Research other metadata standards to determine their relevance for ICPSR
• Participate in the Data Documentation Initiative Alliance and in development of the DDI standard
• Advise on methods for handling new types of digital content
• Manage ICPSR's institutional records in collaboration with others
• Promote the role of the organization within the digital preservation and data archive communities through a program of presentations, papers, and articles at conferences and meetings, and in journals representing key domains
• Participate in the development of standards and good practice for the digital archiving community at national and international levels
• Participate in training on lifecycle data management
• Prepare proposals and applications for external funding to support both research into digital archiving and practical activities designed to enhance ICPSR's repository
• Conduct and publish in the candidate's area of expertise

Required Qualifications*
M.A. or Ph.D. in an area that relates to information systems, such as Library Science or Information Technology, but we welcome and will consider otherwise qualified candidates with credentials that support the requirements of the position. Five to eight years professional experience in the field, with a minimum of two years of experience in the management of digital archiving activities. Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, in the English language.

Desired Qualifications*
Demonstrated ability to analyze, assess, and find creative digital curation solutions in a complex and dynamic research-based environment. Experience with creating and applying metadata standards to describe digital collections. Familiarity with data used in social science research and protection of confidentiality in research on human subjects. Experience in a managerial role (including fiscal responsibility and supervision of staff) on multiple projects. Demonstrated scholarly productivity, along with the proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a diverse environment. Experience in writing grant proposals and applications, and in serving as a principal investigator.

Applicants should submit a letter of application, a CV, three letters of reference, and relevant writing samples to: George Alter, Director, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, Institute for Social Research, P.O. Box 1248, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-1248. Screening of applications will begin shortly and continue until the position is filled.