Project Manager for Community Archiving Grant (2-year grant-funded position)
Job Description:
The University Archives and Special Collections department in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston received a National Leadership Grant for Libraries from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for a two-year project to develop a platform to guide libraries of all kinds through the process of planning event-based participatory archiving programs with the communities they serve. The interactive online guide will help libraries implement standards- and community-based participatory archiving programs and will be flexible enough to allow libraries to enter at their current point of need, helping them navigate the complexities of community partnerships, digitization event planning, and long-term digital preservation and access to support the vital work of documenting their communities’ cultural heritage.
For this project, the Healey Library at UMass Boston will collaborate with a team of experts and library- and community-based partners to design and develop the guide and accompanying resources, which will close identified gaps in local communities’ knowledge and practices related to metadata, community outreach, digital archives, digital preservation, and participatory archiving.
University Archives and Special Collections in the Healey Library at UMass Boston is hiring a Project Manager to coordinate all aspects of the development of the Participatory Archiving Roadmap, and reports to the Project Director. This is a two-year, full-time benefited position.
The successful candidate will lead the collaborative process of identifying knowledge and practice gaps and developing this important resource, working directly with core project team members, national community partners, and others to ensure that we adhere to grant project goals and meet project deliverables. The Project Manager will report to the Project Director and will coordinate with Healey Library departments as appropriate to ensure all aspects of the multi-faceted project are compatible and are successfully executed in a timely manner.
We are looking for a highly organized individual with excellent communication skills who has experience in collaborative community work. The ideal candidate will have previous experience supervising and delegating tasks to 2 or more people and in managing projects in cultural institutions and/or in academic settings. Candidates who enjoy working with other professionals engaged in community-focused library work are encouraged to apply.
Major responsibilities:
- Lead and coordinate activities of core project team members through all phases of the grant project, including coordinating meetings, preparing agendas, leading workshops, and focus groups.
- Maintain regular, informative and productive communications among core project team, advisors, community partners and university stakeholders
- Develop survey instruments, in collaboration with identified local and national community partners, to solicit both structured and informal feedback on grant project activities.
- Supervise a project-funded Instructional Designer who will develop key project deliverables.
- Track grant project performance, specifically to ensure the successful, on-time completion of short- and long-term goals as identified and outlined by the Project Director and by Healey Library administration.
- Prepare regular reports including grant-required reports on project progress
Skills and Experience:
- Previous experience managing medium- to large-scale projects
- Excellent critical thinking, problem solving, and time management skills
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
- Ability to build strong networks with external constituencies
- Superb analytical skills, as applied to both historical content and organizational process
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively
- Demonstrated experience with successfully employing project management techniques and tools
- Experience assisting with the development of survey instruments
- Proficient, working knowledge of Microsoft Office, especially Microsoft Excel
- Strong planning and organizational skills with ability to prioritize and multi-task
- Proven ability to work independently while exercising good judgment in seeking appropriate guidance
- Detail oriented
- Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree preferred.
Patricia L. Bruttomesso
Archival Collections Project Manager
617-287-7696| patricia.bruttomesso@umb.edu
