The Menil Collection Employment Opportunity Title: Digital Asset Manager
Department: Registration Reports to: Chief Registrar General Responsibilities: Reporting to the Chief Registrar, the Digital Asset Manager is charged with developing the infrastructure of the museum's digital asset platform, and leading efforts in migrating and organizing exiting media, chiefly images, to meet the Menil Collection's strategic digital initiatives and future implementation of a Digital Asset Management System (DAMS). Specific Duties: 1. Work closely with the Menil Archives, and Curatorial, Communications, Publishing, and Conservation Departments, to consolidate the museum-wide image and media usage and storage and establish consistent standards, policies, and procedures regarding the same. 2. Create and enforce naming taxonomies and metadata scheme, tagging files with relevant and accurate metadata, enforcing asset file standards, and ensure application documentation is up-to-date. 3. Distribute assets to internal users and external partners. 4. Enforce digitization and photography standards. 5. Lead training and education for staff. 6. With the recent implementation of The Museum System (TMS) and Share Point software, and in the early stages of redeveloping the institution's website, act as a vital hub within the museum's larger digital and technological goals. 7. Facilitate the integration of digital media assets into the TMS database from all museum departments, and work closely with IT staff and staff in departments across the institution to improve access to digital assets for daily use, special projects, and initiatives. 8. Collaborate with and advise TMS administrator on configuration and customization of the TMS server application and other software for image handling and metadata application. 9. Provide quality control for all metadata to assure accuracy and consistency across the institution. This includes the developing and managing of metadata tools, controlled vocabularies and other metadata standardization solutions. 10. Assist in bringing existing assets up to appropriate standards, including reorganization of file directories and metadata cleanup projects. 11. Provide functional support to individual staff DAM software users with technical support from the TMS administrator. 12. Work closely with TMS administrator to improve and expand the distribution of and access to still image, video, and other digital assets for museum staff and external clients. Qualifications: 1. BA or BS in Library Science, Museum Studies, Computer Science, or related field. Master's degree preferred. 2. 3-4 years practical experience in a museum, archives, or library image archive, including: database management, software administration, digital rights management, metadata standards and practices, file formatting, and data migration. 3. Excellent communication skills, including the ability to collaborate with staff at all levels across the institution, and with outside organizations and vendors. 4. Experience with TMS, digital asset management systems, and print and media technologies. 5. A thorough understanding of intellectual property law, including "fair use" and similar copyright issues. 6. Ability to work collaboratively with others as part of a team as well as independently. 7. Must possess the drive and focus necessary to improve and expand the distribution of and access to the museum's permanent collection and exhibition assets through digital media. 8. Team player with the ability to organize information at a high level, multi-task in a fast-paced environment, and creatively solve problems. Salary and benefits competitive and commensurate with experience. Please send resume, cover letter and salary expectation to: Director of Human Resources, the Menil Collection, 1511 Branard Street, Houston, Texas 77006. Application materials may also be emailed to: smmaloch at menil.org.
