Digital Asset and Database Administrator
Vancouver Art Gallery

Location: Vancouver, BC
Compensation: $25.71 per hour

The Vancouver Art Gallery, one of the largest and innovative art museums in Canada, is undergoing a multi-phase organizational transformation after celebrating 90 years of operation. With a permanent collection of more than 12,000 works of art, the Gallery is implementing a campaign to build a new purpose-built gallery facility in downtown Vancouver planned to open in 2027. This is a moment of growth, exploration and change, as the Gallery re-articulates its relationship to communities and audiences and envisions the role of an art museum in the 21st century.

The new building designed by Swiss Architects Herzog and de Meuron will provide an optimal platform to reimagine the Gallery's relationship with the world. The new Gallery building will be the most ecologically sustainable art museum in Canada. The creation of a world-class purpose-built art facility will enable the Gallery to foster deeper and wider community relations and expand audiences, celebrate Indigenous culture, and acknowledge the diverse heritage and histories of place and people in Canada and the ancestral and unceded territories of the Traditional Coast Salish Lands including the Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw) and Tsleil-Waututh (səlilwətaɬ) Nations.

Complementing and building upon a rich institutional history of exhibiting photography and moving image, design, craft, material and popular culture-in an expanded field of visual culture-the Gallery further seeks the development of an online and virtual space-"a second building"-that blurs the line between the "real" and "virtual" worlds. Through innovative art programming, the Gallery will be a leader in interpreting Canada's past, present and future.

Description and Duties    

• Reporting to the Photographer and the Rights and Reproductions Coordinator, the Digital Asset and Database Administrator works collaboratively with the Photo-Imaging, Rights and Reproductions and Registration Departments with the implementation and administration of a new digital asset management system (DAMS-Piction) and collections management system (CMS-Axiell Collections).
• The incumbent will work with staff across the Gallery including Curatorial, Marketing, Public Programs, Advancement.
• Key responsibilities include managing and troubleshooting the DAMS and CMS, developing a workflow framework, ingesting assets, updating data/metadata, user support and general system maintenance.
• Assists with the implementation of DAMS and CMS database systems.
• Facilitates the integration of digital media assets and associated metadata between the DAMS and CMS.
• Organizes, renames and ingests images to the DAMS system and develops and implements metadata schemas according to established standards.
• Assists with designing workflows for image permissions, requests and fulfillment. Assists in creating and maintaining institutional guidelines/knowledge base.
• Trains, educates and provides support to staff for the DAMS and CMS.
• Creates user accounts and organizes assets within the DAMS and CMS with access levels for various user groups.
• Provides day-to-day maintenance and oversight of the DAMS and CMS. Applies updates, troubleshoots problems, assists with reports and configurations.

Qualifications    

• Degree in library and information science, computer science, museum studies or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Two or more years of experience with data management in a relational database system and image management in a digital asset management system.
• Solid technical, analytical and problem-solving skills, highly organized with a strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Knowledge and understanding of digital images, image resolution, metadata and file formats.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team. Excellent communication and writing skills.
• Experience with end-user support and training.
• Experience with Axiell Collections and/or Piction is ideal. Experience with Java, Structured Query Language, Web Server Software and Microsoft SQL Server also an asset.
• The successful candidate will have strong technical skills and experience with image management, database administration, metadata schemas, data vocabularies and copyright, and possess a passion for the arts.

Additional Information    

This is a temporary position for 16-months or a longer period should operational needs require. Start date is May 15, 2023. Position is based in Vancouver, BC and work is on-site.

How to Apply: Contact Email: hr@vanartgallery.bc.ca

Application Webpage (URL): https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/employment
Application Deadline:  April 27, 2023