Senior Collections Manager, Audio-Visual Collections, Royal BC Museum, Victoria, BC

Location: Victoria, BC
Compensation: Annual Salary Range: $69,760.70 - $79,322.69 

The Royal BC Museum, which includes BC Archives and IMAX® Victoria, is one of the oldest continually operating museums in Canada. A cultural centre of learning and research, it strives to broaden our understanding of British Columbia through collections, exhibits, outreach and community engagement. The museum celebrates the province's diverse landscapes and the lives of the people who live here, enables research and knowledge sharing that advances our understanding of our world, and provides a dynamic place for discussion and reflection. IMAX® Victoria delivers educational and entertaining experiences that accompany the learning journey the museum offers.

The Royal BC Museum is located on the territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) peoples, known today as the Songhees and Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) Nations

Description and Duties    

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

• Senior Collections Manager, Audio-Visual Collections
• Indigenous Collections and Repatriation Department
• Full Time, Temporary - One Position, Up to 2 Year Term with possibility of extension
• HRO 21
• Annual Salary Range: $69,760.70 - $79,322.69

The Royal BC Museum, which includes BC Archives and IMAX® Victoria, is one of the oldest continually operating museums in Canada. A cultural centre of learning and research, it strives to broaden our understanding of British Columbia through collections, exhibits, outreach and community engagement. The museum celebrates the province's diverse landscapes and the lives of the people who live here, enables research and knowledge sharing that advances our understanding of our world, and provides a dynamic place for discussion and reflection. IMAX® Victoria delivers educational and entertaining experiences that accompany the learning journey the museum offers.

The Royal BC Museum is located on the territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) peoples, known today as the Songhees and Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) Nations.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Indigenous Collections and Repatriation (ICAR) department is comprised of six collection areas and a team of staff that care for the following materials:

• Indigenous Materials (16,000+ items)
• Photo Collection (65,000+ photos)
• A/V Collection - Audio (3,700+), Film (17), Video (34)
• BC Archaeology (230,000+ objects)
• Historic Documents related to the materials in the collection (350,000+ documents)
• Publications and Resource (2,500 items)

ICAR works closely with:

• First Nations communities and Indigenous organizations by establishing and maintaining respectful and meaningful relationships, providing access to and stewardship of Indigenous collections, supporting community capacity building where requested, facilitating the repatriation of ancestral remains and the transfer of First Nations belongings upon submission of Repatriation requests in accordance with ICARs Repatriation policy.
• Other RBCM departments to explore opportunities for research, learning, exhibitions, and special projects that support the museum's mandate and goals.
• Government agencies, Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Archaeology Branch, the BC Archives and Heritage Branch on projects of shared interest.

JOB OVERVIEW

The Senior Collections Manager, Audio-Visual is responsible for planning and conducting collections management projects and activities related to the Indigenous collections, with priority given to the audio-visual collection, working with Indigenous community members and external researchers to provide access to the collections, working on initiatives to preserve collections and make them better accessible digitally, preparing the collections for a potential move to a new building, planning and participating in learning programs, exhibit planning, popular and technical writing, public speaking, workshops and other public events, as well as answering public inquiries.  

The position is responsible for preserving and making accessible the Indigenous audio-visual material and working closely with the RBCM repatriation specialists, Collections Managers including directly supervising the Collections Manager, AV to prepare any audio-visual items in the Indigenous Collections related to Treaty discussions, which will continue during modernization.  

This term position will focus on digitizing the AV collection and fulfilling access requests and liaising with Nations/community members with relationship to their cultural heritage in the collection. Key aspects of project work will include:

• work closely with Nation/community partners in accessing and stewarding of their cultural heritage in the AV collection
• the coordination of digitization with external vendors and creating metadata to meet Archival standards
• incorporating metadata about the digitized materials into the records management system
• managing the physical and digital materials to meet best practices for collection care
• managing of the records
• researching permissions and copyrights
• liaising with BC Archives and other collections in research and access requests
• liaising with the ICAR Repatriation Leads in the fulfilling of repatriation requests and visits
• managing of access requests

QUALIFICATIONS

• We are looking for a Senior Collections Manager who brings a wealth of expertise to our team. We are prioritizing lived experiences and cultural knowledge and/or candidates that hold a bachelor's degree. An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may also be considered.
• In addition, the ideal candidate will have experience in working with BC Nations and Indigenous communities around safe keeping and access of archival cultural heritage. Progressively responsible work experience with communities and in an archive, museum, gallery, cultural centre; or within a community with a focus on archival collections, preparation, documentation, care and supervision will be an asset in this role; along with experience applying community feedback.
• In responding to the impacts of colonization on Indigenous people, we encourage and will give priority to applications from those who wish to self-identify. One of our guiding principles is to operate in a trauma-informed manner and thus, it is your choice whether to volunteer information. We will hold your information and application in strictest confidence, sharing it only with the hiring panel.
• For more information about the role and job requirements for this position, we invite you to review the job profile in detail. If the position continues to be of interest, we encourage you to apply and contribute your expertise to our dynamic team.
• Before you apply for this position, you must meet the eligibility requirements. To be eligible to work in Canada, you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada or authorized in writing to work in Canada under the federal Immigration Act. Eligibility to work in Canada is granted through citizenship, permanent resident status, or a work permit.
• An eligibility list may be established.

Qualifications    
JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent lived experiences and cultural knowledge; OR
• An equivalent combination of education, training (such as a certificate in collections management preferably with A/V emphasis, or in a related field, e.g., archives and library sciences, or community engagement), and experience may be considered.

Preference may be given to applicants with one or more of the following:

• Experience in working with BC Nations and Indigenous communities around safe keeping and access of archival cultural heritage.
• Progressively responsible work experience with communities and in an archive, museum, gallery, cultural centre; or within a community with a focus on archival collections preparation, documentation, care and supervision.
• Experience applying community feedback appropriately to specific objects and developing, in consultation with communities, protocols for storage, care and handling of historic AV materials.

In responding to the impacts of colonization on Indigenous people, we encourage and will give priority to applications from those who wish to self-identify. One of our guiding principles is to operate in a trauma-informed manner and thus, it is your choice whether to volunteer information. We will hold your information and application in strictest confidence, sharing it only with the hiring panel.

PROVISO:

Successful completion of security screening requirements of the BC Public Service, which may include a criminal records check, and/or Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA) check, and/or enhanced security screening checks as required by the organization (Note: It is important that you read the job posting carefully to understand the specific security screening requirements pertaining to the position)

Additional Information:

This position requires a Criminal Records Check under the BC Public Service Screening Policy and the Criminal Records Review Act. All applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada (i.e., have Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status).  

The Indigenous Applicant Advisory Service is available to applicants that self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, status or non-status, Métis, or Inuit) person seeking work or already employed in the BC Public Service. For guidance on applying and/or preparing for an interview, please contact IndigenousApplicants@gov.bc.ca or call #778-405-3452.

How to Apply:

Your application must clearly demonstrate how you meet the job requirements listed within the job profile.

Please submit your resume and cover letter in PDF format by Friday, December 20, 2024 at 11:59 pm (PST) with the following subject line:  Last Name, First Name, RB2024-44 via email to: RBCMapplications@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Application Webpage (URL)    https://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/about/people/employment
Application Deadline: December 20, 2024
Job poster