Head of Archives and Library Digital Ecosystem Project

Reports to (role)

Head of Archives and library collections digitization programme

What we do

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works worldwide to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and armed violence. We take action in response to emergencies and, at the same time, promote respect for international humanitarian law. We are an independent and neutral organization, and our mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with their International Federation in order to ensure a concerted, rational and rapid humanitarian response to the needs of the victims of armed conflict or any other situation of internal violence. We direct and coordinate the international activities conducted in these situations. The ICRC Archives and Library collect and preserve ICRC documents dating from the organization's inception to the present day. Today, they have the ambition to make their public collections available and searchable online.

Purpose of the position

As part of its multi-year strategy to digitize its collections, the Archives and Library of the ICRC are in search of a Project Manager to assist the Digitization Programme’s Feasibility Study. The objective of the Feasibility Study is to assess in detail the cost and to plan the totality of the Digitization Programme, in order to develop a complete fundraising application. The Digitization Programme consists of three components:

• The IT component : the elaboration of a digital ecosystem to manage, describe, publish, research, exploit and conserve the digitized collections;
• The digitization component : the evaluation of the cost of digitizing approximately 12 linear kilometers of archives and heritage collections, as well as the establishment of a workflow process integrating all the necessary steps of a chain of digitization (inventorying, physical preparation, digitization, indexation, publication);
• The fundraising component : the establishment of a fundraising strategy and the preparation of one or several project proposals.

The Project Manager will in particular be responsible for leading the IT component of the Feasibility Study, in close collaboration with the IT project manager and a business analyst. Concerning this component, the Feasibility Study will cover the analysis of:

• The integration of 3 different collection management systems: library, textual archives and audiovisual archives;
• The establishment of a single point of access to all these collections and in particular to the digitized documents, for the end-user’s searches;
• The integration of a long-term digital preservation system.

They will also support the programme supervisor concerning the cost evaluation for the digitization component and concerning the development of fundraising application(s).

Main duties responsibilities

As business project manager, and in close collaboration with the Programme Manager, the IT project manager and the business analyst, they will:

• outline the relevance of maintaining the existing tools (the current management systems for the library, the textual archives and the audiovisual archives, and the current system of storing digital resources) or the necessity of developing new tools based on the needs of the digitization programme and the different activities. To this end, he or she will organize the necessary workshops with the library and archives experts, in collaboration with the business analyst;
• analyze the functional needs of the operational chain that is processing the digitized documents, from their digitization up to their publication online and their long-term digital preservation;
• undertake market surveys to identify alternative solutions and continue on to requests for quotations/information;
• establish a vision and the objectives for the future ecosystem, and define the benefits and deliverables of the project;
• identify the stakeholders of the project and work in close collaboration with them or ensure their support;
• draft a change management strategy;
• identify the risks of the future project and measures of mitigation;
• establish a budget and realistic planning for the execution of the project.

As a member of the management team of the Digitization programme, they will contribute to the reflection upon and evaluation of other components of the programme, regarding the aspects which are linked to the future digital ecosystem.

Education and experience required

Master’s degree in a relevant field: preferably in Information Sciences, but could be in the field of Humanities or business management

AND

A demonstrated 5-year experience in conducting a similar project in an archival institution or preferably with a GLAM approach. Experience in digital humanities would be a plus.

Desired profile and skills

• Excellent understanding of archival and library management principles, standards and tools;
• Open-minded and committed to working effectively within a team;
• Excellent written and spoken English and French;
• Excellent organization skills, ability to take initiatives and work autonomously;
• Ability to quickly understand complex organizational issues;
• Flexibility and ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines;
• Ability to produce powerful documents and presentations and to communicate positively and effectively both orally and in writing;
• Understanding of the mandate and modus operandi of the ICRC;
• User-oriented.

Additional information