HSRC: Head Digital Curation

In delivering ‘social science that makes a difference’, the Research
Programmes of the Human Sciences Research Council initiate and undertake policy-oriented research projects and programmes from its offices in Cape Town, Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria. Its public- purpose mandate is set out in the Human Sciences Research Council Act of 2008.

The eResearch Knowledge Centre (eRKC) within the HSRC employs a group of practitioners and specialists in the areas of information services, geospatial analytics and digital curation who provide knowledge services to enhance the HSRC’s research capability.

The eRKC is looking to appoint a suitably qualified professional to head the Digital Curation unit. The main responsibilities of this position are to, as part of the eRKC leadership team, ensure that the centre fulfils its mandate in term of eResearch knowledge enablement, guide the development and execution of the digital curation function in terms of best practice and organisational requirements, and manage the Digital Curation unit to fulfil its role optimally.

The vision of the eRKC is to enhance the HSRC’s research capability through innovative information services, geospatial solutions and digital curation. The mission of the eRKC is to be an informed research enabler that provides innovative knowledge services and access to resources that meet the needs of the HSRC’s research community and its stakeholders. This is achieved by
•managing various resource collections and support the use thereof,
•supporting digital scholarship and providing support for organisation wide processes and requirements,
•supporting geospatial analytics in the HSRC, and
•raising awareness about best practices and building capacity in the HSRC.

The Head Digital Curation role demands that the incumbent functions as part of the eRKC’s leadership, administrative and financial management teams. The successful candidate will manage the Digital Curation unit, oversee the development of resource collections, such as the HSRC Archive, Research Data Collection, Research Outputs Collection, and the use of these collections, develop curation related policies and procedures, manage scholarship support services related to research outputs and data, oversee the delivery of management and performance information related to research outputs and data, manage curation technologies, systems, and processes, as well as participate in the wider curation community.

The following are the key responsibilities for the Head Digital Curation position:
•Develop and manage the Digital Curation unit as a key eResearch enabling service.
•Develop institutional curation related policies and procedures.
•Manage service delivery, increase the visibility of the eRKC, demonstrate value, and promote the work and products of the eRKC and the Digital Curation unit specifically.
•Foster partnerships with other relevant units in the HSRC to foster collaboration and optimal service delivery.
•Oversee the development of resource collections and support the use thereof with a specific focus on enabling and facilitating research impact. The collections include the HSRC Archive containing historical corporate records, the Research Data Collection housing quantitative and qualitative Social Science data, and the Research Outputs Collection.
•Oversee the provision of scholarship support services related to research outputs and data, including managing the review research ethics applications and provide advice in terms of data preservation and sharing best practices.
•Provide management and performance information related to research outputs and data. • Manage curation technologies, systems, and processes.
•Develop and maintain internal Standard Operating Procedures and facilitate the implementation thereof.
•Raise awareness about best practices and build capacity within the HSRC.
•Achieve own personal development goals and contribute to the development of other colleagues in the eRKC.
•Participate in the wider eResearch community. Collaborate externally to benchmark with counterpart organisations in terms of best practice, build capacity external to the HSRC, and participate in endeavours in pursuit of shared goals to the benefit of the HSRC.

This position requires in-depth knowledge and experience in the area of digital curation is essential because leading and overseeing curation activities require a specific skill set that combines high technical / technology proficiency, knowledge of research methodology, scholarship support, and experience with the management of research data. The requirements are the following:
•Masters degree / PhD or equivalent qualification in the field applied for.
•Established networks in the digital curation field.
•At least 12 years’ relevant experience including extensive experience at managerial level including staff supervision, attending to HR matters, Finance, risk management and governance responsibilities.
•Ability to function on an operational and strategic level.
•In-depth knowledge of Social Science research data and output curation trends and best practices.
•Knowledge about Social Science research methodology and processes.
•In-depth knowledge of scholarship support services, specifically in relation to Open Science, research data management, and digital curation.
•Advanced ICT skills, including MS Office, as well as data and output repository infrastructure and management.
•Proficiency in speaking and writing English.
•Project management experience. Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills to interface effectively with colleagues in the eRKC and others in the organisation.
•Ability to work under pressure and after hours when needed.

Applicants must be South African citizens. The HSRC is committed to accelerating the improvement in the proportion of its staff who are black, female or disabled.

APPLICATIONS:
In your application, please include:
•A comprehensive CV, a letter of motivation, publications and the details of three recent referees (with telephone, fax and e-mail contact details).
•Please indicate the reference number in the subject line, applications that do not adhere to this, will not be considered.
The HSRC will only consider applications that comply with the above requirements. Applicants may be required to undertake a psychometric test, a written exercise and / or an oral presentation in the competencies required for the position.

Please submit your application on-line at http://hsrc.jb.skillsmapafrica.com

Please note the following:

•Ensure you use Google Chrome or Firefox from a computer or laptop, and not a cell phone
•Only your CV can be uploaded on the first page after you have registered/logged in.
•ALL OTHER DOCUMENTS can be uploaded on the “Document” tab on your profile • Attachments must be less than 2 MB.
•Should you have any HR enquiries please send your query citing reference number to [email protected]
•For further information about the HSRC, advert or the post and not for sending applications please e-mail Dr Lucia Lötter on [email protected] You can further consult our website (www.hsrc.ac.za).

Only applications that comply with the listed above requirements will be considered.

Closing date: 20 April 2012. We encourage applicants to submit prior to the closing date. If you do not receive any response from us within eight weeks, please accept that your application was unsuccessful. Only candidates who are interviewed will be advised of the outcome of their application.

The HSRC reserves the right not to make an appointment.
Applications from recruitment agencies will not be accepted