About the National Film and Sound Archive

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is Australia’s audiovisual archive, telling the national story by collecting, preserving and sharing audiovisual media, the cultural experience platforms of our time. The collection itself dates back to 1935, making it one of the world’s oldest audiovisual collections. It is also one of the country’s most used cultural collections, with around 125 million views of collection content each year. The NFSA is in a period of significant change. Following increased Government investment, the institution is in a process of digital transformation, establishing the NFSA as Australia’s most dynamic and valued cultural organisation. We are rebuilding our curatorial workforce and developing the NFSA’s capacity to digitise our collection at scale – to preserve it for the future, to make sure it can be discovered, and to share it with all Australians.

We continue to work on developing a stable, secure and future-proof workforce across our four physical sites based in Canberra and Mitchell in the ACT as well as in Sydney and Melbourne.

We are also undergoing a program of business improvement for many of our corporate systems to improve efficiency and reduce manual handling.

We are an ambitious organisation, and we aim to be an employer of choice within the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) sector, providing exciting and challenging work, as well as favourable employment conditions and unique development opportunities for our staff.

Cultural Values

We are an equal opportunity employer, embracing a diverse range of applicants such as veterans, and people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQIA community members, individuals with disabilities and/or health conditions, as well as those from varied faith and cultural backgrounds. At the NFSA we prioritise the development of a safe, inclusive, and high-performance culture through shared actions and behaviours that align with our strategy and direction. This empowers our employees to effectively contribute to our goals.

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is committed to ensuring a child-safe and child-friendly environment. All employees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to, and support for these principles in theory and practice.

About the Team

The Conservation and Collection Management section is responsible for the preventative preservation of the national collection in the NFSA's environmentally controlled and secure storage values. The section also provides a range of related services including monitoring environmental conditions, security and collection care, retrieval services, archival packaging and warehouse management, collection auditing and stocktake, capacity planning, relocations and transportation, and collection disaster preparedness. 

The Opportunity

The Collection Management Officer plays a key role in the handling, retrieval, packaging, return and relocation of collection material as well as assisting with Collection Services programs. These activities are to be conducted in accordance with established archival practices and procedures. Security and care of the Collection is paramount to any tasks undertaken. 

Key Responsibilities/Duties

Under general direction, this position is responsible for delivering the following functions:

• In accordance with museum standards, examine and prepare collection material for long term storage using the NFSA's Collection Management System, update/create accession records and carry out basic conservation treatments. 
• Undertake tasks associated with maintaining a safe, secure and efficient collection storage environment including monitoring of vaults for areas that require repacking or cleaning to improve the storage of the collection. 
• Safely load and transport collection items within the CAnberra metropolitan area using a variety of commercial vehicle types. 
• Work with and provide training, guidance and advice to NFSA staff working with the collection on the storage, labelling, packaging and handling of collection material from incoming and back log acquisitions and in the movement of collection material within the Collection Management System,
• Contribute towards updating and developing procedures, guidelines and workflows as required. 

Selection Criteria

The successful candidate will demonstrate their capacity against the following:

1. Demonstrated experience or understanding of handling and management of collection materials in an archive, museum or library environment and the associated movement, record keeping and storage practices for heritage material. 
2. Ability to work constructively as a member of a team in a client service environment. 
3. Good oral and written communication skills, including ability to maintain accurate record-keeping. 
4. Ability to apply organisational skills and patiently perform set tasks on a routine basis with consistently high-quality results. 
5. An understanding of the practices and principles relating to Workplace Health and Safety and Workplace Diversity and ability to operate in a participative and consultative work environment. 

Desired Skills and Experience

Desirable:

• Experience working with collections in the gallery, museum, library or archive sector. 
• Relevant qualifications in cultural heritage management and/or collection management. 
• A current forklift licence is desirable. 

Notes:

A current "C" class driver licence is a requirement of this role.

Work Environment Description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the National Film and Sound Archive is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace. 

How to Apply

When applying via our online e-recruitment system, please address the details in the ‘Key Responsibilities’ and ‘Selection Criteria’ by outlining in 500 words or less, how your skills and relevant experience demonstrate that you would be our ideal candidate. Your current resume is also to be included in your application.

In addition to an application and your resume, the assessment process for this position may also include an interview and referee reports.

We welcome and encourage applications from people with disability, the LGBTIQ communities, from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this position you must:

• Be an Australian Citizen.
• Satisfactorily complete an Australian Federal Police National Police Check.

What we offer you

We provide a diverse, inclusive, and supportive work environment with access to:

• Great training and development opportunities.
• Generous leave and flexible working arrangements.
• Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP – a free counselling service for you and your family).
• A competitive salary, plus 15.4% superannuation.
• Rewards and recognition initiatives.

RecuitAbility

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the job. For more information see: RecruitAbility | Australian Public Service Commission (https://apsc.gov.au)

Contact Officer

Stewart Shannon | Assistant Registrar, Collection Services & Projects

E: Stewart.Shannon@nfsa.gov.au  

Ph: 02 6248 2017