Job Vacancy Announcement – Head, Manuscript Department

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University is seeking applications from highly qualified, diverse candidates for our Head, Manuscript Department.

Salary Grade 058: $75,900-$129,700

About the Position:

Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America seeks a creative, collaborative, experienced leader and administrator for its manuscript department. The successful candidate will have a proven record of success in inspiring a high performing team of processors and interns, deep knowledge of archival practices, standards, and archival technology systems. The candidate should also possess expertise in the history of women, gender, and sexuality in the United States and demonstrate commitment to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive excellence in the workplace. Reporting to the Executive Director of the Library, the Head of Manuscripts participates in Schlesinger’s senior management groups, acquisitions committee, and collaborates with other department heads within the Library and across Radcliffe Institute to develop and make readily available premiere collections in the history of women. The Head of Manuscripts contributes to the Library’s continuous effort to offer state of the art and innovative services to our research community. Additionally, the Head of Manuscripts serves on Harvard Library committees, work groups, and task forces to assure the development of Harvard Library systems that serve the mission of Schlesinger Library.

Responsibilities of the position include:

• Administers the full range of practices and procedures in the manuscript department including accessioning and the creation of finding aids, Marc records, and metadata.
• Demonstrates proficiency in archival theory and knowledge of current archival and bibliographic standards such as DACS, EAD, MARC, etc.
• Coordinates collections and related operations workflow
• Reviews all existing policies and practices to assure maximum effectiveness and best practices across all departmental processes
• Plans annual departmental and processing goals and in consultation with members of the department and library leaders; makes annual collections assignments
• Inspires, leads, develops talent through a variety of professional development opportunities and mentoring
• Conducts annual performance reviews and develops techniques for continuous feedback on job performance of members of the manuscript department
• Applies managerial practices that contribute to staff well-being and community building across the Library
• Participates in acquisitions program, exhibition program, grant writing, strategic planning for the Library, and in professional development activities
• Excels in analytical skills, report writing, and problem solving
• Engages with the profession and professional literature to assure current level of knowledge and continuous improvement
• Exercises responsibility for storage, preservation, and physical movement of collections
• Coordinates access to and processing of born-digital collections and audio-visual collections.

The successful candidate will possess:

• a master’s degree in library science, library information science, history, or subject specialty in a relevant academic field combined with strong archival training and experiences.
• demonstrated commitment and passion for women’s history or gender studies
• appreciation for the unique nature of a special collections library and willingness to advocate for it
• strong organizational skills and administrative experiences with a record of increasingly progressive responsibilities over a period of 7 to 10 years
• advanced understanding of archival technology and systems such as ArchivesSpace, AEON, etc.
• demonstrated capacity to lead, motivate, assess, and manage people and processes
• skills to foster collegiality, coalition building, and trust
• demonstrated capacities for managing a diverse workforce and promoting an equitable and respectful working environment
• excellent written and oral communication skills.

How to apply:

Interested applicants must apply for the Head, Manuscript Department position through HARVARD CAREERS, Harvard University’s online employment application system. Please combine your cover letter and resume/CV into a single document when you are instructed to "Upload my resume/CV from my computer." Cover letters are required for every application for a position at the Radcliffe Institute. The Radcliffe Institute is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Diversity Statement:

At the Harvard Library, our work is enriched by our diverse campus community. Our unique and wide-ranging abilities, experiences, and perspectives are integral to achieving Harvard University’s mission of excellence in research, teaching, and learning for our patrons, our collections, and our workplace. We believe that an inclusive environment that cultivates and promotes understanding, respect, and collaboration across our diverse workforce enables our success.

We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and abilities to apply to be a part of our community of over 700 staff members. Our work with faculty, students and researchers to explore answers to intellectual questions, enduring and new, and to seek solutions to the world’s most consequential problems, requires that we not only reflect, but also champion our diverse society.

A global leader, the Harvard Library is a pre-eminent research library that acquires, disseminates, and preserves knowledge. Harvard's Library holdings range from traditional print collections to rapidly expanding inventories of digital resources. It is the work of the Harvard Library to provide the University's faculty, students, and researchers—now and in the future—with comprehensive access over time to all of these materials.

Learn more about our contributions to the academic enterprise by visiting us at https://library.harvard.edu/ and about the Harvard University Community at http://hr.harvard.edu/why-harvard

About the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study:

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University is dedicated to creating and sharing transformative ideas across the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. The Fellowship Program annually supports the work of 50 leading artists and scholars. Academic Ventures fosters collaborative research projects and sponsors lectures and conferences that engage scholars with the public. The Schlesinger Library documents the lives of American women of the past and present for the future, furthering the Institute’s commitment to women, gender, and society.

We are proud to be an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, and are committed to achieving our goals through the efforts of a highly skilled, diverse workforce. With outstanding benefits, competitive pay, extensive learning opportunities, and a stimulating and attractive work environment, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University may be exactly the employer you have been looking for.

Learn more about the people and programs of the Radcliffe Institute at www.radcliffe.harvard.edu.