Team Leader, Audiovisual Conservation

Posted: 11/11/2024- Closing Date: 24/11/2024- Salary: $90,199.00 - $101,022.00- Job Type: Ongoing / Non-ongoing; Full time- Location: Canberra- Job Category: Arts, Culture**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.

**About the Team**

The Conservation Services team is part of the Conservation and Collection Management section of the Collection Preservation Branch. The team conducts an extensive work program providing a range of activities for the preservation and ongoing care of the audiovisual, documents and artefacts collection.

The team has two streams: Audiovisual Conservation who prepare and preserve audiovisual material for digitisation, curatorial and access programs, conduct research and analysis of audiovisual materials; and Collection Conservation who care for the documents and artefacts collection, including interventive treatments, exhibition preparation, condition reporting and research. Both teams coordinate to undertake a range of collection care programs such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM), chemical management, collection assessments and procedures for hazards in collections.

The team provides technical advice regarding access and digitisation requests, undertakes straightforward and complex conservation works and ensures the national audiovisual collection is preserved by maintaining current policies and procedures.

**The Opportunity**

The Team Leader Audiovisual Conservation plays a key role in the Audiovisual Conservation team and would have a significant depth of audiovisual format knowledge partnered with leadership, supervision and administrative skills to strategically contribute to the NFSA program.

The focus of this role is working with the physical audiovisual collection, coordinating staff resources and ensuring the program meets the strategic objectives.
- Please note: The position on offer is a 9-month opportunity with the possibility of an extension._

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

- Effectively coordinate, support and supervise the AV Conservation team to deliver the strategic and operational requirements of the Conservation team.
- Direct workflows, priorities and quality controls; gathering data and analysing complex technical issues; including developing procedures which enhance effective and efficient workflows.
- Identify any possible issues early within workflow/work programs and ensure effective solutions are provided.
- Advise staff on preservation practises and procedures and work on complex preservation activities such as technical selection and research.
- Train staff in routine and complex practices for audiovisual preservation, and the recording of technical information in the NFSA collection management system.
- Contribute to corporate reporting regarding the activities and statistics relating to the digitisation and conservation programs.
- Assist with procurement practices and manage external service providers to deliver any outsourced conservation services and/or equipment, servicing and maintenance.
- Work with other areas across the agency to deliver strategic outcomes as identified.

**Selection Criteria**
- In-depth technical skills and abilities, particularly related to audiovisual material, including demonstrated experience in conservation practice and procedure.
- Proven ability to build and maintain effective stakeholder relationships, to achieve successful and timely outcomes.