Assistant Director Collections Development Unit

Application Pack

Assistant Director Collections Development Unit

APS Executive Level 1

Ongoing Full-Time

$97,230 to $106,655

This is an Affirmative Measures opportunity open to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait
Islander people only

Who we are
We are Australia’s only national institution focused exclusively on the diverse history,
cultures, and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. We house the
world’s most important and extensive collection of cultural information and material and
we provide leadership, publish and promote greater understanding and appreciation of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We create opportunities for people the
world over to engage with and be transformed by the knowledge, the culture and the
story of Australia’s Indigenous peoples. We are Australia’s national institution for
leadership in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research.

What we do

We care for a priceless collection, including films, photographs, video and audio
recordings as well as the world’s largest collection of printed and other resource
materials for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies. We undertake and encourage
scholarly, ethical, community-based research in a variety of sectors, including health,
native title, languages and education. Our publishing house, Aboriginal Studies Press,
regularly publishes outstanding writing that promotes Australian Indigenous cultures.
Our activities affirm and raise awareness of the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories.

Our functions are established under the_ Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres _
- Strait Islander Studies Act 1989_.

These functions are to:
develop, preserve and provide access to a national collection of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage;
use that national collection to strengthen and promote knowledge and
understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage;
provide leadership in the fields of:

- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research; and
- ethics and protocols for research, and other activities relating to
collections, related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and
use (including use for research) of that national collection and other
collections containing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and
heritage;
lead and promote collaborations and partnerships among the academic, research,
non-government, business and government sectors and Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples in support of the other functions of the Institute;
provide advice to the Commonwealth on the situation and status of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage.

We are an Australian Government statutory authority. The Minister responsible for
AIATSIS is the Hon Linda Burney MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians, and it sits
within the portfolio of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

About the Program Area
The Collection Development and Management (CDM) Program is one of three programs
in the Collections Services Group, the others being the Collection Care and Digitisation
Program, and the Collections Transformation and Strategic Priorities Program. The
Collections Services Group is responsible for the development, management and
preservation of the AIATSIS Collection.

The CDM Program consists of the Collection Development Unit, the Archival Collections
Unit, and the Descriptive Metadata and Cataloguing Unit.

About the Role***
The Assistant Director, Collection Development ensures that AIATSIS has a coordinated
and strategic approach to developing the AIATSIS Collection, and to sharing its stories.

The role supports the management of the Art and Object Collection, providing guidance
and mentoring on complex matters arising in relation to the care of artworks and cultural
items. Related to this, the role also manages the foundational work for the Repatriation
Policy and the associated program of provenance research.

The role is responsible for maintaining and implementing the Collection Development
Strategy through developing and maintaining relationships with donors and other
stakeholders.

The role manages the acquisitions program, working across the AIATSIS Collection
Services Group multidisciplinary program team to ensure robust decision making on
donations and other acquisitions in accordance with the AIATSIS Collection Development
Strategy and other relevant frameworks.

The role leads a small team which undertakes provenance research, significance
assessments and other appropriate tasks to build, promote discoverability and enrich
understanding of the collection, including the development and implementation of a
collections-based exhibition program. The role nurtures internal and external
relationships, facilitating cooperation and partnerships to support projects to share the
Collection.

**Key Responsibilities**
- Lead and grow the