Dear All
Please see details of an exciting new career opportunity at Tate.
Simon Grant
Head of Information Systems
Tate
Post: Information Manager
Reference: 102/FR
Starting Salary: Up to £23,000 (Band 4) plus
£5,000 market allowance
Department: Information Management and Systems
Contract: Permanent
Reporting to: Information Systems Development
Manager
Background
The aim of Tate is to increase public awareness, understanding and
appreciation of British art from the 16th Century to the present day, and of
20th Century international painting and sculpture.
As part of its overall approach to information management, Tate has been
developing an integrated strategy for the creation and management of its
digital assets and the distribution of that material through a variety of
means. The Tate website was launched in February 1998 with 8,000 images and
25,000 catalogue entries from its Collection and has subsequently grown in
use, and in range and depth of its content. In 2000, the Insight project was
launched, aiming at digitising and subject indexing all 50,000 works in
Tate's British Collection by the end of 2001. In the same year, a new
Collections Management System (CMS) was introduced across Tate sites, and a
new Collections Information Services (CIS) was launched on the public
website and internal Intranet.
In order to build on these developments, Tate is now searching for a
suitably experienced Information Manager to lead in developing, maintaining
and disseminating high quality digital information about the Collections to
a range of internal and external clients and systems.
Key objectives of the role
· To ensure the continuing high quality of Tate Collections information
· To enable the continuing publication of Collections information in
electronic or other forms
· To plan and manage continuing development of Tate collections-related
information systems in order to deliver agreed project outcomes to time and
to budget
· To manage the creation of new digital information assets in line with
organisational needs
· To ensure the long term survival and value of digitised texts, images and
other materials relating to the Collections
Main Activities/ Responsibilities
Information Management
· To define and disseminate data and information standards for Collections
information; to guide and audit their application by Tate staff
· Guide users in the establishment and maintenance of best operating
practices in order to protect the quality of data and information content
· Ensure that Collections information resources are ready and available for
publication on the Tate intranet, website and other agreed forms
· Develop and implement a strategy for the long term survival and
accessibility of Tate's Collection related digital assets
· As demand dictates, institute and manage digitisation projects to supply
new materials for development into information based products, either for
internal use or for partners and commercial clients
· Maintain an awareness of other information needs across Tate, ensuring
that Collections information can be used in the broadest possible sense for
internal analysis
· Working with other Tate staff, to participate in the evolution of an
information management framework that is relevant and responsive to the
changing needs of the organisation
Analysis
· To maintain an overview of Tate systems for the management and publication
of Collections information and to identify client needs for enhancement and
development
· To identify appropriate paths for systems development
· Maintain close liason with Tate curatorial staff in order to manage the
academic integrity of electronically published Collections information, and
to analyse and respond to their information needs
· To be proactive in analysing and implementing opportunities for change in
work practices relating to Collections information management
Project Management
· To work on a wide range of IS projects, providing expertise and advice to
Tate staff and contractors
· Management and coordination of Tate digitising projects
· Development and maintenance of project plans, from project inception to
completion
· Management and motivation of project teams
· Management of project budgets
Person Specification
The successful candidate is likely to have a strong practical background in
museum information management and a sound knowledge of the use of electronic
information systems for information provision to professional and generalist
audiences. Specific skills/experience are as follows:
Essential
· At least 3 years experience of working on collection documentation in a
museum, art gallery or similar organisation.
· Demonstrable knowledge of operational and academic information needs;
knowledge of thesaurus and terminology management skills.
· At least 2 years experience of project or team management.
· Evidence of successful resource management, demonstrating the ability to
deliver work to deadlines and on budget.
· Good planning skills with the ability to juggle competing priorities.
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills together with a proven
ability to motivate colleagues and associates in the achievement of common
aims.
· Able to build rapport with colleagues and develop effective working
relationships with staff at all levels within the organisation.
· Problem solving - able to analyse issues and look at situations from more
than one perspective and effectively assess risks when making decisions.
Desirable
· Experience of publishing information on the web and in conventional,
printed form.
· Experience of working with a commercial Collections Management System
(CMS).
· Experience in use of SQL based relational database.
· Experience of data modelling techniques.
· Experience in digitising images and text resources.
· Familiarity with the requirements for long term archiving of digital
materials.
· A degree in Art History, and/or a strong interest in the arts and in the
ways in which the visual arts can be made more accessible.
Pay and Benefits
· The starting salary for this post is up to £23,000 per annum (Band 4) plus
pensionable £5,000 market allowance.
· Annual leave is 25 days per annum rising to 27 days per annum after three
years' service.
· This post attracts membership of the Principal Civil Service Pension
Scheme. Tate will make a contribution to the scheme on behalf of employees
from 12% to 18.5% of salary depending on salary level. Employees are
required to pay a contribution of 1.5% of salary towards Dependants
Benefits.
· Interest-free loan for Season Ticket
· Free entry to paying exhibitions at Tate Galleries. Opportunities for
family and friends to visit the major exhibitions out-of-hours.
· Up to three free main exhibition catalogues per year.
· Tate employees are entitled to a 10% discount in the Tate Cafes and
Restaurants and a discount of 20% on Tate publications and goods in the Tate
Gallery Shops.
· Tate employees are entitled to free access to a number of other galleries
and museums throughout the UK on production of a valid staff pass
To Apply:
For an application pack, please send an A4 stamped-addressed envelope,
quoting reference 102/FR, to: Human Resources Department, Tate, Millbank,
London SW1P 4RG. Alternatively you can e-mail [log in to unmask]
Closing date: Monday, 5th November 2001.
Tate is working towards equal opportunities
Contact: Human Resources Department, email [log in to unmask]
Selection
Completed application forms should be returned to:
Human Resources Department
Tate
Millbank
London SW1P 4RG
In view of the increasing postal costs and our constant need to make the
best possible use of our resources it is our policy to write only to those
people who are invited for interview. I am sure that you will appreciate
the need for this. If you would like confirmation of receipt of your
application please enclose a stamped addressed postcard. If you do not
receive an invitation to interview by 19 November 2001, regrettably, you
should assume that you have not been successful on this occasion.
The closing date for the return of completed application forms is 5 November
2001.
Tate is working toward equal opportunities
|
