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 Editorial and Content team is part of the Audiences, Brand and Content branch. Based in Sydney and working closely with colleagues in Canberra and Melbourne, the team delivers best-practice, data-informed publishing that connects the NFSA’s collection with audiences in dynamic cultural conversations. The team produces thousands of outputs each year – across the website, social media and audience EDMs – all designed to grow reach, relevance and audience diversity.
The Opportunity
The Digital Content Writer plays a key role in delivering the NFSA’s fast-paced publishing program. Reporting to the Director of Editorial and Content, the role calls for an agile writer who can move quickly from concept to delivery while balancing strategic priorities with cultural responsiveness. The role requires strong editorial judgement, research and editing skills, and the ability to master a distinctive institutional voice that connects with audiences across platforms. Knowledge of digital publishing and analytics will ensure content performs in the moment and drives long-term audience growth.
“Please note: This recruitment process is intended to fill both current and future vacancies. While the position on offer is Ongoing, a merit pool of suitable applicants may be established to fill similar ongoing and non-ongoing positions within the next 18-months.”
Job Description
Key Responsibilities/Duties
Under limited direction, this position is responsible for delivering the following functions:
Deliver editorial plans at pace to grow and diversify the NFSA’s audience.
Produce short-form and multimedia-led content in response to current events and collection highlights, adaptable across the website, social media platforms and EDMs.
Master the NFSA’s distinctive tone of voice, producing writing that connects with audiences and is tailored to the platforms on which they engage with NFSA content.
Undertake thorough collection asset research using platforms, databases and subject matter expertise to inform editorial outputs.
Liaise on rights and apply the Criticism or Review copyright exception, ensuring fairness, attribution and genuine cultural analysis in live publishing contexts.
Deliver timely, platform-ready social media copy, schedules and asset packages, including briefs for staging.
Lead website copywriting, commissioning and editing contributions from internal and external writers to meet production schedules, and edit content for accuracy, clarity and consistency.
Upload, format and quality assure content within the CMS to meet publishing deadlines.
Shape and proof content for audience EDMs, ensuring accuracy, tone and engagement under deadline, and contribute flexibly to other institutional and audience projects in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications teams.
Interpret weekly and cumulative website, social media and email analytics to optimise future content performance.
Selection Criteria
The successful candidate will demonstrate their capacity against the following:
Proven ability to grow audiences through compelling storytelling across online publishing and social media, with a track record of delivering results in fast-paced environments.
High level written communication skills, including ability to write with a distinctive voice and produce content that connects with audiences and is optimised for the platforms they use.
Demonstrated research capability, including effective use of platforms, databases and subject matter expertise to inform high-quality editorial outputs.
Developed understanding of, and capacity to navigate rights considerations, including applying copyright exceptions and editorial frameworks ensuring fairness, attribution and genuine cultural analysis.
At least five years’ experience in a professional writing or content production role.
Desirable:
Engagement with Australian culture across audiovisual forms (film, music, television, podcasts, radio), with experience using cultural collections, digital publishing platforms or analytics tools to inform editorial decisions.
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 provide a written application addressing each Selection Criteria. 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
Kate Scott | Editorial and Content Director
E: Kate.Scott@nfsa.gov.au
Ph: 02 8202 0186
