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.
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
Conservation:
The Conservation team is part of Conservation and Collection Management section, 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: AV Conservation who prepare and preserve audiovisual material for digitisation, curatorial and access programs; and the Collection Conservation team who look after the documents and artefacts collection, as well as undertaking a range of collection care programs such as collection assessments, exhibition preparation and condition reporting.
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.
First Nations Engagement:
The First Nations Engagement ensures the responsible management and custodianship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders material within the national collection items relating to film, sound, television and radio captured in a diverse range of analogue and digital formats.
The Opportunity
The Collection Preservation Technician plays a key role in providing safe and appropriate access to the AV collection. The Collection Preservation Technician will undertake various conservation treatments such as preparing film for screening and digitisation, condition reporting, collection relocation, accessioning and retrieval. These activities are to be conducted in accordance with established archival practices and procedures. The position will also work with the First Nations Engagement team and the Senior Audio Preservation Specialist on the Torres Strait Islanders Media Association (TSIMA) Project - reporting into various immediate supervisors.
This position is located at NFSA Headquarters in Acton, ACT with the opportunity of participating in projects located in the NFSA collection vaults located within the ACT.
The filling of this vacancy is intended to constitute an affirmative measure under section 8(1) of the 'Racial Discrimination Act 1975'. This vacancy is only available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
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.
Desirable:
- Relevant experience working in a collecting institution, archive or audiovisual industry with photographic or film-based material.
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.
The national audiovisual collection includes sounds, images, stories and topics spanning over a century. Some materials may be psychologically or emotionally upsetting for some viewers and listeners. Archival researchers and those working with the collection are required to be curious and resilient; but at any and all times are encouraged to speak up if they may come into contact with material they find hazardous from a psychosocial perspective, or feel they are at risk of doing so. The NFSA has a framework in place to minimise the risk of exposure to risks relating to collection material, and to prepare our staff for any hazards they may come across. We also have clear avenues to support staff when they need it.
How to Apply
When applying via our online e-recruitment system, please address the details in the ‘Key Responsibilities’ and ‘Selection Criteria’ by outlining in 500 words or less, how your skills and relevant experience demonstrate that you would be our ideal candidate. 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.
This is an identified role; the successful applicant must identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this position you must:
- Be of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent (this is an Affirmative Measures - Indigenous identified role).
- 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
Dr Sophie Lewincamp | Head of Conservation & Collection Management
E: sophie.lewincamp@nfsa.gov.au
Ph: 02 6248 2287
