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Director of Research Data Management

Located in culturally diverse, historic, and dynamic Richmond, Virginia, convenient to the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the recreation destinations of the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Commonwealth University is one of Virginia's largest universities and among the nation's leading research institutions. The VCU Libraries, one of Virginia’s outstanding research library systems, advances the University’s teaching, research, service, and patient care mission with holdings exceeding 2.5 million volumes, 61,000 serials, 600,000 e-books, and nationally prominent collections in the health and biological sciences, social work, the arts, the history of medicine, and comic and book arts.

The Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of Director of Research Data Management.  The successful candidate for this newly created position will lead the Libraries’ research data management initiative to support researchers across Virginia Commonwealth University. The Director participates in related library and campus committees and ad hoc groups. The successful candidate will join a culturally and academically diverse faculty of the highest caliber.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Director of the Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences and Associate University Librarian, the Director of Research Data Management will lead a developing, cross-campus team being formed to integrate the VCU Libraries, its services and its resources with the VCU research enterprise.  Responsibilities include:

  • Developing a framework for knowledge-based research data services for the lifespan of research data to the VCU community.
  • Serving as a consultant to researchers on research data issues, providing access to research data, and working with digital research tools such as DMPTool to manage, curate and archive research data.
  • Leading the ongoing assessment of researcher data support needs across VCUin collaboration with the Center for Clinical and Translational Research, the VCU Office of Research, and VCU Libraries colleagues.
  • Identifying new data management tools and initiatives; maintaining and promoting existing tools to the VCU research community.
  • Monitoring trends in e-research and data stewardship to inform the design of innovative services and knowledge creation tools.
  • Representing the library and participating in forging an infrastructure to support e-science.
  • Training subject liaison librarians in the use of emerging technologies and best practices for research services to engage research faculty and students across the Monroe Park and MCV Campuses.

The Director of Research Data Management is expected to be active professionally and to contribute to developments in the field. Faculty with the VCU Libraries are evaluated, and promoted, on the basis of job performance, scholarship, and professional development and service.

Qualifications

Required: ALA-accredited graduate degree or accredited graduate degree in another appropriate discipline. Three years of related work experience. Experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU. Able to design, plan, and implement complex projects. Excellent interpersonal skills for building relationships across the university.

Preferred:  Undergraduate degree in the biological, life, or physical sciences. An entrepreneurial attitude to developing library services and resources. Demonstrated knowledge of: information-seeking and use behaviors; structure of knowledge, primary research tools, publishers and vendors; and the research and teaching approaches in one or more broad health or life sciences disciplinary areas. Demonstrated understanding of how research data is generated, structured and used. Knowledge of trends in data management, data curation and e-science in a university research environment. Knowledge of metadata schemas and discipline specific ontologies as well as subject repositories of open data useful for researchers.  Relevant work experience in an academic environment. Successful experience working in a collaborative environment. Experience supervising librarians and/or staff in the provision of library services. 

Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Libraries

Virginia Commonwealth University is Virginia’s largest research university, enrolling over 32,000 students. Located in Richmond, Virginia), it is classified by Carnegie as Research University (very high research activity). VCU offers 38 doctoral, 74 masters, 3 professional, and 63 baccalaureate degree programs. Thirty-four of VCU's graduate, professional programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best in the nation, with 18 programs ranking in the top 25 and two programs — sculpture and nurse anesthesia — ranked number one. Over 1,900 faculty comprise the University's teaching force. Research strengths at the University include health and life sciences, education, engineering, social work, behavioral sciences, public affairs, advertising and design, and the fine arts. Sponsored research funding totals over $260 million, placing VCU among the top 100 research institutions in the United States. VCU’s strategic plan embraces an acceleration in the growth of VCU’s library system and includes a new Master Site Plan that envisions additions to both library facilities operated by the VCU Libraries. Architectural work has begun on a major addition to and renovation of the James Branch Cabell Library that is expected to open in 2015.

Libraries at Virginia Commonwealth University (including the James Branch Cabell Library on the Monroe Park Campus and the Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences on the MCV Campus) employ 60 professionals and 73 support staff with an annual budget exceeding $16.6 million. VCU also operates programs in Doha, Qatar, including a library supporting the program there; Northern Virginia; and in various additional locations throughout the U.S. and the world. The VCU Libraries is a Resource Library in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine and a member of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, SPARC, CNI, BioMed Central, and the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA), a statewide networking consortium for shared access to electronic and print resources. The VCU Libraries has adopted Primo as its discovery layer and is one of the first libraries worldwide to have implemented Alma as its next generation cloud-based system for library management. CONTENTdm and DSpace supplement the foundation of its system architecture to enhance access to its collections and services.

Salary: Salary commensurate with experience, not less than $60,000 annually. This is a full-time, non-tenured faculty position. Normal faculty benefits apply, including 24 vacation days annually and choice of retirement and annuity plans. For more information about benefits, see http://www.hr.vcu.edu/benefits/.

For more information about the VCU Libraries, please visit our home page at http://www.library.vcu.edu/. Review of applications will begin April 22, 2013 and will continue until the position is filled. For full consideration, applications must be received prior to May 20, 2013. Submit cover letter, resume, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three references to:

Pamela H. Fraga

Assistant to the University Librarian

VCU Libraries, Virginia Commonwealth University

901 Park Avenue

PO Box 842033

Richmond, VA 23284-2033

804-828-1107

804-828-0151 (fax)

phfraga@vcu.edu

Virginia Commonwealth University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.