Collections Data Manager (DiSSCo)

NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF SCOTLAND; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

National Museums Scotland is seeking a Collections Data Manager (DiSSCo) to lead digital data work strands, improve data quality and ensure integration with CIS and DAMS across multi-site operations.

You will coordinate with the Collections Data & Digitisation teams, manage project pipelines, and contribute to the national DiSSCo programme focused on insect and herbarium data assets.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience of using a variety of software applications, including collections information and digital asset management systems
• High level of data literacy and confidence in working directly with structured datasets and with a systematic and structured approach to problem solving
• Knowledge of biodiversity and natural science data standards such as Darwin Core, Latimer Core and MIDS
• Experience in data quality management, including validation, reconciliation, version control and auditing.
• Experience maintaining data management documentation including standards, workflows and guidance for contributors

Responsibilities

• To manage and deliver specific digital DiSSCo Project work strands for National Museums Scotland to improve collections data and collections reach to meet strategic, compliance, operational and Project needs.
• To effectively schedule and deliver specified digital work strands in collaboration with key stakeholders including the Collections Data & Digitisation team, Project Digitisation team, the DiSSCo National Data Manager and other specialists as appropriate to achieve project goals.
• Maintain and manage Project data pipelines to ensure digitised specimen data and images are delivered according to project timelines.
• Align and co-ordinate integration of digitised specimen data with the Museums' Collections Information and Digital Asset Management Systems (CIS and DAMS), providing required outputs to DiSSCo's Hub and other data aggregators as required.
• Maintain up to date documentation, monitoring and tracking completeness, accuracy and compliance as relevant to the Museums' data management practice.
• Maintain and ensure implementation of procedures, standards, and quality assurance processes to ensure the integrity and longevity of data in accordance with professional museum standards, project guidelines and National Museums Scotland's policies and procedures.

Skills

Data management

Digital asset management

Data literacy

Structured datasets

Problem solving

Tools

CIS

DAMS

Job description

Collections Data Manager (DiSSCo) | Full time| 35 hours | Fixed Term to 31 March 2028
Full Time Salary: £39,754 to £43,188 per annum
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location: National Museums Collection Centre, Granton, and National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street | Fully on-site, multi-site working

National Museums Scotland is one of the leading museum groups in Europe with one of the largest and most diverse collections in the world.

As an organisation our values are Creative, Inclusive, Collaborative and Forward-thinking.

We are looking for enthusiastic, passionate, honest, service-driven dividuals to join our Collections Services team.

Benefits of joining us as our Collections Data Manager (DiSSCo) include:

• Annually alongside your salary, National Museums Scotland contributes 28.97% of thistowards you being a member of the Civil Service Pension Scheme

• A generous annual leave of 28.5 days – rising to 33.5 after 5 years, plus an additional 8 paid days public holidays.

• Free access to national (and international) museums and exhibitions

• A range of wellbeing benefits including Employee Assistance Programme 24/7

• Access to all the above and more from day one of employment.

About the Collections Data Manager (DiSSCo) role:

Help unlock Scotland’s insect collections for research and public discovery. As Collections Data Manager (DiSSCo), you will manage and deliver National Museums Scotland’s digital assets (data and images) generated as part of the DiSSCo Project, effectively integrating and sharing digital assets to meet strategic, operational and project need.

This role is part of the DiSSCo-UK project, funded by UKRI. DiSSCo UK (Distributed System of Scientific Collections) is a £155 million, 10-year national programme to digitise and connect the UK’s natural science collections. The programme is funded through the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and delivered by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in partnership with the Natural History Museum and more than 100 partners across the UK. This post is associated with the first phase of the project, focusing on pinned insects (NMS) and herbarium sheets (RBGE).

As a Collections Data Manager (DiSSCo) at National Museums Scotland you will:

• To manage and deliver specific digitalDiSSCoProject work strands for National Museums Scotland to improve collections data and collections reach to meet strategic, compliance, operational and Project needs.

• To effectively schedule and deliver specified digital work strands in collaboration with key stakeholders including the Collections Data & Digitisation team, Project Digitisation team, theDiSSCoNational DataManagerand other specialists asappropriate toachieve project goals.

• Maintain and manage Project data pipelines to ensure digitised specimen data and images are delivered according to project timelines.

• Align and co-ordinate integration of digitised specimen data with the Museums' Collections Information and Digital Asset Management Systems (CIS and DAMS), providing required outputs to DiSSCo's Hub and other data aggregators as required.

• Maintain up to date documentation,monitoringand tracking completeness,accuracyand compliance as relevant to the Museums' data management practice.

• Maintain and ensure implementation of procedures, standards, and quality assurance processes to ensure the integrity and longevity of datain accordance withprofessional museum standards, project guidelines and National Museums Scotland's policies and procedures.

Skills and experience we’re looking for in our Collections Data Manager (DiSSCo):

• Demonstrable experience of using a variety of software applications, including collections information and digital asset management systems

• High levelof data literacy and confidence in working directly with structured datasets and with a systematicandstructured approach to problem solving

• Knowledge of biodiversity and natural science data standards such as Darwin Core, Latimer Core and MIDS

• Experience in data quality management, including validation, reconciliation, version control and auditing.

• Experience maintaining data management documentation including standards, workflows and guidance for contributors.

Please be sure to view relevant attachments for this role (available on our Careers Portal: careers.nms.ac.uk) for full details of the position.

The closing date for this role is 14/09/2026. The Selection Event is likely to take place 28/09/2026.