Collections Researcher

Mjhnyc; New York (NY); On-site; USD 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Paid time off

Retirement benefits

Job summary

The Museum of Jewish Heritage seeks a dedicated professional to oversee the Collections & Exhibitions Department’s oral history projects, including translation, transcription, digitization, cataloguing, and digital content creation, working closely with curatorial and collections teams. This grant-funded role runs January 2027 through August 2029, onsite in New York.

The position reports jointly to the Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs; salary is $65,000 per year with a comprehensive

Qualifications

• BA in European History or a related field required.
• MA in Holocaust History, Digital Humanities, Library Science, Curatorial Studies and/or 3-5 years of relevant experience strongly preferred.
• Reading and comprehension of Yiddish and Hebrew required; knowledge of German, Polish, Hungarian, and/or French a plus.
• Ability to discern spoken English with heavy accents or degraded audio quality.
• Knowledge of cataloguing and description methodology.
• Strong historical research and contextualization of people, places, events, and terminology in oral histories.
• Ability to synthesize research findings into clear catalogue descriptions, keywords, metadata, and public-facing content.

Responsibilities

• Watch and listen to first-hand witness testimony to produce comprehensive summaries and catalogue entries for each interview.
• Contribute to overall framing and interpretation of the testimony collection and any digital exhibitions.
• Create relevant keywording and implement keywords for each interview in TMS.
• Convert and compress digital files, maintaining strict organization.
• Upload digital files to TMS platform and related media.
• Coordinate with and oversee work products from translators and transcribers.
• With project team members, propose a sequence for completing the project.
• Present regularly on project progress to supervisors with legible metrics.
• Assist with other and ongoing collections-based projects as needed.

Skills

Yiddish & Hebrew comprehension

Independent work

Attention to detail

Education

BA in European History

MA in Holocaust History / Digital Humanities / Library Science / Curatorial Studies

Tools

TMS platform

Job description

Job Objective:Oversee the Collections & Exhibitions Department’s oral history collections projects, including translation, transcription, digitization, cataloguing, and creating digital content working closely with the Museum’s curatorial and collections teams.

This is a grant-funded position beginning in January 2027 through August 2029.

Responsibilities:

• Watch/listen tofirst-hand witness testimonytoproduce comprehensivesummaries andcatalogue entries for each interview
• Contribute to the overall framing and interpretation of the testimony collection and any digital exhibitions to beproducedusingthe material
• Createrelevantkeywording and implementkeywordsfor each interview in TMS
• Convert and compress digitalfiles,maintainingstrict organization
• Upload digital filesto TMS platform as well as any related media
• Coordinate withand oversee work products from translators and transcribers
• With project team members,propose a sequence for completing the project
• Presentregularlyon project progress to supervisors withlegible metrics
• Assist with other and on-going collections-based projects as needed

Requirements:

• B.A.in European History or a related fieldrequired
• MA in Holocaust History, Digital Humanities, Library Science, Curatorial Studies and/or 3-5 years of relevant experience strongly preferred
• Working knowledge of European and Eastern European Jewish history, Holocaust and World war II history, and historical geography.
• Reading and comprehension of Yiddish and Hebrew required; knowledge of German, Polish, Hungarian, and/or French a plus
• Ability to discern spoken English with heavy accents or degraded audio quality
• Knowledge ofcataloguingand descriptionmethodology
• Strong historical research skills, including the ability to verify and contextualize people, places, events, and terminology referenced in oral histories
• Ability to synthesize complex research findings into clear catalogue descriptions, keywords, metadata, and public-facing interpretive content.
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to work independently
• Position reports jointly to:Curator and Directorof Curatorial Affairs
  
• Status: Full-Time, 40 hours a week for the grant term through August 2029
  
• Location: Onsite
  
• Salary: $65,000/year plus a comprehensive benefits package including health coverage, paid time off, and retirement benefits

The Museum of Jewish Heritage is an equal-opportunity employer. As a cultural institution that teachesabout the dangers of intolerance, the Museum is dedicated to promoting diversity, multiculturalism,and inclusion in its hiring practices.Information about the Museum’s work and values can be found here .