Director, Digital Collections & Access

International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM); Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Chicago History Museum in Chicago seeks a strategic Head of Digital Collections Initiatives to lead the museum's digital ecosystem. You will coordinate cross‑department efforts, develop systems, standards, and workflows that advance digital transformation and public access.

Reporting to the Director of Collections, you will oversee digitization, digital asset management, rights and reproductions, and budgets, while partnering with IT, Education, Exhibitions, and Advancement to align initiatives

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in library/information science, museum studies, digital humanities, archival studies, or related field required.
• Minimum 5 years of experience managing digital collections in a museum/library/cultural institution.
• Experience leading cross-departmental teams and multi-year digital initiatives.
• Experience with DAMS/CMS and metadata standards; able to guide workflows and policies.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning and governance of the museum’s digital collections ecosystem.
• Oversee digitization, digital asset management, rights and reproductions, and revenue-related activities.
• Manage budgets, timelines, milestones, and stakeholder communications.
• Coordinate cross-departmental workflows for digitization, preservation and access.
• Establish technical standards and governance for image capture, metadata, and discovery platforms.

Skills

Digital collections

Project management

Leadership

Cross-department collaboration

Staff supervision

DAMS

CMS

Metadata standards

Education

Bachelor’s degree in library science or related field

Tools

DAMS

CMS

Digital discovery platforms

Job description

Chicago History Museum in Chicago seeks a strategic Head of Digital Collections Initiatives to lead the museum's digital ecosystem. You will coordinate cross‑department efforts, develop systems, standards, and workflows that advance digital transformation and public access.

Reporting to the Director of Collections, you will oversee digitization, digital asset management, rights and reproductions, and budgets, while partnering with IT, Education, Exhibitions, and Advancement to align initiatives