Lead Archivist, CHHC Project — Community‑Centered Archiving

National Geographic Society; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 95,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On‑Site Flex

Job summary

National Geographic Society seeks a Lead Archivist for the CHHC Project to guide archival assessment, processing, and community‑engaged work across multiple formats in collaboration with source communities.

Reporting to the Project Director, you will lead a four‑person team, design survey instruments, and ensure ethical, legal, and cultural restrictions are applied, with work anchored in Washington, DC base camp and Lanham, MD, through 2032.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of management experience in GLAM or related institutions with archival processing leadership.
• Experience with archival, museum, and library systems and standards (e.g., DACS).
• Ability to manage community engagement within archival projects.
• Experience with digitization programs and workflows.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Plan strategy and guidelines for archival assessment and processing with community participation.
• Lead a four‑person archival processing team and describe collections with source communities.
• Catalog collections using Axiell and apply legal, ethical, and cultural restrictions.
• Preserve, prepare and digitize items in line with community wishes.
• Facilitate in‑person and remote collection consultations.
• Report progress and roadblocks to the CHHC Project Director.

Skills

Management experience

Archivist expertise

Team leadership

Writing and communication

Community engagement

Organizational skills

Knowledge of digitization workflows

Education

Bachelor's Degree preferred

Tools

Axiell cataloging system

Survey instruments

Workflow trackers

Digital asset management systems

Discovery interfaces

Job description

National Geographic Society seeks a Lead Archivist for the CHHC Project to guide archival assessment, processing, and community‑engaged work across multiple formats in collaboration with source communities.

Reporting to the Project Director, you will lead a four‑person team, design survey instruments, and ensure ethical, legal, and cultural restrictions are applied, with work anchored in Washington, DC base camp and Lanham, MD, through 2032.