Photo Scanning Technician – Physical & Digital Processing

Memory Forward; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 22,730 - 32,373; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

Health reimbursement

Retirement plan options

Job summary

A leading memory preservation service is seeking a Photo Scanning Technician in Austin, Texas. This role entails curating and digitizing personal history collections into cohesive digital archives, emphasizing technical precision and workflow efficiency. Candidates should have experience with Adobe Lightroom and a strong affinity for detail-oriented, methodical work. We offer a supportive environment, competitive hourly pay starting at $20, and opportunities for performance-based advancement. Join us in making family memories accessible again.

Qualifications

• 2+ years experience with organizing photos using Adobe Lightroom.
• Strong understanding of digital image formats and metadata.
• Experience with photo digitization equipment.

Responsibilities

• Curate and digitize media collections into digital archives.
• Scan prints, slides, negatives, and memorabilia using professional equipment.
• Organize photos chronologically and by event.

Skills

Organizing photos in Adobe Lightroom

Critical thinking

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Attention to detail

Tools

Adobe Lightroom

Photo digitization equipment

Job description

To apply, please upload a single PDF containing both your resume and the cover letter answering the three questions listed at the bottom of this post.

Who We Are

Memory Forward helps individuals and families preserve, protect, and enjoy their photographs, videos, and memorabilia through expert organization and digitization. For almost 20 years, we have served as industry leaders, helping people who feel overwhelmed by large digital and physical photo collections by handling the technical heavy lifting for them. We are known for our efficiency, accuracy, high-quality results, and innovative systems — all driven by a deep respect for the memories we help protect.

We are seeking a Photo Scanning Technician to join our small but mighty team. This role is ideal for someone who is data-minded, technically inclined, and highly detail-oriented—someone who finds genuine satisfaction in solving complex organizational puzzles through structured, repeatable workflows. If you share our belief in the importance of making family memories accessible again, we hope you will apply!

About the Role

In this role, you will meticulously curate and digitize legacy media collections into beautifully organized digital archives. You will manage large volumes of photos and videos using tools like Adobe Lightroom and professional scanning equipment, applying clear systems and standards to bring order to complex collections.

While the work involves photographs, this is not a creative photography role. Instead, it requires strong visual judgment in a quality-control context, including the ability to:

• Recognize accurate color, exposure, and orientation
• Identify issues such as dust, color casts, clipping, or skew
• Consistently match results to defined reference standards

The goal is precision and fidelity rather than artistic interpretation. This role is built for a professional who values technical excellence and takes pride in producing reliable, archival-quality results at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Collection Organization: Arrange printed and digital photos chronologically and/or by event using contextual clues, metadata, and investigative research
• Media Ingestion: Analyze and consolidate digital photos from cloud services, hard drives, memory cards, and legacy media
• Precision Digitization: Scan prints, slides, negatives, albums, and memorabilia using professional equipment and high-volume workflows
• Video Processing: Convert analog video to digital formats, segmenting and labeling individual scenes for easy client access
• Metadata & Data Integrity: Apply captions, dates, keywords, and facial recognition; identify and resolve duplicate files or incorrect date information to ensure a clean, chronological, and searchable archive
• Technical Editing: Perform tasks such as cropping, color correction, and isolating individual images from album scans
• Client Deliverables: Assist with creating photo albums, slideshows, and memory websites to transform collections into enjoyable assets
• Project Delivery: Prepare and package client projects for delivery according to company standards and deadlines
• Workflow Maintenance: Troubleshoot hardware and software issues and contribute to the improvement of system documentation
• Client Interaction: Occassionally interact with clients to understand project needs, estimate their collections, and take payment for completed projects

Required Qualifications

• Software Expertise: 2+ years experience organizing or managing photos in Adobe Lightroom
• Technical Literacy: Strong understanding of digital image and video formats, resolution, compression, and metadata
• Hardware Familiarity: Experience with photo and/or document digitization equipment
• Legacy Media Familiarity: Experience or comfort with legacy and analog media of all formats
• OS Versatility: Comfortable working in both macOS and Windows environments
• Critical Thinking: Ability to follow established procedures while applying critical thinking to achieve accurate and consistent outcomes
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills for collaborating with the team and interacting with clients
• Precision with Pace: You find satisfaction in efficiency and high-quality output. You understand that doing the steps correctly is vital, but you also know how to perform tasks in a timely manner to meet deadlines and billable-hour goals.
• Analytical Detective: You are an analytical thinker with a problem-solving mindset. You genuinely enjoy the “detective work” involved in identifying dates, locations, and people in unlabeled collections.
• Focused Stamina: You are highly detail-oriented with a strong visual memory. You are comfortable with long stretches of focused, repetitive work and enjoy the personal challenge of improving your speed and accuracy.
• Agile Learner: You have the ability to absorb new information and learn new software or toolsets quickly, allowing you to adapt to our innovative systems without delay.
• Proactive Communicator: You are a proactive communicator who clarifies ambiguity before proceeding, ensuring that work is done right the first time rather than guessing.
• Careful Handler: You deeply appreciate the emotional value of the memories we protect. You are comfortable working with fragile, irreplaceable materials and maintain disciplined handling practices to protect original items.

*Some benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and waiting periods

• Pay: Starting at $20 per hour, with opportunities for increases based on performance and tenure
• Paid Time Off: Includes vacation and paid holidays
• Retirement: SIMPLE IRAplan with employer participation
• Health: Healthcare reimbursement to help offset individual health insurance costs
• Environment: A stable, collaborative, and mission-driven workplace

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

• Schedule: 9:00am - 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, with a daily 30 minute lunch break (roughly 37.5 hours per week)
• Location: On-site at our 1-story office park building in Northwest Austin with reserved parking spaces
• Stamina: Ability to maintain focus and accuracy during repetitive physical and computer-based tasks and high-volume scanning sessions
• Physical: Ability to lift and move inventory up to 20 lbs; some crouching, stooping, or bending required

How to Apply

At Memory Forward, we value the person behind the process. To be considered for this role, please submit both a resume and a thoughtful cover letter. We aren’t looking for a formal corporate letter; instead, please use this as an opportunity to tell us:

• Your "Why": Why does the mission of preserving family memories resonate with you?
• The Joy of Order: We are looking for someone who finds genuine satisfaction in organization and systems. Can you share a quick example of a time you turned a "mess" (digital or physical) into a structured system?
• The Focus Factor: This role involves long periods of repetitive, detailed work. What about your personality makes you well-suited for a job that requires this level of steady, methodical focus?

Candidates who include a cover letter that reflects these points will be given higher consideration.