Florida State University’s Institute for Digital Information and Scientific Communication (idiginfo.org) invites applications for a Workforce Development Manager for the iDigBio project (idigbio.org). iDigBio is the US National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections and is based at Florida State University (FSU), University of Florida, and Arizona State University. Biodiversity collections curate such things as plants on sheets, fossils in drawers, fish in jars, and insects on pins, and there are about a billion specimens of this type curated by more than 1500 US collections. The portion of iDigBio based at FSU is iDigBio’s Digitization, Workforce Development, and Citizen Science Domain. iDigBio began in 2011 and has just received a new five-year grant from the US National Science Foundation (https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2027654&HistoricalAwards=false) with this position budgeted for all five years.
Job announcement with iDigBio at Florida State University: Workforce Development Manager
The Workforce Development Manager will collaborate with others in the domain and across iDigBio in the development and delivery of iDigBio’s professional development offerings for the biodiversity collections community. These offerings will often be in the form of short courses in iDigBio’s new Digitization Academy. The Digitization Academy began in 2021 and has offered an inaugural Introduction to Biodiversity Specimen Digitization course, with a new course, Public Participation in Digitization of Biodiversity Collections, planned for December. The topics of new courses will be determined by community needs, but they are expected to include such things as advanced courses in digital imaging, georeferencing, 3D modeling, and data management. The Workforce Development Manager should bring experience with the digitization of biodiversity (or similar) collections and teaching. (Similar collections could include, for example, cultural heritage collections.) However, the successful Workforce Development Manager applicant need not start with an advanced knowledge of all potential course topics. The Workforce Development Manager will participate in the development of digitization protocols, best practices, and standards where there are needs to do so in support of biodiversity collections digitization. The position is a great opportunity to play a central role advancing the important work of the biodiversity collections community.
The position is currently classified as based in Tallahassee, Florida, though it is possible that it could be converted to a remote position to accommodate the constraints of a very strong applicant. Tallahassee is the state capital and located adjacent to one of North America’s biodiversity hotspots, which is protected in an extensive patchwork of natural areas, such as the Apalachicola National Forest, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Wakulla Springs State Park, and many others. The area has abundant outdoor opportunities, including paddling the springs and rivers, hiking and biking the many miles of trails, swimming and snorkeling on the coast, fishing, and more.
The starting annual salary is expected to be somewhere from the high $50,000's to mid $60,000's, depending on training and prior experience. Tallahassee’s cost of living is below the national average, and the city is home to a number of strong public schools. FSU was recognized as one of Insight into Diversity’s fourteen “Diversity Champions” that celebrate and encourage diversity and inclusion across campus.
To learn more and apply visit https://bit.ly/3bww7Ti.
To apply, you will be asked to provide your CV, a cover letter in which you cite how your past experiences prepare you to successfully accomplish the responsibilities of the position, and a brief (up to 1 page) statement of how you will seek to advance workforce development for the biodiversity collections community. We will be happy to answer questions that you might have—just email us at amast@fsu.edu or ekrimmel@fsu.edu.
Applications are due by November 21, 2021.
