Ontario Regional Councils Archivist, United Church of Canada, Toronto, ON

Location: Toronto Ontario
Compensation: $67,516.87 to $76,949.73

The United Church of Canada is composed of the General Council Offices (head office) and Regional Council Offices across the country.  These offices provide coordination and integration of the purpose and priorities established by the General Council (the senior elected officers of the Church) and its' Executive.  

The Ontario Regional Councils Archives is the sole authority and repository for the appraisal and permanent retention of archival records of the Ontario regional councils - Antler River Watershed, East Central Ontario, Horseshoe Falls, Shining Waters, and Western Ontario Waterways, and parts of Canadian Shield and Eastern Ontario Outaouais - and pastoral charges that fall within their boundaries. Archival records include all data sources, irrespective of their physical medium, which are created and accumulated by these councils including textual records, bound registers, photographs, maps and plans, film and video materials, sound and audio materials, publications and ephemera, and born-digital records. The Ontario Regional Councils Archives receive an average of 30 linear metres of records every year, in addition to digital documents, photographs and audio-visual material.

Description and Duties    

The Ontario Regional Councils Archivist will provide efficient and effective archival and records management functions for the Ontario regional councils of the United Church. They will acquire, preserve, and make available their records; advise regional councils and communities of faith on archives and records management, maintain liaison on behalf of the Ontario regional councils with the General Council Archives and participate in The United Church of Canada Archives Staff Circle.

The main areas of focus will be:

• Leadership/Management Responsibilities: Provide leadership, oversight and direction to the Community of Faith Archivist, develop work plans, recruit, train and supervise staff, students and volunteers.  Plan the physical and digital storage of archives records, prepare annual budgets and financial reporting, compile and analyze data for statistical reporting and interpret established policies.
• Acquisition, appraisal, arrangement and description: Develop policies on acquisitions, appraisal, and arrangement and description of records and establish workflows for these archival processes; Accession and appraise new acquisitions of regional council records; Process, Arrange and Describe Records.
• Reference: Provide legal and property research and reference services and access to adoption records; Evaluate requests to publish archival holdings from publishers, production companies and other researchers based on copyright, Church policies, etc. and grant permissions according to best practices.
• Records Management: Support records management activities throughout the Ontario regional councils including the implementation and maintenance of records; provide guidance on recordkeeping systems, digitization, and digital recordkeeping and preservation and provide advice and assistance to communities of faith for managing their current records, physical and digital.
• Outreach: Maintain the visibility of the Archives within the Church (including regional councils and communities of faith), ecumenically and the research community by means of presentations, workshops, publications, displays, etc.; and develop content for websites, social media, and other resources to promote the Archives, records and archival management.

Qualifications   

• Master of Archival Studies, Master of Information Studies (or a suitable equivalent)
• Digital Archivist certification, training or suitable experience is preferred; and
• Records Management certification, training or suitable experience is preferred.
• 3-5 years work experience in a recognized archive.
• Working knowledge of the Canadian Rules for Archival Description (RAD); working knowledge of archival principles and practices, including metadata standards (EAD, Dublin Core, METS, MODS, and PREMIS);
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and/or policies that guide retention, access or restriction to records;
• Knowledge of best practices and guidelines for records management and preservation knowledge for a wide variety of formats, including digital records;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office applications, Adobe Photoshop, internet and social media. Knowledge of AccessToMemory archives descriptive software, Archivematica and other digital preservation tools, HTML and XML; Ability to use equipment in the archives (i.e., Microfilm/fiche reader/printers, dataloggers, scanners);
• Research skills, knowledge of current research trends and possible future uses of a variety of informational sources;
• Aptitude for numbers, budgets, financial and reporting skills, including grants;
• Communicate effectively in English, both written and spoken, in person, on the phone and online;
• Familiarity with the ethos, structure, and practices of The United Church of Canada and a working knowledge of the history of The United Church of Canada and its predecessors, particularly in Ontario.
• Alignment with the vision and values of The United Church of Canada - respect, integrity, passion and diversity

Working Conditions:

Works primarily from The United Church of Canada Archives located at 40 Oak Street in Toronto, Ontario under normal office working conditions.  Any regular pattern of working from home is at the discretion of and must be negotiated collaboration with Archives Manager and the supervising Executive Minister.

The United Church of Canada is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants, including those with disabilities.  If you are contacted regarding a job opportunity, please advise us of your accommodation needs at that time.

Compensation

The target hiring range for this position is $67,516.87 to $76,949.73 with the ability to progress to a maximum of $90,022.46. This is based on category 7 on our salary range. Placement on the salary range will be based on factors such as market condition, internal equity, candidate experience skills and qualifications relevant to the role. Pension and group benefit plans coverage and annual vacation round out this compensation package.

How to Apply    

Interested applicants are invited to submit their resume via email, quoting  job number 24-03 to Human Resources
Application Webpage   
Application Deadline: January 30, 2024