Institutional Repository Specialist.3.03 at University of the Witwatersrand

Qualifications and Required Skills:

• B.Bibl, BInf degree or Bachelor’s degree plus Postgraduate Diploma in LIS and/or Honours in LIS (Library and Information Science), with 5 years’ experience working as an Institutional Repository Administrator or Research Data Librarian/Specialist/Curator in an academic or research library 

OR

• Master’s degree in library and information science (LIS), with 3 years’ experience working as an Institutional Repository Administrator or Research Data Librarian/Specialist/Curator in an academic or research library 
• The person in this post reports to the Manager: Research Visibility & Open Scholarship  

Expert knowledge:

• Advanced knowledge of the application of open access, digital repositories, research platforms, interoperability, bibliometrics, Altmetrics, open researcher tools, and other trends applied to facilitating open research/open science and scholarly communication
• Ability to demonstrate sound judgment and knowledge of referral pathways when reviewing and interpreting permissions to ensure copyright-related issues are appropriately handled.
• Excellent interpersonal skills 
• Demonstrated knowledge of recent developments in scholarly communication and associated platforms.
• Demonstrated experience working with copyright and licenses in relation to publishers and publishing.
• Demonstrated experience working with research funder mandates and open-access publishing.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Creative Commons licenses and appropriate attribution of licensed material.
• Experience developing and delivering presentations and training to a range of audiences including library staff.
• Demonstrated ability to construct bibliographic and other metadata records with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Proficiency in information technology, including word processing, spreadsheets, and file management.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in searching Library Catalogues and databases, including Sherpa Romeo. Significant experience in high-level reporting, strategic planning, project management, and stakeholder relationship management.
• Demonstrated knowledge of funder data-sharing policies and their relevance to the University’s research portfolio. 
• Experience of the higher education environment, and a strong understanding of the research environment.
• Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of research data management, digital curation, and requirements and issues related to the life cycle of research data.
• Knowledge of FAIR principles and Data Protection requirements and how they relate to the management of research data
• Proven knowledge of Data Management Plan requirements and experience in applying this to the provision of researcher support
• Significant practical experience in engaging proactively with postgraduate students, postdoctoral associates, academic staff, and researchers.
• Demonstrated experience of planning and delivering effective data informatics skills instruction, advice, and guidance to a range of stakeholders
• A proven ability to manage projects.

Recommendation:

• It is highly recommended that interested candidates be registered members of the professional body: Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA)

Responsibilities:

• Maintain and develop the University’s research publications research repository service
• Assist in developing practice and policy to meet the requirements of funders and WITS’ open access policies.
• Co-ordinate activities required to implement open repository strategies 
• Implement, document, and maintain effective quality control standards to ensure repository content is accurate and reliable
• Provide input to strategies and associated implementation plans that will ensure that the research outputs service meets the WITS research visibility and impact strategy 
• Contribute to the Research Visibility and Open Scholarship team’s provision of support and training in repository use 
• Raise awareness of open access repository among library staff, research staff, and stakeholders
• Promote advocacy and training support by managing the submission master’s and doctoral theses/dissertations into the repository and ensure postgraduate students understand and can fully meet their ETD and research data responsibilities
• Embed open repository management to the research cycle 
• Provide expert advice to researchers on matters of repository permissions, publishers’ policies, and the processing of material for the repository
• Maintain an understanding of developments in repositories and assist in the development of innovative solutions, processes and workflows.