Metadata Specialist I

J. Paul Getty Trust, The • Los Angeles, CA

6h • Onsite

About The Position

Getty seeks a forward-thinking Metadata Specialist to join the Getty Research Institute’s (GRI) Digital Stewardship and Metadata Optimization team within Special Collections. This full-time, limited term position (July 2026 until June 2029) will support a major initiative to migrate archival content into a centralized digital asset management system and data management platform. This work will help to consolidate systems and enable advanced technologies such as IIIF and Linked Open Data to enhance discovery and access. The migration will lay the foundation for streamlined operations across the organization, improving consistency, standardizing practices, and opening new opportunities to generate and enrich metadata for archival collections at scale. The Metadata Specialist will play a key role in managing and implementing innovative workflows for digital asset migration in close collaboration with internal teams and Getty technology partners.
Based in Los Angeles, the GRI is committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of the visual arts and their histories. Serving an international community of scholars, the Research Library is one of the world’s largest art and architecture libraries, with holdings exceeding 1.5 million volumes. Our Special Collections encompass rare books and journals, photographs, prints and drawings from the 15th century to the present, architectural plans and models, art multiples, film, audio and video recordings, born-digital content, and extensive archives and manuscript collections.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in appropriate discipline; additional graduate degree in an appropriate discipline and/or MLIS degree from an ALA-accredited library school preferred
• 0-2 years related professional experience
• Requires strong communication skills
• Experience working in the visual arts, library, and/or archives domains highly desirable
• Applicants must have authorization to work for Getty in the United States without the need for sponsorship, currently or in the future.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with digital collections and an understanding of the role metadata plays in enhancing search and discovery within user interfaces
• Ability to design and optimize workflows with an understanding of how changes impact systems, staff, and existing processes
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to meet deadlines, apply policies and procedures consistently, and present recommendations
• Knowledge of current metadata standards used in libraries, archives, and museums, such as EAD, Dublin Core, MARC21, and other emerging standards
• Familiarity with data exchange standards, such as XML and JSON
• Basic understanding of batch data functions using OpenRefine, Python, XSL, APIs, and/or UNIX Command Line
• Experience with, or ability to learn, library and archives-specific databases, software applications, and digital asset management systems, including ArchivesSpace, OpenText Media Management, and ExLibris products (Rosetta, Alma, Primo)
• Familiarity with linked data concepts and technologies
• Tolerance for detail-oriented, high-volume, and, at times, repetitive work
• Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in team-based environments with colleagues across domains
• Adaptability and effectiveness in dynamic and evolving work environments

Responsibilities

• Manage the migration of digital assets from the digital preservation repository into the digital asset management system, data management platform, and collections viewer
• Apply professional judgment, standards, best practices, research, and analysis to create complex new metadata and/or to edit, aggregate, enhance, transform, and disseminate existing metadata
• Analyze archival description source metadata to identify opportunities for reconciliation, normalization, and enrichment that improve discoverability and interoperability
• Maintain quality control processes to evaluate the accuracy, consistency, and completeness of migrated assets and metadata
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to migration workflows and legacy metadata
• Utilize project management and tracking tools to monitor progress and keep the project on schedule
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the GRI and Getty Digital by participating in working groups and/or project teams
• Support metadata remediation and enrichment projects that strengthen and expand the GRI’s linked data infrastructure
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of documentation for standards, procedures, and workflows
• Assist in the creation and management of new digital assets and their ingest into systems, as needed
• Participate in additional projects as assigned

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance coverage, starting on date of hire. Getty pays 75%-95% of the premium, depending on the plan selected
• 403(b) Employee Investment retirement plan – with up to 5% Getty Match
• Getty contribution of 6%, on behalf of employee, to 401(a) retirement account
• Educational Assistance and professional development
• Paid Vacation, Sick, and Personal Days
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Many positions have bi-weekly Off-Fridays
• On-Site Fitness Center at Getty Center
• Community service opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees