Curatorial Assistant II - Picturae Digitization Project

About the Opportunity
As part of the biodiversity science efforts embedded within the Thriving California Initiative, the California Herbarium Specimen Digitization Project will make hundreds of thousands of specimens from the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) herbarium collections available online. The California Herbarium Specimen Digitization project combines the efficiency of high throughput specimen imaging using conveyor belt technology to image California herbarium specimens housed at CAS. Specimen images and associated data records will then be uploaded to a community science platform for further transcription and georeferencing of label data. Afterwards, fully transcribed and georeferenced records will be imported into our CAS collections database and linked to their corresponding images.

Reporting to the Botany Curator, the California Herbarium Specimen Digitization Project Curatorial Assistant II will be primarily responsible for preparing the collection for imaging on conveyor belt equipment, as well as providing prepared specimens to the conveyor team and returning them to the collection room. The Project Curatorial Assistant II will organize the preparation of the collection ahead of imaging while simultaneously providing already prepared specimens to the imaging conveyor team. This work will involve developing and implementing workflows to ensure project-specific specimen organization has been achieved prior to imaging and remains intact as specimens are returned to the collection. In this way, the Project Curatorial Assistant II will multitask collection preparation and imaging at the same time. The Project Curatorial Assistant II will coordinate with the Botany Curator and Collection Manager to ensure all collection preparation goals are met, as well as coordinate with other collection preparators in order to maximize quality control efforts and data flow efficiency.

Organizational Culture:
Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision and values! Currently, the Academy has a new strategic plan including three initiatives – Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 – that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://www.calacademy.org/about-us/major-initiatives.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every one of the qualifications for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. Please do not apply if you are not able to work onsite. Candidates are required to have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination, including receiving a booster shot, as a condition of employment, absent qualifying exemptions in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals receiving a conditional offer of employment from the California Academy of Sciences will be provided the full text of the vaccination policy.

About the Project Team
The California Herbarium Specimen Digitization Project is a brand new, large and exciting project that will greatly advance the relevance and accessibility of the CAS herbarium. In addition, this project is an essential component of the Academy’s ambitious Thriving California initiative, which seeks to harness the wealth of information stored in our Natural History Collections. Digitized specimens resulting from this project will mark a major step forward in democratizing CAS museum collections, providing equitable access to these important specimens for people (botanists, scientists, and the general public) all over the world. Our team is composed of people passionate about plants, herbarium specimens, natural history collections and their importance.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with the Botany Curator and Collection Manager to identify the special needs and requirements for preparing the collection in advance of imaging on the conveyor belt equipment
• Work with the Collection Manager and other Curatorial Assistants to identify the best approach to preparing the collection
• Develop, test, implement and modify (as needed) workflows that will achieve project-specific specimen preparation
• Coordinate with other collection preparators and conveyor staff to efficiently move specimens from the collection room to the conveyor room and back.
• Follow all Academy safety regulations
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications
A qualified person for this position has experience with biological collections (preferably botanical), taxonomy and the basic use/implementation of taxonomy, and is extremely organized and detail oriented. This person is capable of performing repetitive tasks that adhere to strict organizational requirements and should be able to think ahead to identify possible problems and develop solutions in a collaborative and communicative manner.

Experience and/or Education:

• Undergraduate degree required
• Experience with biological collections required (botanical preferred)
• Knowledge of taxonomy and the use/implementation of biological classification
• Experience and/or past participation in large scale projects that require a large amount of detailed preparation

Skills and abilities:

• Excellent organizational and time-management skills
• Ability to execute work independently and with great attention to detail
• Ability to take direction, work as part of a team or collaborate well with team members, and external partners (when applicable) to accomplish mutual goals
• Ability to work efficiently and communicate with staff, cross-functional teams and external partners from different backgrounds and with varying expertise
• Ability to bring new ideas, create inventive solutions and find efficiencies to transform manual or detailed processes

English is the primary language necessary for this job, written and spoken; bilingual (spoken and/or written) in Spanish or other non-English language a plus, but not necessary

Physical Environment: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. While performing the duties of this job, the Project Curatorial Assistant II is required to stand, sit, use a computer, and communicate on the phone, in person, and online meetings/calls. Must be able to perform repetitive motions 30% of the time.

Compensation and Benefits
Hourly hiring range: $30.00-$33.00 per hour. Hourly rate will vary based on experience and relevant skills/knowledge set. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits. 
Schedule: Full-Time, 40 hours per week. Benefits will be determined based on hours per week worked.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Review of applications will begin on January 16th, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Please upload your resume and complete the brief online application

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).

The California Academy of Sciences is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to ensure that all employees and applicants receive equal consideration and treatment, regardless of race, color, creed, gender (including gender identity or gender expression), religion, marital or domestic partner status, age, place of birth, national origin or ancestry, physical, mental or medical disability, height or weight, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship, military service status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law or local ordinance.