Project Processing Archivist

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty, and staff. As a world‑leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California’s diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity‑focused community that views education as a matter of social justice.

One of the nation’s leading university museums, the University of California’s Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) is a forum for cultural experiences that transform individuals and advance the local, national, and global discourse on art and film.

The Project Processing Archivist supports an 18‑month project focused on the arrangement, description, preservation, and activation of the Eli Leon Papers for the African American Quilt Collection s position manages a nationally significant collection of papers, photographic materials, born‑digital records, and audio‑visual materials documenting Black quilt‑making in California. The Project Processing Archivist assesses, inventories, and establishes robust metadata and descriptive finding aids to enable scholarly research and community engagement.

The role also manages relationships with external vendors for digitization and assists in planning exhibitions supported by the Getty Black Visual Artists Archives grant.

The first review date for this job is June 29, 2026. For full consideration, please apply by this date.

• Archival processing of artist files – correspondence, research notes, annotated books and exhibition catalogues, collecting ledgers, slides and photographic documentation, audio recordings and interviews (in cassette, CD, and electronic formats), born‑digital materials (including emails and floppy disks), and personal effects that illuminate Leon’s methodology and networks
• Applying tools used in the museum and archival communities (e.g., Archives Space, OCLC, OAC, Collection Space, File Maker) and publishing an online Finding Aid
• Contributing to project management – including management of project documentation, and contributing to problem‑solving and analysis
• Consulting and collaborating with staff at BAMPFA to ensure appropriate processing, rehousing, storage, and digitization of varying formats
• Working with the Senior Grants Officer and the Finance team on grant reporting requirements

• Formal coursework or training in archival management and theory
• Knowledge of and/or experience applying efficient archival processing guidelines and procedures
• Knowledge of and/or experience with processing born‑digital archival collections
• Knowledge of and/or experience with metadata standards such as MARC, EAD, and DACS
• Knowledge of and/or experience with Archives Space, OCLC, OAC, Collection Space, File Maker, TMS, Alma, or other collection information management systems, or the ability to learn comparable systems
• Knowledge of and/or experience with project management
• Demonstrated analytical, documentation, and communication skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, exercise initiative and judgment

Graduation from college with a specialization related to the discipline involved and four years of experience in curatorial work, including one year in a supervisory capacity; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• One year of experience processing archival materials, or an equivalent combination of experience and training
• Master’s degree from an American Library Association accredited institution program or an equivalent international degree

This position is eligible for full UC benefits. For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California’s Compensation & Benefits website.

This position is an…