Museum Digital Systems Manager

Department
:
Museum Administration and External Affairs

The Museum Digital Systems Manager is responsible for the administration, integration, and ongoing development of the Colby College Museum of Art’s digital collections infrastructure. This role oversees the museum’s collections management system (EmbARK), associated digital assets, and supporting technical systems that enable access to collections across web, interpretive, and external platforms. The position requires development‑level technical expertise combined with a strong understanding of museum collections, metadata standards, and digital asset management.

The Manager collaborates closely with museum staff, Colby College Information Technology Services (ITS), Communications, and external partners to ensure secure, reliable, and scalable digital systems that support teaching, research, and public engagement.

Located in Waterville, Maine, the Colby Museum opens access to art and artists for the Colby community, for Maine residents and visitors, and for audiences beyond, creating a forum for experimentation, research, dialogue, and connection. We grow and use our stellar collection in ways that activate the power of art to expand imagination and forge new connections, fostering a more open, creative, and compassionate society.

We teach to inspire and open possibilities, so that students at Colby and other visitors can become more curious, nimble, and able to contribute within a changing world, in keeping with Colby’s dynamic liberal arts mission. We incubate art scholarship and practice in ways that explore and expand how the idea of America is understood and how art is made, interpreted, and shared.

We do so by supporting new research, providing mentorship, and convening a diversity of people and perspectives. The Lunder Institute for American Art and our exhibitions, programs, and publications facilitate field‑wide impact. We are committed to our audiences, including the Colby College community, residents of Waterville and the broader Maine region, national and international visitors, and the artists, scholars, and partners with whom we collaborate.

To be successful in this position, an individual should be able to perform the essential duties and bring the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities that support the role. Colby College supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. This list of duties is intended to be representative rather than exhaustive, and additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

• Administer and maintain the museum’s EmbARK collections management system, including configuration, data integrity, troubleshooting, and ongoing enhancements.
• Manage digital assets and metadata, ensuring consistent cataloging standards and accurate, up-to-date collections records.
• Collaborate with curatorial and collections management staff—particularly the Registrar for Collections and the Senior Manager of Collections and Registration—to support documentation, reporting, and collections workflows.
• Develop, maintain, and deliver staff training, documentation, and front-line support related to EmbARK and related systems.
• Generate operational and analytical reports using Crystal Reports.
• Implement and monitor security protocols, backup procedures, and data integrity controls.
• Maintain and troubleshoot supporting technical infrastructure, including:
  • Custom IIIF image compression scripts
  • Cloud-hosted image server environments (PaaS)
  • SaaS-hosted Elasticsearch services for public collections search
  • EmbARK Web Kiosk export templates
• Provide front-line EmbARK client support, including installation, maintenance, and issue resolution.

• Partner with Colby Communications, ITS, and external vendors to maintain and enhance integrations between EmbARK and the museum’s website and other digital…