Program Director, Academic Preservation Trust
The Academic Preservation Trust (APTrust) [www.aptrust.org] is an innovative consortium
committed to creation and management of a sustainable environment for digital preservation and
aggregate repository services for academic and research content. Community collaboration is
central to APTrust’s operating philosophy. The Program Director will work closely with the APTrust
Advisory Group to lead its evolving, ambitious vision, and to grow the existing project into a trusted
preservation solution. The Director will be responsible for building APTrust into a self-supporting,
full-service entity by developing partner relationships and leveraging participation of APTrust
members.
APTrust currently has 12 academic research partner libraries from across the country. The
University of Virginia Library is leading the incubation of APTrust’s services: 1) a repository for longterm preservation of content; 2) a replicating node for the Digital Preservation Network (DPN); and
3) future services that may include disaster recovery, format migration, or hosted repositories.
APTrust will leverage the resources of the existing preservation community to promote
collaborative solutions and best practices in digital preservation.
Primary Responsibilities
Provide strategic vision
 Articulate a “big picture” vision for APTrust, conveying its value and impact to the scholarly
community and beyond.
 Work closely with the APTrust community on near-term and long-term strategic goals.
 Identify steps to achieve goals on a predictable timeline, and communicate progress with the
wider community on a regular basis.
 Measure and evaluate outcomes.
 Develop and gain support for a business model that will sustain the project following the
start-up period.
Lead successful operations
 Build a dynamic and effective core team, augmented by contributors from consulting
agencies and/or member institutions.
 Manage projects and staff to ensure timely implementation of products and services.
 Plan and manage budgets, fund raising, and business operations.
 Determine outreach needs to local institutions and ensure appropriate assistance for
ingesting and managing content stored in APTrust.
 Provide regular status and financial reports to the advisory group and the broader
membership.
Coordinate outreach and communication
 Actively promote APTrust, DPN, and the wider cause of digital preservation to the scholarly
community and other key stakeholders.
1


Develop effective communication mechanisms for continued engagement with member
institutions and enrolling new members from the greater community.
Seek out and engage in collaborations that will leverage resources and expertise for the
advancement of digital preservation.
Skills and Competencies


Required
o A Masters degree with at least 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience in
higher education and / or business.
o Excellent project management skills and demonstrated success with managing teams
working in disparate locations.
o Entrepreneurial skills, especially the ability to successfully promote innovative
concepts and enroll stakeholders in new solutions.
o Strong ability to think and act strategically, and demonstrated success at bringing
concepts to realization.
Preferred
o Experience with digital preservation issues and solutions and working with libraries
and/or IT organizations.
o Analytical skills in crafting successful funding and business models for innovative
projects.
o Able to communicate effectively both in person and virtually using a variety of
technologies.
To apply: Search Posting #000000000 at https://jobs.virginia.edu. Submit a cover letter stating your
interest in the position, a CV, and references. The University of Virginia is an Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
2