Digital Asset Acquisition Specialist, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Business Title

HarvardX Digital Asset Acquisition Specialist

School/Unit

University Administration

Auto req ID

42984BR

Duties & Responsibilities

Reporting to the Operations Manager — with dotted line to the Production Manager– the Digital Asset Acquisition Specialist (DAAS) works with the HarvardX media and instructional development teams to find suitable images for use in HarvardX course materials. The DAAS works with Project Leads and Video Editors to identify content needs, meets high-volume content goals, and liaises with editorial and production staff. In addition to doing hands-on image research, s/he will develop training materials and work with Project Leads to ensure part-time students and temporary staff are efficiently and effectively conducting image research.
 
In collaboration with the Post-Production Supervisor, Copyright Manager, Media Coordinator and Sr. Technology Manager, the DAAS is expected to contribute and adhere to HarvardX policies on tracking and archiving standards for visual media as defined by HarvardX senior management. The DAAS is a creative problem solver who prioritizes and frames constructive options and team approaches to resolve conflicts, works within operating constraints, and identifies opportunities for improving workflow.
 
The successful HarvardX DAAS combines a solid understanding of digital media management with the communication skills necessary to work among matrixed teams. Highly collaborative, the DAAS is able to balance the competing demands of dozens of concurrent projects in production, with up-to-date, accurate capacity reports.

Specific Duties

Identifies, researches, and acquires visual media content that meets the conceptual, editorial, instructional, design, production, and copyright requirements and production standards of HarvardX.

Understands media assets and resources at Harvard University and makes recommendations for use to the course and production teams, as appropriate.

Creates complete, accurate photo and media specification guidelines for project-specific needs, and reviews media specifications for clear communication to course teams. Trains part-time staff as needed.

Builds and maintains expert knowledge of HarvardX media, including archived, ongoing, and planned projects.

Builds and maintains relationships with image sources, including stock houses, photographers, museums, libraries, galleries, artists, agents, etc.

Utilizes databases to effectively track all image and media selections, and provide accurate metadata hand-offs to course leads and copyright team.

Balances quality and resource requirements throughout image and media selection.

Provides guidance on the implementation of media research workflows and process requirements.

Suggests systems and processes for streamlining digital asset management and rights pre-clearance workflows as requested.

Manages time effectively to meet all deadlines.

Develops and maintains metrics on level of effort required to find, create and deliver HarvardX media content.

Maintains project documentation and contributes regular status reports for the HarvardX media production and instructional development teams.

Makes concerted effort to understand and support Metadata conventions at Harvard, and embrace and enforce file-naming and metadata-recording conventions.

Participates as appropriate in production, status, and team meetings.

Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree

Demonstrated experience in image research associated with educational and/or media materials, including proven proficiency in web-based image search.

Additional Qualifications

Ability to manage spreadsheets to track information with high attention to details and accuracy.

Strong media coordination and/or production experience.

Strong ability to work consistently and constructively in a fast‐paced, highly matrixed environment.

Strong interpersonal and verbal/written communication skills.

Familiarity with photographic editing skills.

Ability to problem-solve, set priorities, juggle competing demands, and communicate effectively.

Excellent organization, time management, and verbal and written communication skills.

Basic understanding of higher education pedagogical contexts and priorities.

Expertise in coordinating between creative and editorial teams.

Expert knowledge of standard and niche sources for image and media content, including for-fee, public domain, Creative Commons.

Basic understanding of copyright law and fair use.

Awareness or experience with Accessibility Standards WCAG 2.0.

Strong project management experience.

Additional Information

HarvardX is a highly interconnected environment, and its team members blend expertise in academic disciplines, teaching, pedagogy, multimedia production, educational research, project management, software development, data analysis, and instructional technology. All HarvardX hires are made within the context of the larger team setting, to ensure a balance of expertise and leadership across all these domains.
 

About HarvardX
 

HarvardX was established by the University in 2012 to develop and deliver MOOCs [Massively Open On-line Courses] to a world-wide audience. A faculty-driven and university-wide endeavor, HarvardX aims to be collaborative and representational of Harvard’s academic diversity, showcasing the highest quality offerings of the University to serious learners everywhere. The HarvardX team supports MOOCs and online learning more generally, in line with HarvardX’s overarching strategic goals to expand access to high-quality education worldwide, improve teaching and learning on campus, and advance the understanding of how students learn. Read more at http://harvardx.harvard.edu/who-we-are
 

Job Function

Communications

Sub-Unit

Interfaculty Initiatives

Location

USA – MA – Cambridge

Department

HarvardX