Archives Operations Manager/Processing Archivist

Job Description

Job Description

Echo Services Inc. is seeking an experienced, hands-on Archives Operations Manager to oversee the daily delivery of archival services for a large corporate collection. Based onsite at a major software company in Redmond, Washington, this role works closely with the client’s archives business owner and manages a small archives team. This position contributes directly to the work by processing, arranging, and researching physical and digital collections; preparing materials for cataloging; resolving complex collection and operational issues; and supporting the stewardship of more than 130,000 physical items. In partnership with the Corporate Archivist, this position combines archives operations, people leadership, digital asset management, AI-enabled workflows, client and contract management, and practical technology support.

Archival Processing & Collections Management

• Process, arrange, and research physical and digital collection materials in accordance with the established archival standards, procedures, and priorities.
• Assess collection context, provenance, and relationships to existing holdings to support accurate description, discovery, and access.
• Develop processing approaches, resolve complex collection questions, and provide clear guidance to catalogers and archives staff.
• Resolve collection-related issues independently where appropriate, consulting with the Corporate Archivist as needed.
• Retrieve, handle, pack/unpack, move, organize, and rehouse physical materials using appropriate archival practices.
• Support stewardship of the 130,000+ item physical collection, perform annual storage vault inventory and provide collection-state reporting.
• Maintain preservation of collection materials through appropriate handling, housing, storage, condition assessment, and identification of items requiring stabilization or specialized conservation care.
• Monitor and assess space, environmental conditions, facilities, security, and collection risks, coordinating with appropriate partners to mitigate issues and support preservation objectives.

People Leadership

• Directly and indirectly manage archives staff; establish priorities, workloads and coverage.
• Lead, coach, and develop employees through clear expectations, constructive feedback, performance management, and ongoing professional development.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and accountable team environment through effective communication, empathy, and sound decision-making.

Digital Asset Management & Digital Collections

• Perform day-to-day collections processing and manage archival work within the DAM, including asset retrieval, organization, metadata management, workflow support, testing, troubleshooting, and process improvement.
• Articulate archival and operational requirements, requests and business needs to the corporate Archivist, developers, and technical partners to support effective DAM and archives operations.
• Resolve day-to-day collection, operational, DAM, and customer service issues independently when appropriate, applying sound professional judgment and established procedures.

AI, IT & Technology

• Apply approved AI tools appropriately for research, documentation, presentations, data analysis, workflow development and process improvement.
• Use sound judgment with sensitive information and AI.
• Stay current with emerging archival, DAM, AI, and technology practices, and encourage ongoing learning and professional growth across the archives team.
• Independently set up, configure, maintain and troubleshoot varied hardware and computer systems; learn unfamiliar systems quickly.

Client, Contract & Service Level Agreement (SLA) Management

• Manage contracted services, SLA evidence, operational statistics and monthly/quarterly business reviews.
• Explain performance, problems, risks and solutions to the customer.
• Recognize legal, compliance, confidentiality, privacy, security, contractual and corporate-risk concerns and escalate appropriately to the corporate Archivist or Echo Services leadership.
• Collaborate with corporate Archivist to assess emerging requests and determine appropriate priorities, resources, and next steps.
• Provide operational and subject-matter input into the annual managed service agreement/SOW process alongside Echo Services leadership.
• Help ensure services, deliverables, staffing, operational considerations, SLAs and evolving customer needs are accurately reflected in scope.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:  

• 5 years of relevant archives, library, collections, museum, information-management or related experience.
• Meaningful hands-on experience processing and handling collections.
• Strong research, investigation, organization, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Direct people-management experience, preferably managing at least three employees.
• DAM or comparable digital collections/content platform experience.
• Applied AI experience or demonstrated ability and willingness to become AI fluent.
• Strong client-facing communication and sound judgment concerning authority, scope, confidentiality, risk and escalation.
• Strong technical self-sufficiency and ability to learn unfamiliar systems.
• Ability to push/pull carts; climb platform ladders and move up to 30lbs

Benefits  

• Employee medical insurance split at 80% employer: 20% employee

• Employer paid employee dental, vision, and long-term disability

• 105 annual hours of accruing PTO to start

• 10 paid holidays corresponding to client's holidays  

• 2 Elective days off annually chosen by employee

• Monthly stipend for use of personal device (device to be used for 2FA). All other equipment provided by Echo Services and client

• 401(k) program enrollment with up to 4% employer matching funds after one year of employment and 1000 hours