Location: 313 First St, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA
Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not‑for‑profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best‑known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is that the future may learn from the past through preserving and restoring 18th‑century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.
Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301‑acre restored colonial capital with 89 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world‑class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, the Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute, and a renowned research library, the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library.
About the Position
The Digital Asset Specialist is a key member of the Media Collections team supporting the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library. This position is responsible for the organization, stewardship, and accessibility of the Foundation’s digital media assets through the Digital Asset Management (DAM) system. Working closely with the Media Collections Manager and Photographer/Digital Imaging Specialist, the role supports digitization initiatives, metadata standards, and best practices for digital preservation. The Digital Asset Specialist partners with internal and external stakeholders to ensure accurate ingestion, cataloging, and retrieval of digital assets, helping expand access to and long‑term preservation of Colonial Williamsburg’s visual and documentary collections. Responsibilities
Maintain and preserve a wide range of digital media assets within the DAM system, ensuring accurate ingestion, metadata, permissions, and consistent cataloging, keywording, and organization. Monitor asset lifecycles to support ongoing relevance, access, and reuse. Collaborate with the Media Collections team to develop and maintain metadata standards, taxonomy, controlled vocabulary, and overall DAM strategy, including vision, guiding principles, prioritized use cases, and system roadmap. Support internal and external stakeholders in ingesting, tagging, cataloging, and retrieving digital assets within the DAM system. Provide guidance and training to promote efficient, accurate, and consistent system use. Plan and support digitization initiatives under the direction of the Media Collections Manager, following established priorities, standards, workflows, and policies for digital production and delivery. Partner with the Media Collections Photographer/Digital Imaging Specialist to produce high‑quality digital imagery of Colonial Williamsburg objects, including basic image correction and manipulation as needed. Stay current with professional standards and trends in digital asset management, metadata, copyright and fair use, digital imaging, and digital preservation, applying best practices to ensure quality assurance and long‑term stewardship of digital collections. Required Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in history, photography, digital media, library science, or any related field. 1–3 years of experience working with Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems, including metadata entry, cataloging, and/or digital file organization. Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree in history, photography, digital media, library science, or a related field. Digital Asset Management certification. Ability to produce high‑quality photographs of programs and events (desired but not required). Familiarity with digitization standards, file formats, and digital preservation practices. Photography skills are a plus. Demonstrated proficiency in image editing and color correction; online portfolio required to illustrate technical and aesthetic capabilities. Expertise in the use of scanning hardware and software, editing, and color correction. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including good listening skills, understanding another party's needs, and problem‑solving. Outstanding time management skills, good judgment, and ability to manage multiple tasks/priorities. Physical and Environmental Demands
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer (up to 8 hours/shift). Typical Work Schedule
Regular/FT; 40 hrs./week (Monday‑Friday, 9:00 AM‑5:00 PM). Equal Opportunity
Equal Opportunity Employer. This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
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The Digital Asset Specialist is a key member of the Media Collections team supporting the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library. This position is responsible for the organization, stewardship, and accessibility of the Foundation’s digital media assets through the Digital Asset Management (DAM) system. Working closely with the Media Collections Manager and Photographer/Digital Imaging Specialist, the role supports digitization initiatives, metadata standards, and best practices for digital preservation. The Digital Asset Specialist partners with internal and external stakeholders to ensure accurate ingestion, cataloging, and retrieval of digital assets, helping expand access to and long‑term preservation of Colonial Williamsburg’s visual and documentary collections. Responsibilities
Maintain and preserve a wide range of digital media assets within the DAM system, ensuring accurate ingestion, metadata, permissions, and consistent cataloging, keywording, and organization. Monitor asset lifecycles to support ongoing relevance, access, and reuse. Collaborate with the Media Collections team to develop and maintain metadata standards, taxonomy, controlled vocabulary, and overall DAM strategy, including vision, guiding principles, prioritized use cases, and system roadmap. Support internal and external stakeholders in ingesting, tagging, cataloging, and retrieving digital assets within the DAM system. Provide guidance and training to promote efficient, accurate, and consistent system use. Plan and support digitization initiatives under the direction of the Media Collections Manager, following established priorities, standards, workflows, and policies for digital production and delivery. Partner with the Media Collections Photographer/Digital Imaging Specialist to produce high‑quality digital imagery of Colonial Williamsburg objects, including basic image correction and manipulation as needed. Stay current with professional standards and trends in digital asset management, metadata, copyright and fair use, digital imaging, and digital preservation, applying best practices to ensure quality assurance and long‑term stewardship of digital collections. Required Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in history, photography, digital media, library science, or any related field. 1–3 years of experience working with Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems, including metadata entry, cataloging, and/or digital file organization. Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree in history, photography, digital media, library science, or a related field. Digital Asset Management certification. Ability to produce high‑quality photographs of programs and events (desired but not required). Familiarity with digitization standards, file formats, and digital preservation practices. Photography skills are a plus. Demonstrated proficiency in image editing and color correction; online portfolio required to illustrate technical and aesthetic capabilities. Expertise in the use of scanning hardware and software, editing, and color correction. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including good listening skills, understanding another party's needs, and problem‑solving. Outstanding time management skills, good judgment, and ability to manage multiple tasks/priorities. Physical and Environmental Demands
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer (up to 8 hours/shift). Typical Work Schedule
Regular/FT; 40 hrs./week (Monday‑Friday, 9:00 AM‑5:00 PM). Equal Opportunity
Equal Opportunity Employer. This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
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