CURATION OFFICER (CONTRACT)

ABOUT DRAC The Digital Research Alliance of Canada (DRAC) serves Canadian researchers, with the objective of advancing Canada’s position as a leader in the knowledge economy on the international stage. By integrating, championing and funding the infrastructure and activities required for advanced research computing (ARC), research data management (RDM) and research software (RS), we provide the platform for the research community to access tools and services faster than ever before.

We have an ambitious mandate – to transform how research across all academic disciplines is organized, managed, stored and used. We work with other ecosystem partners and stakeholders across the country to help provide Canadian researchers with the support they need for leading-edge research excellence, research, innovation and advancement across all disciplines.

POSITION SUMMARY The Curation Officer will work as part of the data curation team, which provides ongoing curation support for new dataset submissions to the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR), a general-purpose repository for Canadian research data in a wide range of disciplines. The successful candidate will have a strong commitment to user services and support, as well as the flexibility and persistence necessary to work with new file types, new technologies and installing/using recent software as needed to successfully complete tasks. The individual in this position will serve as an advocate for effective data management and will be comfortable providing guidance to researchers while promoting current recommended practices.

In addition to supporting national data curation services associated with FRDR, this position contributes to a developing Active Data Management Service (ADMS), providing guidance and hands-on support to researchers throughout the active phase of the research data lifecycle.

The Curation

Officer works with researchers, institutional partners, and other national service teams to improve data quality, documentation, metadata, and stewardship practices, helping ensure research data are well-managed, reusable, and prepared for sharing, publication, and preservation.

As a member of the data curation team, the Curation Officer will report to the Curation Services Lead. This is a contract position with a term until March 31, 2028.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Active Data Management Consulting and Researcher Support

- Support researchers in organizing, documenting, and managing research data within the Active Data Management Service (ADMS), ensuring datasets are well-described, understandable, and prepared for collaboration, sharing, publication, and preservation workflows.
- Provide guidance and practical support to researchers, institutional partners, and data stewards in the use of the ADMS, including dataset onboarding, metadata creation, documentation practices, and preparation of data for publication and preservation workflows.
- Conduct consultations and need assessments with researchers to understand data management requirements, provide practical guidance on recommended practices, and help researchers address data organization, documentation, stewardship,



and sharing needs throughout the active research data lifecycle.

Data Curation and Quality Assurance

- Review and enhance metadata, documentation, file organization, and associated research outputs; perform data quality checks and apply established curation standards, procedures, and workflows to improve the usability, discoverability, and reusability of research data.
- Document curation actions, monitor workflow outputs, identify exceptions or issues, and escalate complex technical, governance, privacy, Indigenous data sovereignty, or stewardship matters to senior staff and subject matter experts as appropriate.
- As a member of the data curation team, curate datasets and accompanying documentation, metadata, and code to add value and ensure new deposits in FRDR are well-documented and independently understandable to the greatest extent possible.

Service Development and Workflow Improvement

- Contribute to the development, testing, and continuous improvement of ADMS workflows, procedures, user documentation, training resources, and support materials to enhance the researcher experience and service effectiveness.
- Identify opportunities to improve curation and active data management workflows, tools, and practices, including through the adoption of appropriate technologies and approaches for working with diverse research data types and file formats.
- Contribute to the development and refinement of service guidance, templates, and other resources that support consistent and effective research data management and curation practices.

FRDR Services and Stakeholder Engagement

- Provide ongoing support to FRDR depositors and end users, and work with the larger FRDR team to develop effective services and resources to meet researcher needs.
- Work collaboratively with researchers, institutional partners, data stewards, and other national service teams to identify researcher needs, resolve issues, and improve data curation and research data management services.
- Communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders and escalate complex technical, governance, privacy, Indigenous data sovereignty, or stewardship matters to senior staff and subject matter experts as appropriate.

Training, Knowledge Sharing, and Community Engagement

- Work with other members of the Research Data Management team and the broader RDM community to design, coordinate and deliver open and engaging activities, such as webinars, training, community calls, or workshops in areas related to data curation, active data management and disciplinary data topics, to help foster a curation community of practice and grow curation capacity in Canada.
- Develop and contribute to training materials, guidance, presentations, and other knowledge resources, and share knowledge and emerging practices with colleagues, institutional partners,



and the broader RDM community to support effective data management and curation practices and build curation capacity across Canada.

REQUIREMENTS

- Experience with and understanding of research and data life cycles and a working knowledge of data management best practices.
- Aptitude for complex, analytical work with attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and competing deadlines.
- Highly developed oral and written skills, particularly the ability to explain complex concepts to a wide variety of users, one-on-one, in small groups, and in larger teaching contexts.
- Excellent organizational, time management, collaborative, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to interact with co-workers, project participants, staff of other organizations and government with courtesy, discretion and tact.
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing in French and English.
- Ability to learn and apply new technologies, software, file formats, and data management tools as required to support research data curation and active data management activities.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and collaborate effectively within a distributed and multidisciplinary team environment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Masters-level degree in information management, library and information studies, computer science or related field; or advanced degree in a subject discipline with a research data emphasis; or strong applied research experience (research manager, research associate, data manager); or equivalent.
- Demonstrated experience working with researchers to curate research data, preferably in a range of disciplines.
- Professional experience in an academic, special, or research library, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Competency in a particular field or domain.
- Experience providing research data management, data curation, metadata, or research data support services, including experience working with research data repositories, metadata standards, data documentation practices, research data management tools and platforms, and diverse research data types, file formats, or disciplinary data practices.
- Experience developing and delivering training, workshops, webinars, documentation, or other researcher-facing support resources, and familiarity with open science, FAIR data, data stewardship, or responsible data management principles is considered an asset.

DRAC is strongly committed to equity and inclusion within the community and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including women, members of racialized groups, people of colour, persons with disabilities, and Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ identified people.

The expected salary range for this position for candidates residing in Canada is between $70,550 CAD - $95,450 CAD. Placement within this range will be determined based on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, experience, demonstrated performance, and overall alignment with the requirements of the role. The range reflects DRAC’s commitment to equitable pay practices and to ensuring fair compensation for all employees.

Please apply here: Careers at DRAC!

📌 Curation Officer (Canada)
🏢 Digital Research Alliance of Canada | Alliance de recherche numérique du Canada
📍 Canada