Research Data Curation Specialist

Flexible work location hours with a minimum of 3 in-office days per week and additional in-office days as work duties require.

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities. Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.

One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks that include numerous retail and restaurant discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates for performing arts events.

The Research Data Management Core ( RDMC) is a campus unit that was established by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research ( OVCR) in response to scientific data management and sharing policies issued by federal funding agencies and other critical stakeholders in the scientific enterprise at UNC. These policies demand development and implementation of a campus-wide research data management strategy that supports compliance with those policies.

Authorized and financially supported by the OVCR, the RDMC has been charged with providing overall direction and oversight of operations and activities that prioritize research data management and sharing leadership, support, and innovation. The Director of the Research Data Management Core provides reporting of operations, finances, and program outcomes to the OVCR for program evaluation and unit accountability.

The Research Data Curation Technician is a temporary position in the Research Data Management Core ( RDMC) unit that performs data curation functions. Reporting to the Assistant Director for Research Data Stewardship, this position refers to standardized protocols to prepare, manage, and archive research data as part of the deployment of RDMC data management and curation services. These activities support a unified, campus-wide ecosystem of research data management and sharing infrastructure and services to ensure compliance with funding agency policies and to promote the goals of those policies.

The Research Data Curation Technician has experience in applying established standards and best practices to data repository ingest processes to ensure that archived data uphold the FAIR principles for findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable data. They have knowledge of data management requirements across the research lifecycle with hands-on experience handling data in various file formats. They also are familiar with trends in research practices, scientific publication, funding agency and institutional policies, and information technology requirements, and how these trends affect the research data management and sharing requirements and preferences of research communities.

The primary purpose of the Research Data Curation Technician position is to: 1) execute data curation workflows in accordance with archival standards and best practices; 2) perform quality checks on data repository records; 3) develop and maintain documentation for data curation procedures; and 4) provide other support for RDMC data stewardship and repository operations.

Bachelor's degree; or equivalent combination of training and experience. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

- Experience executing data curation workflows including dataset package review, metadata creation, file format normalization, and file ingest
- Practical knowledge of data repositories including Dataverse, Zenodo, Figshare, and other data repository platforms
- Understanding of data management and sharing policies and requirements issued by funding agencies, academic journals, and other scientific stakeholders
- Ability to effectively communicate with audiences of various backgrounds and professional levels in both written and oral form

- Course work in library and/or information science, research data management, curation, and/or archiving, or a combination of related education and experience.
- Experience writing and/or evaluating data management and sharing plans
- Proficiency in use of statistical software packages (e.g., Stata, R, SPSS) to inspect data for quality and ethical issues
- Familiarity with trends in research practices, scientific publication, funding agency and institutional policies, and information technology innovations

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (919) 843-2300 or send an email to employment@unc.edu

Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.