Archivist

Badael:

Badael is a rights-based organization founded in 2013 with a mission to foster transformative justice as the basis of a genuine and sustainable peace in Syria. Championing locally owned alternatives, we endeavor to buttress the scope and impact of inclusive grassroots civic action and foment the development of holistic truth and understanding within and around the Syrian context. Our approach combines direct assistance and capacity building efforts with bottom-up narrative-shaping initiatives, including research, oral history and advocacy, so that all Syrians are equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to construct a pluralistic and rights-based society of tomorrow.

Job Summary:

We are in search of an archivist with exceptional organizational skills and a keen eye for details to support the launching of its oral history digital archive. The perfect candidate should possess the ability to analyze and interpret data and information in a thoughtful, critical, and effective manner. The ideal candidate would demonstrate proficiency and consciousness of significant occurrences in Syria especially from the last decade, while also exhibiting a strong enthusiasm for narrative crafting and a willingness to explore alternative approaches to historical interpretation. Since 2018, the Badael team have conducted interviews with over 250 Syrian women from diverse geographical, social, and cultural backgrounds based in Turkey. Interviews have been recorded and majority were transcribed. The archive will be an online platform with audio recordings and/or transcripts of the interviews available to the public, carefully anonymized and in complete respect of the different levels of consent received prior the interviews.

Responsibilities:

• Developing, arranging and describing archival collections in accordance with accepted standards and practices.
• Reviewing and indexing oral history interviews in compliance with stated guidelines and archive strategy.
• Cataloging and Organization: maintain a structured cataloging system for the oral history interviews, including relevant metadata such as interviewee names, dates, locations, keywords, and interview description.
• Preservation and Storage: implement appropriate preservation measures to safeguard the audio recordings, transcriptions, and other associated materials for long-term accessibility.
• Consent and Permissions: ensure that all interviews and related content have proper permissions and consent clarances for public access.
• Online Platform Management: work closely with the technical support to manage the online platform where the interviews and associated materials will be accessible to the public, ensuring its regular maintenance and updates.
• Organizing resources and setting priorities.
• Edit and compose written materials especially in Arabic.
• Maintaining records and prioritizing processing backlog.
• Insuring the consistency of workflow between different departments and team members
• Undertaking various job-related tasks as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in history, social sciences, and/or any other related field. And/or a track record of practical and professional experience in the field.
• Experience in archiving and managing historical records, particularly oral history interviews.
• Native Arabic speaker, and preferably showing knowledge of the Syrian’s different dialects. Fluency in English is a plus.
• Knowledge of archival and preservation concepts, methodologies, and techniques
• Very good knowledge of the Syrian context is a must
• Demonstrated commitment to Badael’s values (respect, diversity, integrity) and teamwork

Duration is 4 months Sep- Dec with possible extension.