Research Data Curator

Job Advert Summary:
The eResearch Knowledge Centre (eRKC) within the HSRC employs a group of practitioners and specialists in the areas of information services, geospatial analytics, and digital curation who provide knowledge services to enhance the HSRC’s research capability.

The eRKC is looking to appoint a suitably qualified professional to take on the responsibilities of a Research Data Curator. The main responsibilities of this position are to, as part of the Digital Curation team, facilitate best practice Research Data Management, curate (preserve and share) Social Science research data, and promote the use thereof.

The vision of the eRKC is to enhance the HSRC’s research capability through innovative information services, geospatial solutions, and digital curation. The mission of the eRKC is to be an informed research enabler that provides innovative knowledge services and access to resources that meet the needs of the HSRC’s research community and its stakeholders. This is achieved by

• managing various resource collections and support the use thereof,
• supporting digital scholarship and providing support for organisation wide processes and requirements,
• supporting geospatial analytics in the HSRC, and
• raising awareness about best practices and building capacity in the HSRC.

Research Data Curator

Permanent Position

Office Base: Pretoria

REF: eRKC RDC002

Minimum Requirements:

• Degree / or equivalent qualification in the social or information sciences or a data intensive discipline;
• At least 5 years’ experience in a quantitative data management context.
• Working knowledge of statistical software, such as SPSS, Stata and SAS, including data processing using syntax and high proficiency in MS Office.
• Knowledge of research methodology and research data (quantitative and / or qualitative) in the Social Sciences;
• Knowledge of metadata and archiving practices;
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to search for and implement innovative solutions;
• Good interpersonal skills and a strong service orientation which will contribute to cooperative and effective interaction with colleagues;
• Good planning, organising, and presentation skills;
• Proficiency in speaking and writing English.
• Willingness to work under pressure, according to plan to meet deadlines.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The following are the key responsibilities for the Research Data Curator position:

• Curate deposited data and related documentation by
• validating and checking deposited data and documentation.
• reviewing and completing structured metadata and compiling user guides to describe datasets and facilitate re-use.
• preparing preservation and dissemination files.
• Manage the use of curated data by
• managing requests and enquiries.
• promoting the use of curated data sets.
• training users to access curated data.
• Train and assist staff in research units to
• manage research data according to best practices that support the preservation and dissemination of data.
• facilitate the curation process, raise awareness about data management policies of funders, and assist researchers to comply with these, advise on the development of data management plans, and assist researchers to find relevant existing data sets.
• review data preservation and sharing plans.