Reference Archivist

About UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

At UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, our vision is to lead the most vibrant Jewish community in North America - a community characterized by its diversity, unity, compassion, generosity and commitment to Jewish values. Together with our philanthropic, volunteer and professional leadership, we’re changing lives.

As one of North America’s leading Jewish non-profits, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto works to preserve and strengthen the quality of Jewish life in Greater Toronto, Canada, Israel and around the world. UJA advances this mission through fundraising, programs, and research focused on our strategic pillars: fighting poverty and improving well-being, growing Jewish education and identity, countering antisemitism and hate, and strengthening connections with Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.

About the Opportunity

The Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre (OJA), seeks a skilled, enthusiastic and motivated Reference Archivist to serve our active network of donors, researchers, and supporters.

The successful candidate will be responsible for archival services that support and expand the OJA’s engagement with the public and facilitates access to the OJA’s archival collections. These services include providing direct reference assistance to a wide range of remote and in-person researchers and users, supporting storytelling and oral history initiatives, managing record donation inquiries, developing research aids and guides for users, and programming the use of the OJA’s research room and storytelling lab. This role also involves assisting with other outreach activities as needed.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Reference Responsibilities

• Responds to and provides reference services to a range of publics including: academics, genealogists, cultural producers, educators, community organizations, the general public, and internal UJA staff
• Develops audience-appropriate research guides and tools for accessing the OJA’s collection, both in-person and online
• Applies applicable privacy and access procedures according to legislation and OJA policies
• Completes reproduction requests and all legal contracts for use and publication
• Performs basic preservation actions as required
• Digitizes as required and ingests collections into OJA’s digital repository
• Monitors use of reference room and storytelling lab (to open in late 2027)

Outreach Responsibilities

• Develops programming opportunities for OJA’s storytelling lab
• Curates storytelling submissions received through the OJA’s website
• Contributes content to OJA’s newsletters, UJA’s communications channels, and OJA’s social media platforms.
• Works closely with archivists to profile and highlight new acquisitions and researcher profiles across OJA platforms
• Develops and leads community archival literacy workshops

Other responsibilities

• Supports the OJA team with additional outreach and archival work as needed, including physical control and collection management responsibilities, curatorial research and design, speaking engagements, and walking tour administration.

Qualifications:

• Master of Information with a focus on Archives and Records Management or equivalent
• 3-5-years of experience working in an archival institution with a focus on reference services and outreach.
• Demonstrated expertise in archival principles and practices, including appraisal, arrangement, description, and digital preservation.
• Proven experience delivering reference services and supporting diverse users with their information needs.
• Familiarity with conservation and preservation techniques, as well as the proper handling of a wide range of archival materials.
• Working proficiency in the application of the Rules for Archival Description (RAD).
• Thorough understanding of Canadian copyright, privacy, and access-to-information legislation.
• Knowledge of current oral history standards, methodologies, and best practices.
• Ability to conduct scholarly historical research and communicate findings effectively to diverse audiences.
• Proficiency in using social media platforms and digital engagement tools.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Familiarity with archival and digital preservation systems, including InMagic and Preservica, is considered an asset.
• Insight into the history and development of Jewish communities in Canada, particularly the Ontario Jewish community, is considered an asset.
• Understanding of Canadian history is considered an asset.
• Proficiency in other language such as Hebrew, Yiddish or Russian are considered an asset

*This is a full-time position. Salary Range: $72,000 - $82,000 annually, based on experience. The successful candidate will work on-site Monday through Thursday, with the option to work remotely on Friday. In addition to a rich time off policy, UJA’s offices are closed on all Jewish holy days (yom tov) and we support early office closures to observe the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat).

Qualified applicants are invited to submit a cover letter and resume. 
Only those applicants invited for interview will be contacted. Please be advised that all offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of professional references and background checks including Social Media Account(s) and a Police Records Check/Vulnerable Sector Screening.  

Commitment to Inclusion and Accessibility:

UJA Federation supports a diverse candidate and employment experience. We are proud of our dynamic professional team, which reflects the diversity of the Jewish community and general community alike in Greater Toronto. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all communities. We encourage you to follow us to get regular updates on open roles. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace and believe this is essential to ensure that every member of our team can thrive.

We adhere to barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work with you to meet your needs.