Digital Preservation Systems Technician

Digital Preservation Systems Technician

Serpentine Galleries Closing date: Mon, 13 Apr 2026

Artform: Digital media
Role: Technical & Production
Contract: Contract
London

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 "> published -

Job Summary

We are seeking a Digital Preservation Systems Technician to lead the technical implementation of a new digital preservation/digital asset management system and embed sustainable, organisation-wide preservation workflows.

Job Description

Serpentine is embarking on a major digital transformation project to preserve and provide access to its historically significant archive, documenting pioneering contemporary art, architecture and live events since 1970.

This role will support the implementation, configuration and day-to-day operation of Serpentine's new digital preservation solution, ensuring long-term integrity, accessibility and sustainability of archival and organisational digital assets.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the long-term stewardship of a major contemporary art cultural archive from the ground up.

Job Requirements

Essential:

Experience implementing or administering digital preservation or digital asset management systems
Strong understanding of digital preservation principles (OAIS, fixity, checksums, format sustainability)
Experience working with born-digital and digitised collections
Knowledge of metadata standards (e.g. Dublin Core)
Understanding of storage infrastructure (cloud and/or on-premises)

Desirable:

Experience of working within archives or cultural institution collections
Experience with APIs, data migrations, or system integrations

Skills:

Proficient technical literacy, including the ability to read architecture diagrams
Strong project management skills to ensure system implementation and rollout within 12-month period
Methodical, analytical and insightful problem-solving skills to understand technical testing procedures and solutions
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, being able to explain technical concepts to non technical audiences.

Job Responsibilities

System selection & Implementation
Support requirements gathering and technical evaluation of digital preservation and digital asset management systems
Configure, implement, test and administer the selected system
Work with internal IT and external vendors to ensure secure, scalable deployment
Lead user acceptance testing and organisation-wide rollout

Digital Preservation Workflows
Establish workflows aligned with the Open Archival Information System (OAIS)
Manage ingest, including file validation, fixity checking and quality assurance
Oversee storage strategies, including redundancy and access provision
Monitor preservation risks, storage capacity and system performance

Metadata & Interoperability
Implement and maintain metadata standards including descriptive, technical and administrative
Systems Integration & Support
Manage integrations with existing systems and APIs
Governance & Risk Management
Support compliance with digital preservation policies

Job Overview

  • Job Title: Digital Preservation Systems Technician
  • Salary: £30k-£40k
  • Hours: Full time
  • Artform: Digital media
  • Role: Technical & Production
  • Contract: Contract
  • Closing date: Mon, 13 Apr 2026
  • Location:
    London
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Job: Digital Preservation Systems Technician

Job: Digital Preservation Systems Technician

Organisation: Serpentine Galleries

Postcode: W2 3XA

How to Apply

Please apply with your CV and cover letter by the application deadline.

Closing Date: Midnight on Monday, 13 April 2026

Phone screen: Friday, 17 April 2026

Interview: Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Please note, you must have the right to work in the UK for us to consider your application.