Alma Platform Manager

Description

LAC Federal is seeking an experienced Alma Platform Manager to provide senior technical support to a federal agency. This highly specialized role combines Ex Libris Alma systems administration, Python-based workflow automation, metadata and data integration, change management, and operational monitoring in support of library systems used for cataloging, metadata management, acquisitions, indexing, and downstream integrations, while Python pipelines support indexing QA/QC, indexing production, and cross-system synchronization. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with agency librarians, technical information specialists, IT personnel, metadata and acquisitions teams, and external vendors to maintain a secure, reliable, well-governed, and continuously improving library systems environment. 

Work Arrangement: This position is primarily remote; however, periodic on-site attendance may be required for mandatory agency meetings, training, or other activities requiring in-person participation. 

Responsibilities

• Administer and maintain Ex Libris Alma, including system components, user roles and permissions, profiles, metadata configurations, normalization rules, integrations, authentication/SSO functionality, audit logs, and related system configurations.
• Monitor and troubleshoot Alma jobs and data workflows, resolving disruptions affecting ingest, indexing, publishing, preservation, and other mission-critical processes.
• Maintain and enhance Python-based data pipelines supporting automated ingestion, transformation, indexing, synchronization, error handling, and secure credential management.
• Execute the complete change-management lifecycle including impact and dependency analysis, sandbox testing, deployment planning, validation, post-deployment verification, documentation, rollback planning/execution, and emergency-change procedures.
• Participate in Agile/Scrum activities, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, user stories, acceptance criteria, story pointing, remediation activities, and retrospectives while ensuring work complies with change-control and governance requirements.
• Maintain operational monitoring and service-management capabilities, including dashboards, job monitoring, least-privilege access, audit-log review, incident management, and secure handling of data and pipeline outputs.
• Support business continuity and release management, including backup/restore readiness, recovery procedures, configuration-drift remediation, failed-import and indexing recovery, freeze periods, and Ex Libris release windows.
• Diagnose and resolve complex cross-system metadata and data-flow issues involving Alma, metadata schemas, upstream ingestion scripts, indexing processes, relational or cloud databases, and downstream preservation synchronization.
• Collaborate with internal teams for data management, IT services, library acquisitions, metadata, systems librarians and external vendords
• Maintain technical and governance documentation, including runbooks, configuration snapshots, Change Request Logs, release notes, workflow documentation, and Confluence-ready artifacts.
• Develop and report operational performance metrics, including job success/failure rates, mean time to repair (MTTR), ingest quality, indexing latency, and incident trends, and support biweekly, quarterly, and annual CCB reporting.
• Support compliance with applicable Federal requirements, including information security, data governance, privacy, accessibility, configuration management, and documentation requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Information Science, Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Library/Information Science, or a related technical field.
• Demonstrated experience administering the Ex Libris Alma Library Services Platform, including:
• Roles and permissions
• Metadata configuration
• Job monitoring
• Troubleshooting
• Demonstrated experience with Python-based workflow automation, including ingestion/transformation scripts and integrations with external systems.
• Experience diagnosing data-flow, indexing, and schema issues in relational or cloud databases.
• Experience participating in Agile/Scrum teams, including planning, standups, retrospectives, and work decomposition.
• Experience applying formal change-control/governance processes, including change-lifecycle documentation and freeze/sandbox requirements.
• Familiarity with library and information metadata standards, including MARC21, Dublin Core, RDA, MODS, and/or comparable schemas.
• Strong understanding of Alma metadata tools, including normalization rules, templates, and mapping tables.
• Ability to diagnose cross-system problems involving metadata, upstream ingestion scripts, indexing behavior, and downstream synchronization.
• Experience with configuration management, version control, security controls, log auditing, credential management, and configuration-drift detection/remediation.
• Experience executing technical change lifecycles involving impact analysis, sandbox testing, validation, rollback, documentation, backup/restore readiness, and recovery procedures.
• Ability to produce clear technical documentation and work collaboratively across organizational teams and external vendors.
• Ability to successfully complete a background investigation and required security/privacy training.
• Ability to work during required Eastern Time coverage hours and travel periodically to Beltsville, Maryland

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressively responsible library systems, library technology, systems integration, or comparable technical experience, with substantial hands-on Alma administration experience.
• Advanced degree such as an MLS/MLIS, MS in Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, or related discipline.
• Experience serving as an Alma Systems Administrator, Alma Platform Manager, Library Systems Engineer, Systems Librarian, or similar role in a large academic, research, national, or federal library environment.
• Advanced Python proficiency, including development, troubleshooting, and maintenance of production ETL/data transformation and API-based integration workflows.
• Experience with Alma APIs, integrations, scheduled jobs, normalization processes, metadata configuration, and authentication/SSO.
• Working knowledge of Git or comparable version-control systems, Confluence, issue-tracking tools, and formal configuration/change-management practices.
• Strong working knowledge of MARC21/RDA and bibliographic, holdings, and item-level metadata, with experience troubleshooting metadata across integrated systems.
• Experience supporting high-availability or mission-critical production systems, including incident response, root-cause analysis, backup/recovery, monitoring, and operational metrics.
• Experience working in a federal government, USDA, research-library, scientific-information, or similarly regulated environment.
• Experience integrating library platforms with digital repositories, preservation systems, indexing/search platforms, cloud databases, or other enterprise information systems.

 Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods, including prolonged use of a keyboard, mouse, and multiple computer applications. 
• Ability to communicate effectively in person and virtually and perform routine office functions requiring visual attention to computer screens, technical documentation, and system data. 
• Ability to travel periodically to Beltsville, Maryland, and navigate a professional office environment as required to attend meetings, provide onsite support, or perform other job-related duties.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long-Term Disability
• Training & Development

EEO Statement

The company and its subsidiaries are an equal opportunity employer and celebrate the population of differences and does not discriminate in its hiring/hiring practices, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Nothing in this job specification restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. 

Critical features of this job are described under various headings above. They may be subject to change at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons. The above statements are strictly intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of employees in this position.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. 

To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. 

Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship.