Call for Applications: TDWG Architect and TDWG Project Manager

[Donald Hobern]

Call for Applications: TDWG Architect and TDWG Project Manager
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Background
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The Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG, http://www.tdwg.org) and 
the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, http://www.gbif.org)
have received funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
(http://www.moore.org) to undertake a review and modernization of the 
TDWG standards development process and to establish new support 
infrastructure and tools for its subgroups.  

This project will take place over a two-and-a-half year period and 
includes funding for the following activities:

- Revising TDWG’s activities to ensure that all data standards are 
  managed according to well-defined best-practice processes
- Establishing web-based collaboration tools to support the work of the 
  TDWG subgroups
- TDWG subgroup meetings to work on standards development 
- Developing software components and writing technical documentation to
  support the use of TDWG data standards
- Developing standards and infrastructure for the use of globally unique
  identifiers in TDWG data standards
- Establishing long-term support and funding for TDWG operations

The grant includes funding for two TDWG staff (an Architect and a 
Project Manager) to coordinate these activities and to manage the 
necessary contracts with software developers and technical authors.  
The TDWG staff will work closely with the TDWG Executive Committee, TDWG
subgroup conveners, and GBIF Secretariat.  The host location will be
determined in part by the availability and suitability of candidates.

TDWG and GBIF are therefore issuing this call for applications for these
roles.  The positions have been designated as Architect and Project 
Manager, but the emphasis will be on identifying candidates who together
will be able to coordinate the listed activities.  

Requirements
------------

Since TDWG’s mission relates to the development of biodiversity data 
standards for use in web-based applications, candidates are expected to 
show understanding of biodiversity informatics and of a wide range of 
the following standards and technologies:

- Familiarity with:
   - Either: TDWG standards (DiGIR/BioCASe/TAPIR data exchange 
     Protocols; Darwin Core; Access to Biological Collection Data 
     [ABCD] schema; Taxon Concept Schema [TCS]; Structured Descriptive 
     Data [SDD] schema)
   - Or: standards development processes in other communities (e.g. 
     IETF, W3C, OMG, (N)ISO, OGC)
- Working knowledge of HTML, website development and management, and 
  Internet-based collaboration technologies (including mailing lists,
  wikis, content management systems, CVS)
- Application of information modelling methodologies (e.g., ERD, 
  IDEF1X, ORM, UML)
- Familiarity with XML (including XML Schema, XPath, XSLT, XQuery)
- Knowledge of Web services (including SOAP, WSDL, UDDI), OGC
  Geography Markup Language (including Web Feature Service), Grid 
  Technologies, and programming languages (e.g., Java, Python, PHP)

Candidates should also be able to demonstrate the following:

- Experience working as part of a team and promoting collaborative
  endeavours. 
- Skills in negotiation and management. 
- Inter-cultural communication skills, including a good command of 
  English.
- Familiarity with the theory and practice of biological taxonomy (or 
  systematics) and nomenclature, biological collections, and of 
  biological data management.

Prior experience in IT development and/or project management will be 
an advantage.

Candidates should be prepared to undertake international travel to 
attend working meetings and to represent TDWG at relevant workshops and
conferences.

How to apply
------------

Interested applicants should send the following by e-mail to Donald 
Hobern, GBIF Programme Officer for Data Access and Database 
Interoperability (dhobern at gbif.org):

- Curriculum vitae
- Description of how you fulfil the requirements listed above
- Description of the strengths you can bring to the project
- Indication of whether you would be able to relocate to take up the 
  position 
- Benefits and salary expectation

The closing date for applications is 18 June 2005.  

Interviews will take place in late June or early July.

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Donald Hobern (dhobern at gbif.org)
Programme Officer for Data Access and Database Interoperability 
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Secretariat 
Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: +45-35321483   Mobile: +45-28751483   Fax: +45-35321480
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