Job Details

Indexing Manager

The Indexing Manager is a member of the Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) unit of the Transportation Research Board (TRB). Trains, manages, and mentors the TRIS indexers/abstractors; regularly reviews quality of the indexers' work and provides feedback. Responsible for abstracting and indexing a wide variety of materials for the TRIS databases including technical reports, journal articles and monographs in the database, includes writing high-quality, original abstracts or editing published abstracts. Serves as responsible staff officer to the Transportation Research Thesaurus Subcommittee, oversees identification and research of terms for committee review for inclusion, and recommends hierarchical placement in the Transportation Research Thesaurus (TRT). Leads TRT subcommittee meetings and helps subcommittee build consensus decisions. Uses Pool Party semantic middleware to develop and maintain the TRT. Serves as primary liaison on application of the TRT to TRB and National Academies business needs. Collaborates with the TRB Software Architect on maintenance of the Research in Progress (RIP) data entry system and public search interface and TRT web site. Serves as trainer and primary liaison to TRB sponsors and stakeholders for the RIP Database. Serves as primary liaison to U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research Technology University Transportation Centers program and takes responsibility for all tasks specified in the Task Order. Collaborates with TRIS staff to ensure database quality.

Essential Job Duties:

• Uses Pool Party software to develop and manage the Transportation Research Thesaurus (TRT).
• Serves as primary expert and liaison to other TRB departments and National Academies divisions on application of the TRT to other business needs within the National Academies.
• Serves as primary liaison to sponsors and stakeholders for the TRT website, which relies on Pool Party software for its primary functionality.
• Collaborates with cross-institutional teams to encourage and support the use of controlled vocabularies and PoolParty for projects benefiting National Academies initiatives.
• Works with the TRB Software Architect and TRIS Manager to test, troubleshoot and implement enhancements to the Research in Progress (RIP) data entry system and public search interface.
• Serves as primary liaison to U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research Technology (OST-R) for contracts in support of the Research Clearinghouse for the University Transportation Centers Program and Advanced Research Program.
• Submits annual reports as specified in the Task Order.
• Supervises and trains approximately ten remote indexers, in the TRIS Data Entry System; develops training materials and guidelines for indexing different types of materials.
• Conducts monthly quality reviews of indexers' work and provides feedback to fix short-term problems and accuracy, and mentors all indexers for long-term improvement and growth.
• Abstracts and indexes a wide variety of materials including technical reports, journal articles and monographs in the database, includes writing original abstracts or editing published abstracts.
• Coordinates with TRIS Manager to determine indexer staffing needs and hiring of contract indexers.
• Serves as staff officer to the Transportation Research Thesaurus (TRT) Subcommittee. Determines long-term goals and agendas for the subcommittee with the committee chair.
• Identifies and researches candidate terms and definitions for the TRT with the goal of improving content discovery and findability in the TRIS databases. Advises the Subcommittee on placement of the candidate terms in the TRT hierarchy structure.
• Works with TRIS Manager to develop and maintain TRIS Data Entry System documentation.
• Serves as primary liaison to sponsors and stakeholders for the Research in Progress (RIP) Database. Provides regular training to stakeholders on the RIP Database for entering records and searching the database.
• Participates in team activities related to new database developments and enhancements. Participates in testing and provides feedback; may lead some testing initiatives.
• Stays abreast of trends in the field of ontology and taxonomy development and maintenance. Provides advice and guidance on new and cutting-edge methods to enhance TRB and National Academies' knowledge and semantic data infrastructure.
• Develops with TRIS Manager training materials and presentations for the TRIS databases. Coordinates with TRIS Manager to give presentations and provide trainings on databases. Provides research and reference services as required in the TRB Library.

Nonessential Job Duties

• Related duties and special projects as assigned.

Job Specifications

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Ability to solve a variety of complex intellectual problems. Significant experience indexing and abstracting technical materials. Strong understanding of, and experience with thesauri construction and use; strong understanding of the use of thesauri for indexing, and experience with using thesauri to index materials in a relational database; strong understanding of the role of indexing and abstracting in relation to the information storage and retrieval process; strong understanding of relational databases. Solid understanding of taxonomy and ontology standards in the online environment. Proven ability to work successfully in a team environment. Proven ability to achieve results with minimal supervision. Experience working in complex environments with a high degree of organizational effectiveness. Comfortable and adaptable to an array of technologies. Ability to work accurately on detail-oriented tasks. Excellent written and oral skills with a proven ability to effectively interact with all levels of employees, sponsors and other stakeholders. Ability to effectively manage telecommuters. Ability to plan, develop and present useful, effective training in multiple formats and venues. Proficient in MS Office & MS Windows environment (i.e. Excel, Word, PowerPoint etc). Broad familiarity with transportation and engineering terminology and concepts.

Minimum Education/Training Requirements: Master's Degree in Library Science or Information Science or related field, or equivalent knowledge.

Minimum Experience: Five years of related professional experience, one of which was in a supervisory capacity.

Physical Capabilities: Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time.

Required Licenses, Certification or Registration: None.

Supervisory Responsibilities/Controls: Reports to program officer/director. Sets objectives with supervisor.

Work Environment: Office environment, with occasional travel between National Academies' facilities and to off-site locations.

Compensation Range: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine support equity, fairness, and transparency in our compensation programs. An estimated compensation range for this position is $70,880 - $88,600. Compensation offered to the selected candidate will be based on the candidate's relevant knowledge, skills, and work experience, commensurate with compensation of current employees in comparable positions with similar knowledge, skills, and work experience, and subject to budget parameters. Note it is not typical for a candidate to be hired at the higher end of the range. This is a benefits-eligible position. Our Benefits Plan offers competitive and comprehensive benefit options, including medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement and savings benefits, leave benefits such as paid holidays and paid personal leave, transportation subsidies, and education assistance.

Equal Opportunity Employer: It is the policy of the National Academies to recruit, hire, transfer, compensate, and promote people in all job categories and to administer all other personnel actions, terms and conditions of employment in a manner that is consistent with equal employment, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, disability, medical condition for which a person has been rehabilitated or cured, marital status, family responsibilities, genetic information, political affiliation, personal appearance, matriculation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. It is also the institution's policy to recruit, hire, promote, and provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and covered veterans who are otherwise qualified.

Any qualification to be considered equivalent, in lieu of stated minimum, requires the prior approval of the Office of Human Resources. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Some functions in this description may be specific to a particular unit of the National Academies and not applicable to other units.