Archives at NCBS: Public Engagement Officer
Archives amphitheatre, audience at the opening of the Archives at NCBS. Feb 4, 2019
Application Form: https://tiny.cc/archives-peo
About the Archives at NCBS:
The Archives at NCBS (https://archives.ncbs.res.in/) is a public collecting centre for the history of science in contemporary India. Over 350,000 processed objects across 60+ collections are in various forms, ranging from paper-based manuscripts to negatives to photographs, books, fine art, audio recordings, scientific equipment, letters, and field and lab notes. The 2000-square-feet state-of-the-art physical centre at NCBS includes space for research, processing, exhibitions, recording, and a leading-edge storage facility with monitors for temperature, light, humidity, air quality, water, fire, pests, and noise. The Archives has one underlying philosophy—of enabling diverse stories—and operates on four broad verticals. One is to strengthen research collections and access in the history of science in contemporary India. The second is to push the frontiers of research in archival sciences in India, forging intersections with scholarship in law, ethics, information theory and the semantic web, for instance. The third is to build capacity and public awareness through education, training and programming, from high school to professional practice. And the fourth: to reimagine the archives as part of the commons through vibrant public engagement. For more, see https://archives.ncbs.res.in/about
About the position:
The Archives at NCBS is seeking a public engagement officer (PEO) who can foster creative collaborations between the archives and the world beyond. This person will be a key anchor for one of the four verticals of the archives, “to reimagine the archives as part of the commons through vibrant public engagement”.
For their work, this person will draw from a strong understanding of the Archives and the archiving team, through a nuanced understanding of the archival collections as well as the processes of the team working on it. They will review existing public engagement efforts and identify the communities the Archives responds to and may need to connect with. The public engagement officer will lead and conceptualize projects anchored around three primary areas: tours and events, curation of stories and messaging using archival material and the archiving space, and active engagement with visitors (and would-be visitors). The intent behind this is to not only encourage the use of archival collections but to also reimagine the space as a site that is critically engaged with various disciplines and communities. The public engagement officer must be committed to working in a diverse and inclusive workspace and must have the ability to work with a diverse staff and campus demographic.
A broad set of expected skills and responsibilities are outlined below. We encourage people to apply even if they don’t fulfill all mentioned criteria.
Skills or qualifications:
- Graduate degree in communication-related courses, or in any discipline with additional training/courses in communications or public engagement.
- Demonstrated experience working with cultural institutions like museums and archives.
- Strong written, spoken, and public-speaking skills.
- Demonstrated experience in working in highly collaborative environments.
- Demonstrated ability to work with design and editing tools (toward creation of public engagement posters and collateral).
- Fluency in English (spoken, written) and Kannada (at least conversational).
Responsibilities:
- Organising public events, workshops, and archival displays. This includes networking with individuals interested in collaborating with the archives, and hosting and emceeing events held by the archives, such as the Archives Public Lecture Series.
- Curating and disseminating stories/messaging using archival material in places in Bangalore, on campus and online. This involves extensive use of the catalogue to identify interesting stories within the archival collections.
- Curating and creating content from the archives for merchandise: T-shirts, postcards, bookmarks.
- Identifying and engaging with communities in Bangalore and at NCBS, as well as online.
- Managing the Archives social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr). This involves posting about archival collections, people, and events; and designing posters/collateral for various announcements.
- Assisting with the running of Silverfish, the upcoming blog for the Archives at NCBS (after January 2026)
- Conducting archives tours for visitors.
- Collaborating and regularly conversing with the archives team to develop an understanding of various processes at the archives, and to build projects that can involve the participation of the team.
- Working with the team to create photographic/videographic documentation of internal processes.
Duration: 6 months (potential to extend)
Type of position: Full-time, contract, in-person
Location: Archives at NCBS, Bangalore
Accommodation: Not provided.
Number of positions: 1
Compensation: Rs 50,000 per month
Application Deadline: Sep 7, 2025
Selected candidates notified: Oct 1, 2025
Start date: Nov 1, 2025 (Flexible)
Application Process:
1. All interested applicants should apply through this online questionnaire before the submission deadline: https://tiny.cc/archives-peo
2. Those selected from this questionnaire will be invited for a 45-minute conversation with a review committee (on Zoom) and invited to deliver a 20-minute online talk to the Archives team.
3. Final short-listed candidates provide names of two relevant referees who might be contacted as a final step in the process.
Application Form: https://tiny.cc/archives-peo
