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Alma Platform Manager

Ex Libris Alma administration and Python-based workflow automation

National Agricultural Library (NAL) — USDA

Location: Remote — Up to 100% Remote

Occasional Onsite: Beltsville, Maryland

Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM Eastern Time

Position Type: Full-Time Contract

Estimated Hours: 1,920 hours annually

Contract Term: 1 Base Year + 4 One-Year Option Years

Initial Period of Performance: September 30, 2026 – September 29, 2027

Position Overview

RieLes Group is seeking an experienced Alma Platform Manager to support the National Agricultural Library (NAL) under a FEDLINK Library Support Services task order

This is a specialized hybrid role combining library systems administration, software engineering, data workflow automation, and technical operations. The selected candidate will be responsible for administering and supporting the National Agricultural Library's Ex Libris Alma Library Services Platform (LSP) and maintaining related Python-based data workflows

The Alma Platform Manager will play a critical role in the stability, security, monitoring, modernization, and operational continuity of NAL's Alma environment and associated automated workflows

Key Responsibilities:

Alma Platform Administration

Configure, manage, secure, and maintain Ex Libris Alma system components

Manage roles, permissions, profiles, integrations, normalization rules, and authentication/SSO behavior

Monitor Alma jobs and troubleshoot disruptions involving ingest, indexing, publishing, and preservation workflows

Review audit logs and maintain appropriate least-privilege access controls

Monitor system performance and support resolution of cross-system workflow issues

Python & Data Workflow Engineering

Maintain and enhance Python pipelines supporting:

Automated data ingestion

Data transformation

Indexing

System synchronization

Error handling

Reporting

Support integrations between Alma and external systems.

Diagnose data-flow, indexing, schema, and database issues.

Support data governance for automated bibliographic, holdings, and item changes

Maintain appropriate logging, reconciliation, and archival processes for automated workflows

Change Management & Governance

Execute the complete system change lifecycle under NAL's Change Control Board (CCB) requirements

Perform impact and dependency analysis before changes

Conduct sandbox and freeze-window testing

Plan and coordinate deployments

Complete post-deployment validation and documentation

Define and execute rollback procedures when required

Participate in incident reporting and emergency change processes

Ensure system changes comply with NAL governance and documentation requirements

Agile/Scrum Participation

Participate in sprint planning, backlog refinement, standups, and retrospectives

Provide system-level expertise for work affecting Alma and automated workflows

Help ensure user stories, acceptance criteria, remediation work, and technical tasks comply with CCB requirements

Coordinate with the CCB Project Manager and Systems Libraria

Maintain governance-ready documentation, including runbooks, configuration snapshots, and workflow updates

Monitoring, Security & Operational Continuity

Maintain operational dashboards and job-monitoring artifacts

Support service-level monitoring and incident response

Securely handle import/export files and workflow outputs

Maintain backup and recovery readiness

Document and periodically test restore procedures

Plan for degraded system states, failed imports, broken indexing sequences, and configuration drift

Maintain release schedules, freeze periods, and Ex Libris release-window notifications

Metadata & Documentation

Support metadata and digital workflow issues involving upstream ingest, indexing, and downstream preservation synchronization

Work collaboratively with NAL librarians, technical information specialists, IT personnel, acquisitions and metadata teams, and external vendors

Maintain technical documentation in approved repositories such as Confluence

Prepare runbooks, configuration records, release notes, incident/change logs, and governance documentation

Reporting & Deliverables

Prepare monthly status reports

Produce required operational and performance metrics

Track issue resolution and change requests

Report metrics such as job success/failure, mean time to repair (MTTR), ingest quality, indexing latency, and incident trends

Prepare release notes for CCB-approved changes

Required Qualifications:

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in one of the following:

Information Science

Computer Science

Information Systems

Data Science

Library/Information Science

Related technical field

Required Technical Experience

Candidates must have experience with:

Ex Libris Alma administration, including:

Roles and permissions

Metadata configuration

Job monitoring

Integrations

Troubleshooting

Python-based workflow automation, including ingestion/transformation scripts and external-system integrations.

Diagnosing data-flow, indexing, and schema issues in relational or cloud database environments

Agile/Scrum development environments

Formal change-control and change-lifecycle processes

Sandbox testing, deployment validation, rollback, and change documentation

Required Knowledge & Skills

Library metadata standards such as MARC21, Dublin Core, RDA, and MODS

Alma metadata tools, including:

Normalization rules

Templates

Mapping tables

Publishing workflows

Indexing workflows

Configuration management and version control/Git

Change control and configuration drift detection/remediation

Security controls and least-privilege access

Audit-log review and secure credential handling

Backup, restore, and recovery procedures

Technical documentation using platforms such as Confluence

Ability to troubleshoot cross-system issues involving metadata, ingest scripts, indexing, and preservation synchronization

Strong collaboration skills across technical and library teams

Work Environment & Schedule

This position may be performed up to 100% remotely. The selected candidate must provide coverage Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM Eastern Time, as required by the task order

The National Agricultural Library is located at:

National Agricultural Library

10301 Baltimore Avenue

Beltsville, MD 20705

The candidate must be available for periodic onsite meetings, training, or other activities when physical presence is required. NAL intends to provide advance notice for required onsite activities when practicable

Security & Compliance Requirements

Must successfully complete a USDA background investigation

Must complete required USDA security and privacy training

Must comply with applicable USDA, REE, ARS, and NAL policies and governance requirements

Must comply with applicable federal information security and privacy requirements

Work products, including code, scripts, documentation, and other artifacts developed under the task order, will be the property of the National Agricultural Library, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Key Personnel Requirement

The Alma Platform Manager is designated as Key Personnel and is considered essential to the operation, stability, and modernization of NAL's Alma environment and related automated data workflows

Only one individual is designated as Key Personnel for the task order unless otherwise approved by the Contracting Officer. Replacement or substitution of the designated Key Personnel requires Government approval

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a technically strong professional who can bridge the gap between library systems and software engineering. Candidates should be comfortable working directly with Ex Libris Alma while also developing and troubleshooting Python-based data pipelines

Strong candidates will demonstrate hands-on experience with Alma administration, Python automation, library metadata, system integrations, change management, and Agile development practices

Recruiting Screening Questions:

Candidates should be prepared to answer the following:

How many years of hands-on Ex Libris Alma administration experience do you have?

Describe a Python-based library or data workflow you developed or maintained.

Which metadata standards and Alma configuration tools have you used?

Have you managed production changes using formal change-control, testing, validation, and rollback procedures?

Are you available for full-time coverage during Eastern Time business hours?

Are you available for occasional travel or onsite meetings in Beltsville, Maryland?

Can you successfully complete a USDA background investigation?

Please send me your most updated resume to mcastillo@rielesgroup.com