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Alma Platform Manager

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Description

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:

1. Candidates should be prepared to answer the following:
2. How many years of hands-on Ex Libris Alma administration experience do you have?
3. Describe a Python-based library or data workflow you developed or maintained.
4. Which metadata standards and Alma configuration tools have you used?
5. Have you managed production changes using formal change-control, testing, validation, and rollback procedures?
6. Are you available for full-time coverage during Eastern Time business hours?
7. Are you available for occasional travel or onsite meetings in Beltsville, Maryland?
8. Can you successfully complete a USDA background investigation?

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

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