Licensing and Rights Officer – National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
📌 Vacancy Fact Sheet
- Reference Number: VN-0770905
- Agency: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
- Job Title: Licensing and Rights Officer
- Position Number: 89820
- Classification: APS Level 4
- Closing Date: Sunday 02 August 2026
- Job Type: Full-Time, Ongoing;Non-Ongoing
- Location: Pyrmont NSW
- Future Merit Locations: Various locations – ACT, Various locations – NSW,
- Salary: $79,125 – $86,246
- Office Arrangement: Flexible (You may apply for flexible working arrangements)
About National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is Australia’s audiovisual archive, telling
the national story by collecting, preserving and sharing audiovisual media, the cultural experience
platforms of our time. The collection itself dates back to 1935, making it one of the world’s oldest
audiovisual collections. It is also one of the country’s most used cultural collections, with around
125 million views of collection content each year. The NFSA is in a period of significant change.
Following increased Government investment, the institution is in a process of digital
transformation, establishing the NFSA as Australia’s most dynamic and valued cultural
organisation. We are rebuilding our curatorial workforce and developing the NFSA’s capacity to
digitise our collection at scale – to preserve it for the future, to make sure it can be discovered, and
to share it with all Australians.
We continue to work on developing a stable, secure and future-proof workforce across our four
physical sites based in Canberra and Mitchell in the ACT as well as in Sydney and Melbourne. We
are also undergoing a program of business improvement for many of our corporate systems to
improve efficiency and reduce manual handling.
We are an ambitious organisation, and we aim to be an employer of choice within the Galleries,
Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) sector, providing exciting and challenging work, as well
as favourable employment conditions and unique development opportunities for our staff.
Cultural Values
We are an equal opportunity employer, embracing a diverse range of applicants such as veterans,
and people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQIA community
members, individuals with disabilities and/or health conditions, as well as those from varied faith
and cultural backgrounds. At the NFSA we prioritise the development of a safe, inclusive, and
high-performance culture through shared actions and behaviours that align with our strategy and
direction. This empowers our employees to effectively contribute to our goals.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is committed to ensuring a child-safe and
child-friendly environment. All employees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to, and
support for these principles in theory and practice.
Duties
- Under general direction, this position is responsible for delivering the following functions:
- Assist in providing informed advice about licensing and copyright to the NFSA’s Internal
- teams, including Editorial, Marketing and Curatorial teams.
- Investigate the copyright status of titles within the NFSA collection, as well as material
- sourced from our content partners for NFSA projects and programs.
- Undertake straightforward rights clearances for content in NFSA projects, products, and
- online platforms, including film and television clips, stills and audio material, ensuring
- systems and rights documentation are maintained.
- Research, update and maintain rights information and agreements in the collections
- database and digital rights management systems and provide reporting on key findings.
- Build and maintain positive professional relationships within the NFSA and with industry,
- rights holders and partner stakeholders and content providers.
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- Support the development, drafting and implementation of NFSA policies, procedures and
- guidelines on copyright and licensing issues including initiatives that improve rights
- awareness at the NFSA, increasing the accessibility of NFSA’s collection while complying
- with our legal and other obligations.
- Selection Criteria
- The successful candidate will demonstrate their capacity against the following:
- Demonstrated skills and experience working in, and knowledge of, copyright and licensing in
- audio-visual content in either a cultural heritage setting or an equivalent sector.
- Sound knowledge and understanding of rights ownership in the Australian screen and sound
- industries, including key producing entities, collecting societies, archives, and government
- organisations.
- Strong research and analytical skills and a demonstrated ability to apply these skills to
- copyright and rights-based frameworks for audio-visual content, including licensing and other
- arrangements.
- Sound written and verbal communication skills with a demonstrated ability to liaise and
- communicate concisely and effectively with team members and with relevant stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to problem solve and to apply judgement and initiative.
Eligibility / Notes
- Desired Skills and Experience
- Mandatory:
- Knowledge of copyright legislation relevant to the cultural sector or equivalent industry
- sectors, particularly as it applies to audio-visual material.
- Desirable:
- Tertiary qualification in a related discipline.
- Knowledge and understanding of contractual and distribution arrangements related to film
- and audio-visual content.
- How to Apply
- When applying via our online e-recruitment system, please provide a written application
- addressing each Selection Criteria. Your current resume is also to be included in your application.
- In addition to an application and your resume, the assessment process for this position may also
- include an interview and referee reports.
- We welcome and encourage applications from people with disability, the LGBTIQ+ communities,
- from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, and people from culturally and linguistically
- diverse backgrounds.
How to Apply
Position Contact Tracey Crane, 02 8202 0125
Agency Recruitment Site https://candidate.aurion.cloud/nfsa/production/
Applicants to vacancies notified in all formats of the electronic Public Service Gazette should be aware:
that the names of successful applicants will also be notified in all formats of the electronic Public Service Gazette
applicants found suitable may be offered similar employment opportunities by other Australian Public Service agencies
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