The Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture (gta), with its divisions of the gta Archives, gta Digital, gta Exhibitions, and gta Verlag, is one of the leading educational and research institutions for the history and theory of architecture. It is part of the Department of Architecture (D-ARCH) at ETH Zurich. Due to current director’s upcoming retirement, we are seeking a new gta Archives Director (100%) as of 1 October 2021.

In this function, you will manage the gta Archives both strategically and operationally. You will be responsible for the acquisition, organization, preservation and accessibility of its holdings. These include original documents about architecture, urban planning, civil engineering, design and landscape architecture dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. 

You will develop a vision and strategy for the acquisition of important Swiss-German and international architectural collections. Regarding preservation and organization, you will engage with the future challenges of architectural archives, including the long-term conservation of digital documents and the relationship with the emerging field of digital humanities. As head, you will also assure that the gta Archives remains an internationally oriented research platform which provides students and researchers low-threshold access to original historic documents.

A team of archivists and administrative employees will support you in these tasks. You will report directly to the director of the gta Institute and define your strategic goals in cooperation with the institute management and the advisory board.

The position is initially on a temporary basis with option of a permanent employment.

We are looking for a person with the following qualifications:

• a PhD or equivalent research experience in the history and theory of architecture, urban planning, civil engineering, design or landscape architecture;
• a demonstrable track record in archival practice;
• a clear vision for the future of collecting, preserving and accessing architectural archives;
• a clear vision of the field of digital humanities and the role of archives within it;
• knowledge of and willingness to engage intensively with Swiss-German architectural culture;
• an affinity for the holdings of the gta Archives;
• the capability to provide leadership to an existing team of archivists;
• the capacity to represent the gta Archives in national and international bodies such as the International Confederation of Architectural Museums (ICAM);
• spoken and written fluent mastery of German and English. Additional knowledge of French and Italian are highly valued.

We especially invite female candidates to apply for this job.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents:

• a letter of motivation
• curriculum vitae
• references
• diplomas

Applicatoin language: German or English

Please address your application to Mr. Michael Wobmann, Human Resources. Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered.

Further information about the gta Instiute and the gta Archive can be found on our website https://www.gta.arch.ethz.ch. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Prof. Dr. Laurent Stalder, email institut.gta@gta.arch.ethz.ch (no applications).

Submission deadline: 15 February 2021, 23:59 CET.