Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

Ascension LLC is seeking a Metadata Project Manager to lead and coordinate contractor support for a Library of Congress metadata creation effort supporting the Cataloging in Publication Program. This role is ideal for a detail-oriented project manager with experience coordinating library, metadata, cataloging, digital content, records, or knowledge management workflows in a structured production environment.

The selected candidate will help ensure cataloging production activities are organized, tracked, quality-controlled, and delivered in alignment with customer expectations. The role is important because the Library of Congress CIP Program creates catalog records in advance of publication for the nation’s libraries and works directly with U.S. publishers to receive book galleys or key information about forthcoming titles.

The ideal candidate should bring strong project coordination, workflow tracking, quality management, client communication, and documentation skills. Experience with library metadata, cataloging standards, bibliographic records, or publishing workflows is strongly preferred. The candidate does not need to be the senior cataloging authority on the team, but must be able to manage cataloging production activities, coordinate technical staff, track issues, monitor aging work items, and support timely delivery in a virtual environment.

Summary of Contractor Role

The Metadata Project Manager will serve as the primary project coordination lead responsible for managing schedule, workflow, task assignments, quality checkpoints, deliverables, risks, client communications, and status reporting for contractor-provided cataloging support. The contractor team will support English-language materials in the CIP workflow, including BIBCO-level cataloging, RDA-based description, name authority creation and updates in the LC/NACO Name Authority File, and assignment of Library of Congress Classification, Library of Congress Subject Headings, and Sears Subject Headings.

This position requires a highly organized, self-driven professional who can manage multiple priorities in a production-focused environment. The Metadata Project Manager must be comfortable working with specialized cataloging staff, government stakeholders, workflow queues, quality review processes, and evolving production priorities. The role will support the customer’s need to manage the oldest materials in the workflow while maintaining consistency, accountability, and visibility across all assigned work.

The successful candidate will bring the discipline of a project manager and the judgment of a library services coordinator. They should be able to anticipate workflow bottlenecks, escalate risks early, support continuous process improvement, and maintain clear project documentation. The role aligns with Ascension’s proven experience providing project management, schedule management, quality tracking, stakeholder coordination, documentation, reporting, and knowledge management support across federal programs.

Anticipated Day-to-Day Activities

• Coordinate daily and weekly metadata production activities across cataloging staff, quality reviewers, and customer points of contact.
• Monitor assigned CIP workflow queues in PrePub Book Link, with emphasis on tracking the oldest materials in the workflow.
• Track task assignments, status, due dates, aging items, risks, blockers, and production throughput.
• Facilitate virtual team meetings, production check-ins, issue resolution sessions, and customer status discussions.
• Maintain an integrated project schedule, production tracker, risk register, issue log, action item log, and deliverable calendar.
• Coordinate cataloging support for English-language materials requiring BIBCO-level records, RDA description, LC/NACO authority work, LCC, LCSH, and Sears Subject Headings.
• Support quality control processes by ensuring completed work is routed for review, corrections are tracked, and recurring issues are documented.
• Escalate workflow delays, technical cataloging questions, system access issues, or production bottlenecks to the appropriate customer or contractor lead.
• Prepare weekly or monthly status reports summarizing completed work, open items, risks, production metrics, quality trends, and upcoming priorities.
• Document standard operating procedures, job aids, workflow instructions, and lessons learned to improve consistency across the virtual team.
• Coordinate onboarding activities for new contractor staff, including workflow orientation, access tracking, documentation review, and role expectations.
• Ensure contractor activities remain aligned with customer priorities, contract scope, quality expectations, and agreed production timelines.
• Support client meetings by preparing agendas, capturing notes, documenting decisions, and tracking follow-up actions.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflow visibility, reporting, production tracking, and knowledge management.
• Protect sensitive or restricted information by following customer confidentiality, records management, and system access requirements.