University of Michigan

Senior Specialist, Copyright and Information Policy

University of Michigan • $83K — $110K *
Legal & Accounting
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • J.D. degree or equivalent education and experience.
  • Familiarity with public policy and case law in GLAM and emerging technologies.
  • 5+ years of experience in copyright, fair use, and policy analysis in higher education or library settings.
  • Experience in risk analysis from a legal perspective.
  • Proven track record in managing teams and influencing organizational change.

Responsibilities

  • Analyze and advise on public policy and legal matters, recommending actions.
  • Develop and document policies based on law and organizational values.
  • Create frameworks for policy review and development.
  • Consult with stakeholders to support policy documentation for projects.
  • Draft and analyze contracts with HathiTrust and its members.
  • Advise on legal and ethical issues related to collection accessibility.
  • Provide strategic guidance and communicate findings to stakeholders.

Benefits

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Generous time off (24 vacation days and 15 sick days per year).
  • Retirement plan with two-for-one matching contributions and immediate vesting.
  • Professional development opportunities for ongoing training and certification.
  • Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses.
  • Life insurance and long-term disability coverage.
Full Job Description
How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume or CV as one file (because of system limitations). In your cover letter, please let us know how this role aligns with your skills by highlighting one or more examples in which you have contributed to the development, interpretation, or application of policy in areas such as copyright, privacy, accessibility, technology, or another area relevant to memory organizations.

For questions about this role or accommodation requests, contact [email protected] .

Job Summary

HathiTrust is an international partnership of academic and research institutions offering a collection of 19+ million titles, in 400+ languages, digitized from libraries around the world. We are administratively based at the University of Michigan Library and our staff are employees of the University.

We are looking for a Senior Specialist, Copyright and Information Policy, who has experience with copyright law, accessibility matters, and policy analysis and development in a higher education or GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) setting, and an interest in contributing to our mission of preserving and making accessible the record of human knowledge.

Reporting to the Executive Director, this new role at HathiTrust will support our mission, services , and business processes by developing clearly articulated policies and principles based on law (e.g., copyright, privacy, contracts, terms of service, ADA/Title II), emergent community norms, and best practices, and our values .

What You'll Do

Policy Development and Governance
  • Analyze and advise on the application of relevant public policy and legal matters and recommend courses of action.
  • Develop and/or document clearly articulated policies and principles for HathiTrust services based on law (e.g., fair use and other library exceptions to copyright, ADA, privacy, contracts, terms of service) and our values.
  • Create and apply frameworks and timeframes for policy review and development.
  • Support the development of policy documentation for projects, initiatives, and services by consulting with stakeholders and other experts.

Legal and Strategic Advising
  • Analyze relevant contracts and/or draft, or contribute to the drafting, of contracts among HathiTrust and other entities, including its members.
  • Advise on the legal, policy, and ethical issues when making the collection available for analysis and processing (e.g., language model training, natural language processing, AI, etc.).
  • Work closely with University of Michigan legal counsel on the legal underpinnings for HathiTrust's strategic activities.

Strategic and Program Leadership
  • Provide strategic guidance and communicate complex findings to leadership and other technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Oversee the copyright review program.
  • Supervise one part-time staff member.
  • Understand different perspectives and promote the use of best practices to foster collaboration and effective working relationships.

Required Qualifications*
  • A J.D. degree or an equivalent combination of education, certification, and experience.
  • Familiarity with current public policy and case law relevant to both GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) and emerging technologies.
  • 5+ years of cumulative experience, including the following:
    • Copyright, fair use, and policy analysis and development in a higher education or library setting
    • Risk analysis from a legal perspective
    • Managing and contributing to complex projects relevant to policy and copyright concerns
  • Experience managing teams, whether as direct or indirect reports, and in influencing others for positive organizational change.

Why Work at Michigan?

The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package including:
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Generous time off (24 vacation days per year, and 15 sick days per year).
  • A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting.
  • Professional development opportunities, including support for ongoing training and certification.
  • Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses.
  • Life insurance, long-term disability coverage, and more.

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes .

On-site, hybrid, and remote options are available for this position as long as you reside full-time in the United States.

Job Detail

Job Opening ID

283622

Working Title

Senior Specialist, Copyright and Information Policy

Job Title

Compliance Specialist Senior

Work Location

Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor, MI

Modes of Work

Onsite
Hybrid
Mobile/Remote

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

FLSA Status

Exempt

Organizational Group

Univ Library

Department

Library Partners - HathiTrust

Posting Begin/End Date

10/02/2026 - 10/16/2026

Salary

$83,000.00 - $110,000.00

Career Interest

Administration
Legal & Government Relations
Libraries & Museums

About University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan system. The University of Michigan was founded in 1817 in Detroit, as the Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania, 20 years before the territory became a state. The school moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 onto 40 acres (16 ha) of what is now known as Central Campus. Since its establishment in Ann Arbor, the university campus has expanded to include more than 584 major buildings with a combined area of more than 34 million gross square feet (781 acres or 3.16 km²), and has two satellite campuses located in Flint and Dearborn. The University of Michigan is a founding member of the Association of American Universities.
Learn more about University of Michigan
Size
50,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1817

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at University of Michigan

More Legal & Accounting Jobs

Find similar Senior Specialist, Copyright and Information Policy jobs: