Division Manager - San Jose Public Library

Job Description:

Division Manager - San Jose Public Library

Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The award-winning San José Public Library (SJPL) consists of more than 600 employees, a 23% bilingual workforce, and has 24 branch libraries across San José, in addition to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, which is the city’s main library jointly operated through a unique partnership with San José State University. SJPL serves a diverse community of roughly one-million residents and currently has nearly 700,000 library members. It annually attracts over 6 million visitors (pre-pandemic) and circulates more than 8 million items per year.

Over the past few years, SJPL has cultivated a 21st century library experience dedicated to public service and committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion at the core. In addition to providing library services to the community, SJPL proudly leads two citywide initiatives - the Education and Digital Literacy Strategy and the SJ Access digital equity initiative, which has become the number one provider of free public access to Wi-Fi connectivity, tech device lending, and multi-lingual digital literacy programs and support. SJPL is led by Jill Bourne, City Librarian, who was nationally recognized in 2017 as Library Journal’s “Librarian of the Year.”

SJPL enriches lives by fostering lifelong learning and ensuring that every member of the community has access to a vast array of ideas and information. The library department is a place where people do great work and make a difference in our community. To see examples of SJPL’s work and learn more about its impact, visit www.sjpl.org. Join us to make a difference!

Position Duties

The Division Manager position will supervise and oversee the ongoing operation of a cross-departmental team that is charged with implementing the City’s Broadband Permitting program, as well as the Library’s Digital Empowerment and Public Technology division . This position serves as the lead for the City’s Broadband and Telecommunications Partnerships and re port s to the Deputy Director of Public Services . T o implement the citywide Broadband strategy t h e Division Manager will work directly with the staff and supervisors of assigned staff from other departments to ensure that the citywide Digital Empowerment workplan and project timelines are properly prioritized, integrated , and strategically aligned whenever possible. In addition to overseeing the citywide Broadband and Telecommunications Partnerships Unit, the Division Manager will direct the work of Library’s Information Technology Team, Digital Equity and Empowerment Unit, and the Library Data & Analytics team. This work includes:

• M ulti-departmental coordination and management of several specialized programs;
  

• B udget administration and reporting across complex local, state, federal, and special funding sources, with close coordination to the City’s Finance team ;
  

• Prepar ing and present ing reports and information to the City Council, City Council Committees, Library and Education Commission, and external stakeholder groups ;
  

• Provid ing direct oversight or coordination of vendor contracts that are effectuated across City departments ;
  

• Oversight of Library central service units: Information Technology, Data & Analytics, and Digital Empowerment;
  

• Ensure timely service delivery and workplan alignment of all Library units;
  

• Oversight of project management and implementation of all units;
  

• Engagement and leadership within city and industry-specific working groups to ensure technology protocols and best practices are integrated into project roadmaps, with substantial focus on cybersecurity;
  

• Liaise with San Jose State University on the operation of jointly held technology services at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library;
  

• Guidance and oversight of the Digital Empowerment theory of change and programmatic functions;
  

• Oversight of the Digital Inclusion Fund and the SJ Acces s Grant Program;
  

• Oversight of the communications strategy using website, social media, and media;
  

• O vers ight of related community engagement and feedback sessions;
  

• A nalysis and communications work to advance City advocacy efforts regarding state and federal broadband infrastructure funding, including all related competitive grants.
  

The position will also be responsible for ongoing development of new Citywide multi-departmental responses to the Digital Equity need, establishing the framework and recommendations and supporting City leadership in decision-making about program options, resources, and community engagement.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this or other departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the ap plicants from this recruitment.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience

Bachelor ’ s Degree in a closely related field and six years of progressively responsible directly related experience, including three years of supervisory experience.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

• Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, technical project management, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
  

• Collaboration - Develops networks and builds alliances; enga g es in cross-functional activities.
  

• Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills and displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts. Excellent oral and written communication.
  

• Decision Making - identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions .
  

• Leadership - leads by example; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment, encourages and rewards risk-taking, allowing others to learn from mistakes; provides motivational supports and direction.
  

• Project Management - e nsures support for projec t s and implements agency goals and strategic objectives .
  

• Political Skill - In taking action , demonstrates an understanding and consideration of how it will impact stakeholders and affected areas in the organization.
  

• Vision/Strategic Thinking - Supports, promotes, and ensures alignment with the organization’s vision and values; understands how an organization must change in light of internal and external trends and influences; builds a shared vision with others and influences others to translate vision to action
  

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the Job Specific Questions. Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process . Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews, one of which may include a practical/writing exercise.

Y ou will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process .

What is the highest level of education you have completed?

• Bachelor's Degree
  

• Master's Degree
  

• Doctoral Degree
  

• Other
  

• None of the above
  

If you have a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in a related field, please state the field of study and the issuing accredited college or university.


Do you have at least 6 years of progressively responsible administrative experience, including 3 years of supervisory experience?

• Yes
  

• No
  

D escribe your experience in effectively managing multiple project s to deliver quality results in a timely manner .


D escribe your experience collaborating on a project with various levels of staff or other departments within an organization a nd additional internal as well as external stakeholders .


Describe how you have set short and long-term goals for your team and how you monitor ed the progress towards th ose goals.


You must answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.

If you have questions about the duties, selection or hiring processes, please contact Daniel Aholt a t Daniel.Aholt@sjlibrary.org .

The application deadline is Friday June 6, 2025 at 11:59 PM . Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted , you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 6/6/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$137,799.48 - $218,123.62 Annually