Senior Community Library Manager

Job Description:

Senior Community Library Manager

Description

The Position

Bargaining Unit: Local 21 - Supervisory Management

Contra Costa County has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Community Library Manager.

About the Library Department
The Library Department is made up of over 400 employees serving 26 community Libraries throughout Contra Costa County. The Library Department's mission is to Bring People and Ideas. Together, the Library ensures easy, equitable access to library services for all Contra Costa County residents. The Library champions personal and community engagement in literacy and reading to enrich lives by delivering a consistent, high-quality, and inviting experience at all points of contact.

Our library is an innovative, entrepreneurial, and dynamic civic institution that is committed to providing exceptional services to a community that cares deeply about the library and encourages the library to assume a critical role in making the community strong, equitable, resilient, and progressive.

The Contra Costa County Library is the pulse of the communities in which they serve. Working together, we spark imagination, fuel potential, and connect people with ideas and each other.

The Position
The Contra Costa County Library is recruiting for a creative, enthusiastic, and innovative leader for an exciting and challenging opportunity as a Senior Community Library Manager. We are looking to fill the vacancy at the Brentwood Library due to promotion.

Senior Community Library Managers oversee the activities of one or more community libraries and serve as the Library’s liaison to their communities.

Under general direction from the County Librarian, Deputy County Librarian and/or the Library Services Manager, plans, organizes, directs, and supervises the activities of an assigned county community library and performs other related work as required.

The Contra Costa County Library Department is offering exciting opportunities for enthusiastic Library professionals to work in our fast-paced, culturally diverse libraries throughout the County.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Able to exhibit sound and accurate judgment
• Excited to work with community partners
• Customer-service oriented
• Adaptable to changing situations
• Able to motivate staff, encourage growth, and foster improvement when needed
• Organized
• Excited to work with a diverse community that includes people of all ages
• Able to take a strengths-based approach to working with the community
• Proactive
• Committed to a positive work culture
• A problem-solver

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Developing and implementing goals in line with a strategic plan
• Coaching staff, guiding them regarding opportunities for professional growth, and providing improvement feedback as needed
• Cultivating positive working relationships with community partners and staff
• Keeping abreast of current trends in the library industry
• Responding to customer concerns in a courteous fashion
• De-escalating conflicts
• Working with individuals of diverse cultures, abilities, and backgrounds

These are a few reasons you might love this job:

• You will have an opportunity to work in diverse communities that appreciate the library
• A strong management team and staff community will support and collaborate with you
• There will be opportunities to serve your community
• There are a variety of professional development opportunities available
• You will work in an organization committed to racial equity and inclusiveness
• The Library is committed to actively and intentionally advancing anti-racism* within the organization. *Anti-racism is defined as the policy or practice of opposing racism and promoting racial equity.
• You will have access to a generous benefits package including:
  • A free Kaiser healthcare plan
  • 94 hours extra paid administrative leave
  • Vacation, sick, and personal holiday time accrued monthly
  • Professional Development Reimbursement
  • 5% cost of living increase in July 2025
  • Professional Management Coaching and Training for New Managers

Here are a few challenges you might face in this job:

• Structured staffing model
• Sudden staffing changes may occur, so remaining adaptable is crucial
• Complex customer service issues may arise that require delicate handling
• You will need to remain ready to adapt to frequent changes library technologies
• Ongoing facility maintenance and improvements
• Large afterschool crowds
• Contemporary challenges common in urban areas
• Ongoing culture changes
• Managers may be moved temporarily to fill critical staffing needs at other library locations

Competencies required for this position:

• Legal and Regulatory Navigation: Understanding, interpreting, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations
• Professional & Technical Expertise: Applying technical subject matter to the job
• Attention to Detail: Focusing on the details of work content, work steps, and final work products
• Innovation: Imagining and devising new and better ways of doing things
• Oral Communication: Engaging effectively in dialogue
• Writing: Communicating effectively in writing
• Professional Impact: Presenting self as a positive representative of the organization
• Leadership: Guiding and encouraging others to accomplish a common goal
• Managing Performance: Ensuring superior individual and group performance
• Valuing Diversity: Appreciating the benefits of varied backgrounds and cultures in the workplace
• Business Process Analysis: Defining, assessing, and improving operational processes and workflow
• Managing Organizational Complexity: Maneuvering through complex political situations and functions within the organization

The eligible list established from this recruitment process will be valid for 6 months. To review the full classification specifications for this class please follow this link: Senior Community Library Manager

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Possession of a Master of Library Science degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association, or equivalent curriculum.

Experience: Three (3) years of full-time equivalent professional/supervisory public library experience, which must have included experience as a Community/Branch Library Manager in a public library.
OR
Four (4) years full-time equivalent experience working in a library which may include two (2) years as support staff, technician or paraprofessional, and at least two (2) years in a professional/supervisory capacity.

Selection Process

1. Application Filing and Evaluation: Applicants will be required to complete a supplemental questionnaire at the time of application, applications will be evaluated to determine which candidates will move forward in the next phase of the recruitment process.

2. Online Video Interview and Writing Assessment: Candidates who possess the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in an online video interview and writing assessment. The assessment will measure candidates' competencies as they relate to the Senior Community Library Manager classification. In the assessment, candidates must achieve an average passing score of 70% or higher on each of the competencies, as well as an overall passing score of 70% or higher. These may include but are not limited to: Professional & Technical Expertise, Attention to Detail, Writing, Oral Communication, Leadership, Managing Performance, and Valuing Diversity. (Weighted: 100%)

The Senior Community Library Manager online assessment is tentatively scheduled to take place via computer (remotely) July 10 - 14, 2025.

The video and written assessment will be administered remotely using a computer or mobile device such as a tablet. You will need access to a reliable internet connection to take the assessment, as well as a computer or mobile device with a camera. It is not recommended to take the assessment using a cell phone due to the writing component.

The Human Resources Department may change the examination steps noted above in accordance with the Personnel Management Regulations and accepted selection practices.

For recruitment specific questions, please contact Melissa Moglie at Melissa.Moglie@hrd.cccounty.us. For any technical issues, please contact the GovernmentJobs’ applicant support team for assistance at +1 855-524-5627.

CONVICTION HISTORY
After you receive a conditional job offer, you will be fingerprinted, and your fingerprints will be sent to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The resulting report of your conviction history (if any) will be used to determine whether the nature of your conviction conflicts with the specific duties and responsibilities of the job for which you have received a conditional job offer. If a conflict exists, you will be asked to present any evidence of rehabilitation that may mitigate the conflict, except when federal or state regulations bar employment in specific circumstances. Having a conviction history does not automatically preclude you from a job with Contra Costa County. If you accept a conditional job offer, the Human Resources Department will contact you to schedule a fingerprinting appointment.

DISASTER SERVICE WORKER
All Contra Costa County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
It is the policy of Contra Costa County to consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

To find more information on Benefits offered by Contra Costa County, please go to https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/1343/Employee-Benefits

Closing Date/Time: 6/29/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$99,761.81 - $127,399.92 Annually