At California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, we believe that cultivating an environment that embraces and promotes diversity is fundamental to the success of our students, our employees and our community. Bringing people together from different backgrounds, experiences and value systems fosters the innovative and creative thinking that exemplifies Cal Poly’s values of free inquiry, cultural and intellectual diversity, mutual respect, civic engagement, and social and environmental responsibility. Cal Poly's commitment to diversity informs our efforts in recruitment, hiring and retention. California Polytechnic State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Kennedy Library is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing campus-wide information resources and related services with an annual budget of $8+ million and approximately 40 employees. The library has four major departments: Academic Services; Special Collections and Archives; Administrative Services; and Collections, Systems and Digital Strategies. Librarians hold faculty status and are represented by the California Faculty Association (CFA) and staff are represented by the California State University Employees Union (CSUEU). The Robert E. Kennedy Library continuously adapts its services, tools, programs, and spaces to meet the evolving academic programs, research interests, and needs of the university community. Providing access to information resources, classrooms, specialized computing, an expansive 24-hour space, and an array of group and individual study spaces, Kennedy Library is a magnet for students and faculty alike with annual visits exceeding 1.5 million. Significantly, the library is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as demonstrated by its DEI Action Plan. The library is partnering with the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion (OUDI) and actively participates in university and system wide strategic initiatives such as the CSU Black Student Excellence initiative, and the Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Initiative.

Reporting directly to the Dean of Library Services, the Associate Dean provides leadership and strategic vision for an evolving, comprehensive, cohesive program of enterprise systems, tools, and information resources, developed and implemented to support the curriculum, research activities, and the creation of new works and scholarship. The Associate Dean acts as the collection development officer for the library, and with the Dean of Library Services, is ultimately responsible for the overall quality, diversity, and balance of the library's digital and physical collection; manages the disbursement of funds for information resources ($1.8 million); and provides strategic leadership to leverage consortia managed resources. This includes but is not limited to fiscal and human resources planning and management; collections space planning; formulating, implementing, and assessing strategies for library collections in all formats and for resource sharing services; establishing, monitoring, and communicating progress towards library goals and objectives; formulating and administering policies; and building successful partnerships with internal and external entities to enhance library collections. This leadership position requires a demonstrated commitment to developing culturally competent teams and to working successfully with a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff.

The Associate Dean is also responsible for the administration and oversight of library systems and information technology and plays a key role in ensuring that students and faculty are connected to information and information technologies critical to their learning, teaching and research. This position is responsible and accountable for directing, administering, and executing the operational aspects of the Collections, Systems and Digital Strategies department. 

The Associate Dean plays a significant role in all aspects of library-wide planning, budgeting, personnel planning and management, operations, communications, and policy development, and is a key member of the Library Management Team. The Associate Dean represents the library in matters related to enterprise systems, technology and digital initiatives and is the Dean’s primary representative and liaison with other campus units and divisions such as central IT services, the Division of Research, and Academic Technologies. In a highly collaborative environment, this position works with a wide variety of library and campus partners including Colleges, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and campus administrative offices to enrich the faculty and student experience.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of six years of professional experience in an academic or research library, including at least three years of progressively responsible experience including leadership, management and direct supervisory experience, or comparable experience in a higher education environment.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage and lead complex projects and initiatives; set goals; manage operating and project budgets and resources; design, implement, analyze, and report on measures of individual and unit performance and effectiveness; and lead/coordinate project resources across organizational lines.
• Experience in providing scholarly resources, data, and/or digital collections in support of teaching, learning, scholarship, and student success. Experience with assessment of scholarly resources and services and with evidence-informed collection development and management strategies. Experience with leveraging resource sharing networks and consortia partnerships.
• Record of research, publication, and scholarly achievement sufficient to meet the qualifications of the rank of Associate Librarian with tenure as specified in the Library Faculty handbook.
• Successful record of supervising and mentoring librarians through tenure track or continuing appointment personnel actions.
• Demonstrated commitment to developing culturally competent teams and to working successfully with a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff. Demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment. Ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, and productive work atmosphere.
• Demonstrated experience with personnel management. Comprehensive knowledge of effective personnel management practices and supervisory skills, including motivation, training, professional development, conflict resolution, and progressive discipline, with the demonstrated ability to effectively model appropriate professional behavior.
• Ability to lead in a shared governance and collective bargaining environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of current issues, trends and opportunities in academic libraries. Knowledge of issues and trends in library technology, scholarly and scientific communications, including trends in publishing across disciplines.
• Demonstrated expertise in one or more areas of the position’s general responsibilities, e.g.: collection development and management, cataloging, electronic resource management, resource acquisitions or licensing, library systems, or digital initiatives. Demonstrated leadership experience and evidence of past initiatives implemented at an academic or research library.
• Demonstrated experience managing a budget including experience with negotiating licenses, and balancing expenses across multiple competing priorities.
• Knowledge and/or experience with issues of inclusivity and equity in collections and cataloging.
• Ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, and productive work atmosphere. Demonstrated commitment to developing culturally competent teams and to working successfully with a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff. Demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to review and act upon complex individual and organizational problems and make recommendations to influence change in library policies. Ability to provide solutions that are imaginative, thorough, and practical.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain high quality/standards of work, leadership, initiative, ethics, cultural competence, and professional responsibility and judgment. Demonstrated ability to represent the university in a professional and conscientious manner.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently with little instruction; take initiative, anticipate problems, and solve issues in a timely manner.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise tact, sound judgment, diplomacy, and discretion in appropriately handling confidential information and data, interpreting and applying rules, regulations, policies and procedures and/or recommending new policies and procedures.  Demonstrated ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality.
• Excellent time management, planning, and organizational skills and ability to multi-task, while attending to detail, and meet the demands of multiple deadlines. Ability to manage multiple concurrent tasks with major impact on critical operations of the organization. Ability to adapt to organizational, procedural, policy, and technological changes.
• Ability to assess opportunities for and integrate technology into work environments to increase effectiveness, efficiency, communication, and accessibility.
• Excellent computer skills and proficiency with a wide range of library specific systems, software and applications.
• Working knowledge of or ability to quickly learn University infrastructure, policies and procedures.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. A second advanced academic degree.
2. Experience participating in fund-raising and/or grant-writing activities.
3. Experience assessing and negotiating licenses for online resources.
4. Demonstrated success promoting use and awareness of library resources and services. Current experience with web-based communication technologies and with social media.
5. Demonstrated success fostering innovation in library programs or services.
6. Knowledge of and demonstrated experience integrating information technologies in teaching/learning and research environments, and library services and operations.
7. Knowledge of Ex Libris Alma library management system.
8. Demonstrated knowledge in user experience (UX) design and assessment, including the ability to lead initiatives that enhance the overall user journey across both physical and digital library services.
9. Demonstrated skills in an institutional/educational environment utilizing a user/service-centered attitude.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.
• Must be able to work occasional holidays, and adjust working hours to meet special jobs. May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.
• The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.
• Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employment background/fingerprint check.
• This position is a "designated position" in the California State University's Conflict of Interest Code. The successful candidate accepting this position is required to file Conflict of Interest forms subject to the regulations of the Fair Political Practices Commission.
• Full-time MPP employees are required to disclose outside employment at time of hire or within 30 days of taking additional outside employment subsequent to time of hire.
• This position classification has been defined as "Exempt" and is not subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Following a conditional offer of employment, a background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate may start work with Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may result in the withdrawal of the offer of employment. Note: Cal Poly cannot deny an applicant a position solely or in part due to a criminal conviction history until it has performed an individualized assessment and linked the relevant conviction history with specific job duties in the position being sought.
• Please note: Current employees who are offered positions on campus will be required to undergo a background check for any position where a background check is required by law or that Cal Poly has designated as sensitive. Sensitive positions are those requiring heightened scrutiny of individuals holding the position based on potential for harm to children, concerns for the safety and security of people, animals, or property, or heightened risk of financial loss to Cal Poly or individuals in the university community.
• For health and well-being, Cal Poly is a smoke & tobacco-free campus. The university is committed to promoting a healthy environment for all members of our community.
• Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo is not a sponsoring agency for staff positions (i.e. H-1B visas).

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The anticipated salary range for this position is $140,000 - $150,000 annually. Note that the offer is calculated based on the background and relevant years of experience of the individual selected. Cal Poly offers a best-in-class benefits program, including health, dental and vision insurance, retirement participation in the Public Employees' Retirement System, and educational benefits for eligible employees. See our benefits website for additional information.  All rights associated with the appointment are governed by the Management Personnel Plan adopted by the CSU Board of Trustees.  

Positions are posted for a minimum of 14 calendar days.