Creating
Community – Unleashing Potential - the New Haven Free Public Library Board of Directors seeks an exceptional leader to help realize the Library’s
strategic goals, create community, and unleash the potential of the city and
the library at its heart. The successful candidate will exhibit strong management
skills and excellent cultural competencies. The Library Director will work well
in a complex environment and be a strong team leader who builds consensus
internally and be a passionate advocate who connects the library system
externally with a broad mosaic of community stakeholders. The library, with a
$5 million annual budget ($4.5 from City appropriations), a strong senior
management team and a dedicated staff (52.3 FTEs), provides services and
programs through the historic Ives Main Library (on the New Haven Green and
adjacent to the Yale campus), four branches and a ReadMobile.
The Library Director, working with the board and a related foundation board,
will build on fundraising successes of the last decade and secure new financial
resources to increase services. The Library will serve as a powerful
catalyst for strong neighborhoods, academic success of every school child, and
workforce development. For additional details see NHFPL Strategic Plan 2014-2016.
New Haven is one of America’s most dynamic small cities. The City
proper has a population of 130,000. The principal municipality of a
metropolitan region on the northern shore of Long Island Sound, it is in
close proximity to Boston and New York City, which is accessible by more than
40 daily train connections.
New Haven had the largest population growth of any New England city in the
2000-2010 U.S. Census and it has the highest apartment occupancy rate in the
nation, with construction of more downtown residential sites underway. Like
most communities, New Haven is also home to people with socio-economic
challenges – but it has a scale and assets that make connecting residents to
opportunity more possible. The local economy has a lot of STEAM – with science,
technology, education, arts, and medicine as key drivers. Bioscience is
growing, fueled by university research and the presence of Yale-New Haven
Hospital, the fifth largest hospital in the U.S. Yale University and five other universities in the region enroll 35,000 students
a year. Gateway Community College opened a state-of-the art downtown campus in
2012, three blocks from the main library. New Haven
has professional theater, practicing architects, new and classical music
concerts, outdoor festivals, and free world-class art museums unmatched by any
city of similar size in the country. It also has 376 years of history – seen in its town green and architecture
spanning three centuries – and nature is always nearby, with beaches, hiking
trails, parks and farms not far from the city center. Such recreational
opportunities are beneficial, given that New Haven is also a great restaurant
town – from fine dining to the best pizza anywhere. For additional information,
visit NHFPL Links.
Responsibilities: The Library Director is responsible for
the administration of all library functions. The Library Director
provides leadership and vision in the creation and administration of a city
library system committed to public service that shares, cooperates and
collaborates with other educational, cultural and social agencies in the
community. The Library Director reports to the Library Board of Directors
on policy, strategic planning and fundraising matters and to the Chief
Administrative Officer on administrative, personnel and budget issues. The
Library Director also leads the Foundation Board of the New Haven Free Public
Library (the Library’s fund raising arm). Additional information on the
position can be found in the official job description.
Qualifications: A master’s degree in library
science, business, non-profit management or other related fields. A
minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible leadership, management
and board governance experience. Five (5) years of which includes
experience in administration, working with unions and authority over
personnel. This position requires an enthusiastic, service-oriented
leader; well-versed in trends and the new technologies. Must have a
proven track record in fund raising and development. Previous experience working in a multi-branch system,
working within a municipal or county funding structure and reporting to a governing
Board are highly desirable.
A combination of training, proven experience and concrete results, which will provide the management, administration and supervisory functions needed to advance the New Haven Free Public Library and be a catalyst for New Haven’s civic renaissance. Residency in the City of New Haven is required within six months of appointment.
Compensation.
The position offers a hiring salary range of $80,000-103,000 (dependent upon
experience and qualifications) and an attractive benefits package.
For further information, contact Bradbury
Associates/Gossage Sager Associates via
email or phone. To start the application process, send a meaningful cover
letter and resume as Word or pdf attachments to Dan Bradbury or Jobeth Bradbury. The position closes May 25,
2014.
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