City of San Jose is hiring: Senior Librarian - Web Services Manager in San Jose

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 (SJSU). 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!

San José Public Library (SJPL) seeks an experienced and innovative Senior Librarian to lead its Web Services Unit and oversee the Library’s digital platforms, including the public website, online catalog, events calendar, blogs, SharePoint, and joint website with the SJSU King Library. This position plays a pivotal role in advancing the Library’s mission by delivering equitable, accessible, and user‑friendly digital services that reflect the Library’s commitment to information access, privacy, intellectual freedom, digital inclusion, and excellent public service.

As part of the Public Engagement Division, the Senior Librarian ensures SJPL’s digital presence highlights timely information, strategic initiatives, and public awareness campaigns. The Senior Librarian will also manage a team of three and collaborate with various stakeholders, vendors, and other units within the Library, to deliver seamless digital access to library resources and support.

Key Responsibilities:

Digital Platforms Management

• Oversee SJPL’s website, online catalog, and integrated digital platforms, including the Integrated Library System (ILS), Bibliocommons, Sharepoint, and related tools.
• Manage all aspects of SJPL’s web and digital infrastructure, including site architecture, design, maintenance, performance optimization, accessibility, and cybersecurity compliance.
• Ensure all web content and interfaces meet ADA, WCAG, and multilingual accessibility standards, aligning with SJPL’s values.

User Experience and Analytics

• Lead improvement of digital user experience (UX) using insights from Google Analytics, Looker Studio, and user feedback.
• Develop and implement data‑informed strategies to enhance site usability, discoverability, and patron engagement.

Technology and Innovation

• Maintain proficiency in front‑end and back‑end technologies, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and common CMS platforms (Drupal, WordPress).
• Support ethical evaluation and implementation of AI tools in digital library services.
• Stay current with emerging technologies, trends, and standards in library technology, UX, and digital public services.

Project and Vendor Management

• Serve as project manager and subject matter expert for SJPL web‑related initiatives. Coordinate with other SJPL units and branches.
• Manage vendor contracts and vendor relationships to ensure high‑quality service delivery and compliance with City and Library policies.
• Uphold digital privacy, accessibility, and library ethical standards across all digital platforms.

Leadership and Supervision

• Supervise and provide leadership to the Web Services Unit staff, comprised of 1 Librarian, 1 Public Information Representative, and 1 Part‑time Library Clerk.
• Establish workplan priorities and deliverables, delegate tasks, and manage project timelines.
• Foster a collaborative, innovative, and inclusive team culture that supports professional growth and accountability.

Collaboration and Strategic Alignment

• Collaborate closely with SJPL’s Marketing and Communications Unit to ensure digital content supports SJPL’s branding, outreach, and strategic priorities.
• Represent SJPL in Citywide working groups focused on digital privacy, accessibility, and use of AI in libraries.

Preferred Technical Skills

• Platforms: SharePoint, Sierra, Bibliocommons, Beanstack, GTranslate, SpringShare
• Web Technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• CMS Experience: Drupal, WordPress
• Analytics Tools: Google Analytics, Looker Studio

Education and Experience

A Master’s Degree in Library Science from an accredited college or university AND three (3) years of increasingly responsible professional library experience, including lead responsibility for professional and technical staff.

If assigned to a specialized program or service: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university AND four (4) years of library experience in a lead role related to the particular program assignment.

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, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations. Ability to gather and analyze data to facilitate and improve library or library program procedures and techniques. Knowledge of library system and/or library program procedures, services, policies, goals, and objectives.
• 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. Responds in a timely, effective, positive and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate, complete, current, well‑organized, legible, concise, neat, and in proper grammatical form.
• Computer Skills – Experience with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.
• Creativity – Addresses objectives and problems while questioning traditional assumptions/solutions in order to generate creative ideas and new ways of doing business; exhibits creativity and innovation when contributing to organizational and individual objectives; seeks out opportunities to improve, streamline, reinvent work processes
• Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills – Develops effective relationships with co‑workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.
• Planning – Acts to align own unit's goals with the strategic direction of the organization; Defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.
• Problem Solving – Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.
• Project Management – Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.
• Supervision – Sets effective long and short‑term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision‑making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.
• 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 all the job specific questions. 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. Only those 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.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact renee.bettencourt@sjlibrary.org.

Annual Salary Range for this Senior Analyst classification is: $123,658 - $150,652. This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non‑pensionable compensation. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

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 applicants from this recruitment.