Director, Libraries Deanship

United Arab Emirates University; Al Ain; On-site; AED 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

United Arab Emirates University invites applications for the position of Director of the Libraries Deanship. Reporting to the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Director leads strategic, operational, and technical functions across services, spaces, systems, and partnerships to advance student success, teaching excellence, and research impact.

The role requires a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and substantial leadership experience in academic libraries, with a

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-recognized program or internationally equivalent.
• Minimum of six years of progressively responsible experience in academic or research libraries.
• Proven record of strategic leadership, organizational change, budgeting and staff development.
• Knowledge of digital resources, scholarly communication, preservation, and open access.

Responsibilities

• Set a forward-looking vision for the Libraries Deanship aligned with UAEU strategy.
• Advance student learning through information literacy and curricula integration.
• Lead collections strategy across print, digital, archival, and special formats.
• Oversee digital transformation and ethical use of AI and emerging technologies.
• Manage budget, procurement, contracts, and resources efficiently.
• Recruit and develop a high-performing workforce and foster inclusive culture.
• Represent the Deanship in governance and external forums.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Governance

Education

Master's in Library & Information Science

Job description

Job Description:

The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) invites applications for the position of Director of the Libraries Deanship. Reporting to the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Provost), the Director is responsible for the technical and administrative affairs of the University Libraries and provides strategic, operational, and technical leadership across their services, collections, staff, spaces, systems, and partnerships. Working closely with university leadership, colleges, research centers, faculty members, students, and staff, the Director will position the Libraries Deanship as an essential partner in student success, teaching excellence, research impact, knowledge stewardship, and digital innovation. The Director represents the Deanship on relevant University committees and leads its advancement in alignment with UAEU’s strategic priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and communicate a forward-looking vision for the Libraries Deanship; translate UAEU’s strategy into multi-year priorities, annual operational plans, measurable outcomes, and an agile service portfolio.
• Advance student learning and success through information and digital literacy, research consultation, accessible learning resources, and close integration of library expertise with curricula and academic programs.
• Strengthen the research enterprise through scholarly communication, open scholarship, research-data stewardship, digital scholarship, copyright guidance, bibliometrics and research-impact support, and the continued development of UAEU’s institutional repository and digital collections.
• Lead a coherent collections strategy across print, digital, archival, and special collections; oversee acquisition, licensing, discovery, preservation, and responsible withdrawal while balancing quality, access, cost, and long-term value.
• Guide responsible digital transformation, including library platforms, discovery systems, digitization, digital preservation, data-informed services, and the ethical and effective adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
• Enhance physical and virtual library environments as inclusive, accessible, technology-enabled spaces for study, collaboration, teaching, research, and community engagement.
• Use assessment, user research, service analytics, benchmarking, and key performance indicators to evaluate impact, improve the user experience, and report transparently on the Deanship’s activities and achievements.
• Prepare and manage the annual budget; oversee procurement, contracts, subscriptions, vendors, facilities, and technology investments; and ensure effective, sustainable, and accountable use of resources.
• Recruit, develop, empower, and retain a high-performing workforce; foster a collaborative, inclusive, service-oriented culture and support continuing professional development and succession planning.
• Establish clear policies, governance, and quality standards covering operations, collections, accessibility, copyright, privacy, information security, risk management, and business continuity, in collaboration with relevant University units.
• Build productive partnerships with colleges, research centers, information technology, student-support units, publishers, vendors, consortia, academic libraries, information centers, and cultural institutions across the UAE, GCC, Arab region, and internationally.
• Represent and advocate for the Libraries Deanship in University governance and external professional forums, and prepare the Deanship’s annual report and other performance and strategic reports required by University leadership.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A master’s degree in Library and Information Science from a reputable university recognized by the American Library Association (ALA), or internationally equivalent program.
• A minimum of six years of progressively responsible experience in academic or research libraries, including significant responsibility for collection development and/or senior library administration.
• A demonstrated record of strategic leadership, organizational change, staff development, budgeting, performance management, and stewardship of complex library operations.
• Substantial knowledge of contemporary academic-library practice, including digital and electronic resources, library technologies, scholarly communication, open access, research support, copyright, and preservation.
• Evidence of successful collaboration with senior leaders, faculty members, researchers, students, staff, vendors, and external partners in a complex higher-education environment.
• Advanced proficiency in English, excellent written and oral communication skills, and sound judgment in decision-making, negotiation, problem-solving, and stakeholder engagement.

Experience/Skills:

Visionary and strategic leadership; intellectual curiosity; collaborative governance; staff empowerment and development; change leadership; innovation; accountability; financial and resource stewardship; evidence-based decision-making; user and service orientation; inclusive leadership; effective communication and advocacy; negotiation and relationship building; analytical thinking; sound judgment; resilience; integrity; initiative; and commitment to professional ethics.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A doctorate degree or another relevant advanced qualification.
• Senior leadership experience in a research-intensive university or a comparably complex, multi-unit academic library system.
• Experience advancing research-data services, institutional repositories, digital scholarship, open educational resources, digital preservation, responsible AI initiatives, or evidence-based service design.
• Experience with major space, systems, or organizational transformation; contract negotiation; and external resource development.
• Relevant professional development in strategic management, institutional leadership and excellence, change management, program management, performance evaluation, or administrative analysis.
• Visible professional engagement through relevant associations, conferences, exhibitions, and workshops, including organizations such as American Library Association (ALA), Special Libraries Association (SLA), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and Association of European Research Libraries LIBER