Chief Operations Officer - Center for Research Libraries

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) in Chicago seeks a Chief Operating Officer to act as the President’s strategic partner and deputy for operations. This onsite leadership role focuses on translating vision into coordinated execution across finance, HR, technology, and collections operations, with an eye toward scalable growth and organizational resilience.

The ideal candidate brings 10+ years in nonprofit executive leadership, 5+ years managing senior teams, and proven ability to implement

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• At least ten years of progressively responsible executive leadership experience with nonprofit operations.
• Five years leading senior managers or multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience designing organization-wide operating plans, systems, and accountability structures.
• Strong financial leadership including budgeting, forecasting, and internal controls.
• Experience with human resources, organizational development, and employment-law compliance.
• Experience managing procurement, contracts, insurance, facilities, or related operational functions.
• Proven ability to translate strategic vision into practical execution and measurable results.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the President’s chief operational partner translating strategic vision into execution across finance, HR, technology, and operations.
• Lead operational modernization and build systems, discipline, and staff capacity for scalable growth.
• Coach leaders, clarify decision rights, and improve planning and execution across the enterprise.
• Oversee internal teams responsible for collections access, licensing, and HR.
• Manage external partners including fractional CFO and HR counsel; ensure financial controls.
• Oversee annual operating budgets and maintain strong reserves and investments.
• Strengthen BI, long-range planning, and enterprise risk management.

Skills

Executive leadership

Nonprofit operations

Financial leadership

Strategic planning

Board interaction

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Graduate or professional degree

Job description

Another Source’s client,Center for Research Libraries (CRL), is recruiting aChief Operating Officerto join their team in Chicago, Illinois. This is an onsite leadership opportunity, and relocationassistanceis available.

Here’sa little about the Center for Research Libraries:

For more than 75 years, the Center for Research Libraries has helped research institutionsaccomplish togetherwhat would be difficult or inefficient to achieve alone. Founded in 1949, CRL is an independent nonprofit research library and member-owned consortium serving academic and research institutions across the United States and Canada.

CRL is not a traditional professional association or commercial service provider. It is a shared operating institution- owned and governed by its members, with collections, facilities, staff, systems, and financial resources dedicated to advancing their common needs. Members invest collectively to preserve the scholarly record, extend access to distinctive research materials, negotiate major licensing agreements, reduce institutional risk, and build infrastructure that no single organization could sustain independently.

CRL maintains one of North America’s most distinctive research collections, including more than 1.5 million cataloged titles,approximately fiveto six million physical items, and more than 85 million digitized pages spanningnearly 280languages. Its work also includes preservation, rapid digitization, physical lending, metadata and discovery support, collection analysis, shared-print infrastructure, specialized acquisitions, and collaborative licensing.

With approximately $30 million in assets, no debt, strong reserves, and a 2027-2030 strategic framework focused on modernization, technology, organizational resilience, and expanded shared infrastructure, CRL is entering an important new chapter.

About this role:

Reporting directly to the President & CEO, the Chief Operating Officer serves as the President's strategic partner and deputy for operations, helping translate organizational vision into coordinated execution across the enterprise.

This is not a turnaround opportunity. CRL is financially strong, mission-driven, and well positioned for growth. The opportunity is one of organizational maturation: building the management systems, operational discipline, staff capacity, cross-functional alignment, and execution rhythm needed to convert CRL’s assets and ambitions into consistent results.

The COO will work at the intersection of mission, finance, technology, human resources, organizational development, collectionsoperations, and collaborative governance. This executive will oversee a broad operational portfolio while partnering closely with the President, Board, internal leaders, external finance professionals, employment counsel, and member stakeholders.

Library experience is not required. CRL is seeking an accomplished operational executive who understands how to lead complex, mission-driven organizations and enjoys creating the structure, clarity, and accountability that help strong institutions become more integrated, scalable, and effective.

Scope & Impact

• Serve as the President’s chief operational partner, translating CRL’s strategic vision into coordinated execution across finance, human resources, technology,collectionsoperations, procurement, facilities, and organizational administration.

• Lead the operational modernization of a financially strong organization entering its next phase of growth, strengthening the systems, cross-functional discipline, and management infrastructure needed to advance CRL’s 2027-2030 strategic framework.

• Build organizational capacity by coaching leaders, clarifying decision rights, strengthening accountability, and improving planning and execution across the enterprise.

• Provide executive leadership for internal teams responsible forcollectionsaccess and technology, collections acquisition and licensing, and human resources.

• Serve as the primary executive relationship manager for CRL’s external accounting and finance partner, including its fractional CFO and accounting team, as well as outside human resources and labor counsel.

• Oversee annual operating budgets ofapproximately $7-$9 million, funded primarily through member dues and program revenue.

• Help steward CRL’s strong financial position, including substantial operating reserves and more than $10 million in long-term investment assets.

• Provide executive oversight for more than $100 million annually in licensing transactions managed on behalf of member institutions, ensuring disciplined cash management, strong internal controls, and operational efficiency.

• Partner with the President and Board to strengthen business intelligence, long-range planning, financial stewardship, enterprise risk management, and organizational performance.

• Improve coordination among program, operations, technology, finance, and member-service functions so that shared priorities move efficiently from discussion to sustained execution.

• Lead continuous improvement efforts that create scalable processes, modernize systems, strengthen communication, and improvethe employeeand member experience.

• Support thoughtful organizational growth by partnering with the President and directors toidentifythe staffing, systems, and operational capabilitiesrequiredto advance CRL’s strategic priorities.

• Help CRL evaluate and implement practical uses of emerging technologies, including automation, improved data practices, and artificial intelligence in library and organizational operations.

• Preserve the professionalexpertiseand member ownership that make CRL distinctive while helping the organization become more integrated, resilient, and effective.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree oran equivalentcombination of education and relevant professional experience.

• At least ten years of progressively responsible executive leadership experience with significant responsibility for nonprofit operations, administration, finance, or a comparable portfolio.

• At least five years of experience leading senior managers or multidisciplinary teams.

• Demonstrated success designing and implementing organization-wide operating plans, systems, policies, and accountability structures.

• Strong financial leadership experience, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, long-range planning, internal controls, and presenting information to executive leaders or governing boards.

• Experience leading or overseeing human resources, workforce planning, employee relations, organizational development, and employment-law compliance.

• Experience managing enterprise risk, compliance, procurement, contracts, insurance, facilities, technology, or related operational functions.

• Proven ability to translate strategic vision into practical execution, measurable priorities, and sustainable organizational results.

• Experience partnering effectively with governing boards, executive leadership teams, external advisors, and diverse stakeholders.

• A track recordof leading organizational change, improving cross-functional collaboration, and building high-performing teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate or professional degree.

• Experience within higher education, research institutions, cultural organizations, associations, consortia, or other mission-driven environments.

• Experience working within a membership organization orshared-servicemodel.

• Experience overseeing information technology, facilities, capital projects, or enterprise systems.

• Familiarity with outsourced or fractional finance models and managing strategic external partners.

What'sin it for you:

The anticipated annual salary range for this position is$160,000-$180,000, commensuratewith experience and qualifications. Relocationassistanceis available.

CRL offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Executive-level paid vacation, sick leave, and personal time

• Eleven paid holidays, including two floating holidays

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

• Employer-paid basic life insurance and long-term disability coverage

• Retirement benefits, including an employer-funded Defined Contribution Retirement Plan and a Tax-Deferred Annuity Retirement Plan

• A mission-driven, collaborative culture supporting scholarship and research worldwide