Senior Community Library Manager

County of Contra Costa; California; On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Contra Costa County Library is seeking a Senior Community Library Manager to lead operations at Brentwood and Danville libraries. You will drive strategic initiatives, steward relationships with staff and community partners, and ensure inclusive, high‑quality library services across the county.

The role requires MLS, supervisory experience, and a track record of data‑driven decision making, staff development, and customer service excellence.

Qualifications

• MLS degree from an ALA-accredited program.
• Public library supervisory experience.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage budgets and collections.

Responsibilities

• Advancing strategic goals and initiatives aligned with the Library’s vision, mission, values, and brand.
• Building collaborative relationships with staff, community partners, and county stakeholders.
• Staying current on trends and emerging technologies and applying best practices to meet evolving community needs.
• De-escalating and resolving conflicts with sound judgment while guiding staff through challenging situations.
• Fostering psychological safety and accountability where employees contribute ideas and take responsibility for results.
• Overseeing effective collection management through selection, weeding, and budgeting.
• Fostering employee learning and development through coaching and career support.
• Resolving customer concerns professionally while balancing service and policies.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Data-informed decisions

Change management

Relationship building

Team development

Equity & inclusion

Operational management

Education

MLS degree (ALA-accredited)

Job description

Bargaining Unit: Local 21 - Supervisory Management

Why join the Contra Costa County Library?

Contra Costa County’s Library Department is seeking qualified candidates to fill two (2) vacancies for the Senior Community Library Manager classification. These exciting opportunities are available at the Brentwood and Danville Libraries.

The Contra Costa County Library is a dynamic system of nearly 400 dedicated employees, including multilingual staff who make up 10% of the workforce. Together, they serve 26 diverse communities across the county.

Each year, the Library welcomes more than 2.4 million visitors and circulates approximately 4.8 million items.

The Library’s Strategic Plan guides its commitment to fostering personal and community engagement through literacy and reading. This plan shapes the Library’s priorities, ensuring it delivers essential services and resources in safe and welcoming spaces. The Library is deeply committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and is actively working to advance anti-racist practices within the organization.

As a County Department, the Library works to ensure every resident can learn, grow, and thrive in strong, inclusive communities.

We are looking for someone who is:

• A thoughtful and strategic decision-maker who exhibits sound and accurate judgment and uses data, community insights, and emerging trends to inform decisions, measure success, and respond effectively to evolving needs.
• An adaptable, flexible, and innovative professional who embraces change as an opportunity for growth, develops responsive practices, and guides staff through change with clarity, empathy, and confidence.
• A relationship-builder and people developer who builds trust and strong relationships, coaches, develops, and motivates employees, strengthens teams, and fosters collaboration, accountability, growth, and continuous improvement.
• A collaborative community partner who is passionate about public libraries, employee development, and community engagement, builds effective partnerships, represents the Library with professionalism and purpose, and engages people of all ages and backgrounds.
• A leader who inspires exceptional customer service by encouraging staff to embrace a growth mindset, think creatively, and deliver outstanding service while cultivating a positive, high-performing workplace culture.
• A champion of equity and inclusion who brings a strong equity lens to their work, values diverse perspectives, and creates a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and efficient environment where staff, visitors, and the broader community can thrive.
• An organized and energetic manager who coordinates daily operations, manages multiple initiatives and competing priorities, and thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment while responding effectively to the evolving needs of staff and the community.

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Advancing strategic goals and initiatives aligned with the Library’s vision, mission, values, and brand.
• Building collaborative relationships with staff, community partners, and county stakeholders to strengthen library services and community connections.
• Staying current on trends and emerging technologies and applying best practices and creative thinking to meet evolving community needs.
• De-escalating and resolving conflicts with sound judgment while guiding staff through challenging customer and interpersonal situations and maintaining a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment.
• Fostering psychological safety and accountability where employees feel comfortable contributing ideas, asking questions, learning from mistakes, and taking responsibility for shared expectations and results.
• Overseeing effective collection management through materials selection, timely weeding and purchasing, collection stewardship, and strategic use of financial resources.
• Fostering employee learning and development through coaching, career support, and preparation for future leadership opportunities.
• Resolving customer concerns professionally while balancing exceptional service, library policies, and operational needs.

A few reasons you might love this job:

• You will lead a team that cares, employees who support one another, take pride in serving the community, and are committed to creating welcoming experiences for every visitor.
• You will work alongside a collaborative, experienced library leadership teamthat values partnership, shared learning, and mutual support.
• You will build meaningful community connections with local organizations, schools, businesses, and residents while expanding the Library’s impact.
• You will have opportunities to grow as a leader through professional development, leadership coaching, and ongoing learning throughout your career.
• You willjoin a library system committed to belonging and opportunity, where diverse perspectives are valued, equitable access is promoted, and everyone feels welcomed, respected, and supported.

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• You will have to balance staffing resources and respond to unexpected changes to maintain consistent, high-quality library service.
• You will handle complex customer service and interpersonal situations with professionalism, empathy, fairness, and sound judgment while supporting a busy, diverse branch community—including large after-school crowds—and maintaining a safe, welcoming environment.
• You will lead staff through evolving technologies, services, organizational changes, and shifting customer expectations.
• You will maintain clear performance expectations while supporting diverse employee perspectives and a positive, collaborative, accountable workplace culture.
• You will oversee facility maintenance and improvement projects while minimizing disruption to staff and customers and provide leadership support at other library locations when temporary operational assignments are needed.

Competencies required for this position:

• Legal and Regulatory Navigation: Understanding, interpreting, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations
• Professional & Technical Expertise: Applying technical subject matter to the job
• Attention to Detail: Focusing on the details of work content, work steps, and final work products
• Innovation: Imagining and devising new and better ways of doing things
• Oral Communication: Engaging effectively in dialogue
• Writing: Communicating effectively in writing
• Professional Impact: Presenting self as a positive representative of the organization
• Leadership: Guiding and encouraging others to accomplish a common goal
• Managing Performance: Ensuring superior individual and group performance
• Valuing Diversity: Appreciating the benefits of varied backgrounds and cultures in the workplace
• Business Process Analysis: Defining, assessing, and improving operational processes and workflow
• Managing Organizational Complexity: Maneuvering through complex political situations and functions within the organization

The eligible list established from this recruitment process will be valid for 6 months. To review the full classification specifications for this class, please follow this link: Senior Community Library Manager

Education: Possession of a Master of Library Science degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association, or equivalent curriculum.

Experience: Three (3) years of full-time equivalent professional/supervisory public library experience, which must have included experience as a Community/Branch Library Manager in a public library.

OR Four (4) years full-time equivalent experience working in a library which may include two (2) years as support staff, technician or paraprofessional, and at least two (2) years in a professional/supervisory capacity.

1. Application Filing and Evaluation: Applicants will be required to complete a supplemental questionnaire at the time of application. Applications will be evaluated to determine which candidates will move forward in the next phase of the recruitment process.

2. Online Video Interview and Writing Assessment: Candidates who possess the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in an online video interview and writing assessment. The assessment will measure candidates' competencies as they relate to the Senior Community Library Manager classification. In the assessment, candidates must achieve an average passing score of 70% or higher on each of the competencies, as well as an overall passing score of 70% or higher. These may include, but are not limited to: Professional and Technical Expertise,