ABOUT THE LIBRARY
The Denver Public Library (DPL) is a growing urban library system that serves the City & County of Denver. DPL sees more than 4 million visitors every year across its 27 locations, serves Denver’s most vulnerable communities through outreach and mobile services, hosts thousands of programs a year and manages a collection of more than 1.4 million physical and digital materials.
We believe a strong library is vital for a strong community. DPL is committed to serving the evolving needs of Denverites through inspired service delivery, diverse collections, culturally-representative spaces and equitable policies & procedures.
ABOUT THE JOB
Under the leadership of the City Librarian, the Chief Operations Officer (COO) will have fiscal oversight and comprehensive planning for the organization’s operational support divisions including: Finance, Facilities, Safety & Security, and Information Technology. As COO, you will be responsible for approximately a $94M budget, including a $7M capital budget, which does not include funds issued from the City and County of Denver’s bond programs. You would be responsible for stewarding Denver Public Library assets including nearly 1M square feet in 27 libraries (soon to be 29), a fleet of vehicles, and multiple technology projects and platforms.
You, along with the Chiefs of Public Services and Equity & Strategy, as the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), will spearhead a culture of collaboration, connectedness and accountability by prioritizing work that is aligned with strategic objectives and outcomes. The COO is responsible for leading and guiding budgetary planning, system enhancements, process improvements and technology plans and projects that support the core functions of the library as well as the planning and operations to create safe, clean and welcoming spaces throughout our organization. As the COO, you will work collaboratively with other leaders to envision and oversee major capital projects including library renovations, new library construction, and other capital enhancements. The COO will oversee safety, security, continuity of operations, and emergency preparedness, supporting a multi-functional team in comprehensive analysis and planning for ongoing safety improvements.
Additionally, as COO, you will act as a representative of the City Librarian—something that calls for quick thinking, humility, maturity, and situational sensitivity.
Examples of work this position will be responsible for includes:
● Responsible for ensuring the development and maintenance of comprehensive fiscal, facilities, safety and security, and technology plans
● Directs the development and implementation of the library’s operational and capital budgets; leads data-informed budget and expenditure decisions for the library; oversees fiscal activities to ensure expenditures adhere to the approved budget; meets compliance requirements; ensures expenditures are fiscally prudent, and are in alignment with the Library’s mission and strategic plan
● Oversees planning and administration of major capital projects including library renovations and/or new construction
● Responsible for translating high-level vision and strategies to divisional priorities for execution by direct reports leading subdivisions; forecasts and allocates the resources required to operationalize the strategy
● Directs the identification, implementation and analyses of opportunities for service enhancements
● Works collaboratively to develop and/or improve systems, processes, controls and practices/procedures that improve the overall efficiency of the library’s operations
● Provides timely, accurate and complete accounts of the operating condition of the library, including fiscal management, procurement, facility maintenance, safety & security, and information technology
● Responsible for developing risk management strategies for the purpose of resilience, integrating risk-based decision making into the library’s planning, operations, management, reporting, and policies
● Acts as a strategic partner with other Chiefs and works closely with the City Librarian and colleagues to ensure that operational expectations and benchmarks are established and met
● Consults, collaborates and coordinates with DPL departments, Mayoral administration and other City departments, as needed, in addressing service needs of functional areas; may represent the library to provide information to City Council, boards or commissions, committees and representatives from federal, state and local agencies, organizations and community leaders.
ABOUT YOU
Our ideal candidate will have at least the following required minimum qualifications:
● Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, or a closely related field
● Minimum of five (5) years of executive or senior level management level experience within a complex, multi-location organization
● Demonstrates experience and knowledge of complex financial budgets in excess of $1M
● Demonstrates strong project management, facilitation, coaching, consulting, written communication, and analytical skills
● Demonstrates knowledge of and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion principles and practices
● A sense of humor and a positive and enthusiastic approach to leadership
● Has the ability to develop ideas and perform the implementation steps to achieve results
● Experience demonstrating intercultural competencies and the ability to skillfully navigate cultural differences and similarities
● Demonstrates courageous leadership and an enthusiasm for risk taking and learning from failure
● Ability to work full-time, including evenings and weekends as needed
● Ability to navigate uncertainty and ambiguity while prioritizing work efforts to achieve overall strategy
● Ability to satisfactorily pass a background check after the offer has been made
Additional preferred qualifications are as follows:
● Experience in a leadership capacity at a large urban library or similar complex multi-facility nonprofit or government organization