Job Description
About Our Job
Why Denver Public Library?
Denver – one of the nation's top places to live, work and play – needs the best people working for the residents of Denver. Denver Public Library (DPL) is one of the few places in the city where all people, from all backgrounds and life circumstances, are welcome free of charge. We have 26 branch libraries, in addition to our downtown Central location, which is undergoing a $70 million renovation to reimagine our customer-friendly and innovative spaces.
In November 2022, Denver’s voters acknowledged the library’s value to the community through the Strong Library Strong Denver ballot measure that dedicated an additional $32+ million per year of funding. This funding not only supports our vision of a strong community where everyone thrives, it supports our largest asset – our staff, so that they may continue to embody our core values of – Welcoming, Curiosity, Connection, Equity and Stewardship.
Position Overview
Under the leadership of the City Librarian, the Chief Equity & Strategy (CESO) Officer will lead the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement (EDI&E) division, the organization’s Strategy and Evaluation (S&E) unit, Human Resources (HR), our Communications and Community Engagement (CCE) division as well as cross-functional and administrative coordination and project management. You, along with the Chiefs of Operations (COO) and Public Services (CPSO), 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.
As the CESO, you will help shape the culture of the organization, nurturing an environment that is equitable and inclusive, and fosters the DPL spirit of innovation, learning and productivity. You’ll have the opportunity to cultivate our belief that a safe, equitable workplace is an actively anti-racist workplace, reflecting the lived realities of people of color - allowing our staff and customers to show up fully as they are and be cared for and thrive.
You get the privilege of helping guide the formulation of communication and marketing plans that tell DPL stories – ones that highlight our dedication and commitment to our communities and to one another. You have the opportunity to engage with and reflect the needs of the broader Denver community and support our strategic objectives and values via the teams’ marketing and communications campaigns, partnerships, and outreach efforts.
DPL’s CESO will be responsible for the team leading strategic planning, performance dashboards, and data and research projects. You and your team will determine appropriate data tracking mechanisms and measures collaboratively with the ELT – demonstrating a data-informed decision-making model and approach that maximizes our efficiencies, fine-tunes our practices, and fosters the best ways to engage and interact with our customers.
You will be responsible for the life cycle of our employees, as the executive leader of our Human Resources division. As CESO, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the positive reflection and culture of DPL to potential, new, and tenured employees. You will work to refine the tracking mechanisms necessary to reflect quantitative and qualitative data of DPL employees. Along with the ELT and SLT, you will work to enhance and/or develop best practices associated with core human resources functions and further alignment of staff-related actions, services and resources.
Additionally, you may act as a representative of the City Librarian—something that calls for quick thinking, humility, maturity, and situational sensitivity.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Examples of duties, responsibilities, and specific areas of oversight include, but are not limited to, the following:
● Lead the operations, outcomes and performance of DPL’s EDI&E, S&E, HR and CCE divisions as well as general coordination and project management functions, including the performance and evaluation of respective staff
● Provide day-to-day strategic leadership and prioritization for the organization; oversee and monitor the organization's strategic planning process, including the update of the Strategic Roadmap, which will conclude in Q4 2024, and the new 2025+ Roadmap
● Work collaboratively with the organization's ELT and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to promote a data-informed equitable approach that focuses on the enhancement of practices, services and processes organization-wide
● Champion, support and collaborate with the ELT to integrate anti-racist strategies, policies and philosophies related to equity, diversity and inclusion with a willingness to acknowledge and address other forms of social bias
● Guide efforts to develop and implement EDI&E action plans, which includes learning & development offerings as well as the pairing of other resources for all staff
● Guide the organization’s communication and marketing strategies and plans, including internal communications and norms, targeted marketing campaigns as well as public relations, government relations, and external communication and engagement practices
● Acts as a strategic partner on the ELT and works closely with the City Librarian and colleagues to ensure that operational expectations and benchmarks are established and met
● Consults and coordinates with Mayoral administration and other City departments, as needed, in addressing service needs of functional areas; may represent the library before or provide information to City Council, boards or commissions, committees and representatives from federal, state and local agencies, and organizations
About You
Position Qualifications
REQUIRED:
● 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
● Demonstrates a minimum of three (3) years’ experience with developing and implementing equity, diversity and inclusion principles and practices by leading organizational systemic change initiatives with long-term outcomes and monitoring progress
● Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with executing communication and engagement practices for a complex organization
● Demonstrates strong project management, facilitation, coaching, consulting, written communication, and analytical skills
● 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
PREFERRED:
● Master’s degree preferred
● Experience in a leadership capacity at a large urban library or similar complex multi-facility nonprofit or government organization
● Spanish speaking or bilingual
Other things to know:
Hiring pay scale: $125,176 - $168,988
Please submit your resume by the end of business on October 13, 2023 in order to be considered for this position.
Resumes will be reviewed as they are received.
About Everything Else
Job Profile
LA1770 Executive
To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.
Position Type
Unlimited
Library Hiring Range
$125,176.00 - $168,988.00
Starting Pay
$125,176 - $168,988
Agency
Denver Public Library
Assessment Requirement
The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.