Senior Analyst (Integrated Library System Manager) - San José Public Library

The award-winning San José Public Library (SJPL) consists of more than 600 employees, a 23% bilingual workforce, and has 24 branch libraries across San José, in addition to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, which is the city’s main library jointly operated through a unique partnership with San José State University. SJPL serves a diverse community of roughly one million residents and currently has over 700,000 library members. It annually attracts over 6 million visitors (pre-pandemic) and circulates more than 8 million items per year.

SJPL has cultivated a 21st century library experience dedicated to public service and committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion at the core. In addition to providing library services to the community, SJPL proudly leads two citywide initiatives - the Education and Digital Literacy Strategy and the SJ Access digital equity initiative, which has become the number one provider of free public access to Wi-Fi connectivity, tech device lending, and multi-lingual digital literacy programs and support. SJPL is led by Jill Bourne, City Librarian, who was nationally recognized in 2017 as Library Journal’s “Librarian of the Year.”

SJPL enriches lives by fostering lifelong learning and ensuring that every member of the community has access to a vast array of ideas and information. The library department is a place where people do great work and make a difference in our community. To see examples of SJPL’s work and learn more about its impact, visit www.sjpl.org. Join us to make a difference!

The Library Department is recruiting for an Integrated Library System Manager to administer, develop, and implement the Department’s integrated library system (ILS). An ILS is an enterprise resource system utilized by the library for a variety of functions, including acquiring and organizing collection materials in all formats, circulation, cataloging, and managing patron accounts. The San Jose Public Library currently utilizes Sierra as its ILS, although the Department is conducting a procurement to identify the ILS product that may be implemented over the next year.

The ILS System Manager will provide strategic direction and oversight of the ILS, as well as demonstrate an understanding of the ILS usage by both Library employees and Library customers, ensuring that it efficiently suits all needs.

The ILS Manager will have the unique opportunity to lead the current ILS procurement process and work cross-functionally with multiple Library units, including Information Technology, Technical Services (Collections), Access Services (Circulation), Web Services, Branch and King Library public services teams, and Data & Analytics, facilitate work with other City departments, and manage external vendors. This position will ensure efficient operation of the Library’s ILS system, including performance management, administration, maintenance, upgrades, member notifications, cybersecurity protections, and a multitude of data reporting. With its centralized role in facilitating system integration and customer experience, the position will be part of the City Librarian’s Office team and report to the Chief of Staff.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Oversee the ILS procurement process, developing input for the competitive solicitation, contracting, and selection processes, which may result in the modernization of the current ILS or a migration to a new ILS system for the Library.
• Manage the efficient operation of the ILS, including application performance, maintenance, user management, and system upgrades to meet Library requirements.
• Lead a Department committee of staff that oversee major services integrated with the ILS to ensure a system that meets all user needs; develop and manage an annual workplan in alignment with Library strategic goals; and co-develop system recommendations as necessary.
• Utilize standard project management skills and tools to meet deadlines and ensure collaboration at all levels, both in the department and large number of external users, with a high degree of accuracy and ethics.
• Work both independently and collaboratively with Library staff, City staff, and vendors; research, analyze, evaluate, plan, test, troubleshoot and coordinate all aspects of ILS interfaces and services.
• Provide strategic coordination and serve as the point of escalation for vendor management and incident troubleshooting.
• Maintain awareness of product development releases and communicate opportunities to Library leadership and unit leads.
• Conduct user experience (UX) to recommend changes, improve ILS performance, and enhance customer experience.
• Implement ILS customer notification modules and evaluate engagement metrics to optimize customer service.
• Provide guidance to the ILS committee on how to optimize the catalog, integrated library system, and all aspects of the public interface from the customer perspective.
• Oversee routine database management, including regular deletion of withdrawn items and records that fall outside of the City’s retention schedule.
• Analyze data dashboards and optimized analytics features in the ILS. Develop staff trainings and procedural manuals to maximize the functionality of the ILS among staff.
• Provide thorough written reports detailing project status, data analysis, and seek feedback for improvements. Present findings to stakeholders, staff, and department leadership.
• Knowledge and experience with Sierra or a Library ILS platform is preferred, but not required.

Other Related Duties:

• Maintain privacy and confidentiality of patron data in accordance with the City of San José Digital Privacy requirements, Library’s Privacy Policy, and professional library ethical standards.
• Stay informed of digital accessibility requirements for government.
• Participate as a member of the Library’s Cybersecurity Incident Response Team.

This position engages with multiple departments and external stakeholders. The successful candidate must demonstrate strong analytical, management, and organizational skills, and the ability to handle multiple assignments. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal, critical thinking ability, large scale customer experience management, and data analysis are ideal.

Education and Experience

A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university and four (4) years of increasingly responsible experience in general management/administrative analytic work in the areas of budget, finance, grant administration, organizational analysis, general administration, human resources, or related field in general analytical work.

Acceptable Substitution

One (1) year of additional education above the Bachelor’s Degree level may be substituted for one (1) year of the required management/administrative analytic work.

Required Licensing

Possession of a valid State of California driver's license may be required for some assignments.

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

• Analytical Thinking – Approaching a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.
• Change Management – Demonstrates support for innovation and for organizational changes needed to improve the organization’s effectiveness; facilitates the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace.
• Communication Skills – Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills and displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.
• Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.
• Customer Service - Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.
• Initiative - Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promote job performance.
• Job Expertise – Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
• Problem Solving– Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of a problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.
• Project Management - Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.
• Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills – Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

You will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process:

1. What is the highest level of education you have completed?
2. If you have a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college, please state the field of study and the issuing accredited college or university. If not applicable, please list N/A.
3. How many years of increasingly responsible experience in general management/administrative analytic work in the areas of budget, finance, contract administration, organizational analysis, or related field in general analytical work do you possess?
4. An acceptable experience substitution for the Senior Analyst position is one (1) year of additional education above the bachelor's degree level. If you meet the acceptable substitution, please state the field of study and the issuing accredited college or university.
5. This position may require a State of California Driver's License. Please select the applicable option that best describes your driver’s license, or your ability to possess a valid driver's license.
6. Describe your most recent experience managing an Integrated Library System (ILS) or similar system to maintain and configure complex data sets with diverse user and customer interaction. Include the name of the system, examples of how you used it, the scale of staff and customer users, as well as how you applied data to optimize workflows for enhanced customer service.
7. Describe a situation in which you had to manage and coordinate stakeholders at varying levels of an organization (e.g., executives, department leads, frontline staff, external partners and the public)? How did you address differing priorities or interests, and what steps did you take to resolve conflicts while maintaining alignment with organizational goals?
8. Describe a situation where you used a technology product to improve the customer experience. What specific challenge were you looking to address, what strategies did you implement, and how did you measure the system’s impact on user satisfaction and the organization’s overall goals?