Director of Inclusion and Belonging
Director of Inclusion and Belonging
Employer Active
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Share
Job Alert
You will be updated with latest job alerts via email
Job Description
Position Description
Invitation to Compete #2025: Director of Inclusion and Belonging
Central Library1000 4th Ave. Seattle WA 98104
Regular FLSA exempt fulltime 80 hours per twoweek pay period
Salary range: $134801.28 $222413.76 annually
This recruitment is open to the public and to The Seattle Public Librarys employees and will be open until filled. Please submit your application cover letter and resume in NEOGOV by 5:00 p.m. on May 12 2025 for first consideration. Please read the How to Apply section of this bulletin for more information.
About The Seattle Public Library
The Seattle Public Librarys mission is to bring people information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. We envision the Library as the central hub of an equitable and connected city where knowledge flourishes and people find inspiration and a sense of belonging. Since 1891 we have grown from a single reading room to a worldclass library system with 27 locations including the iconic Central Library.
The Library works every day to foster and support a healthy city and a healthy democracy. We do this work guided by the principles of intellectual freedom and equity and with a service focus on literacy the love of reading and learning patron privacy and confidentiality transparency accountability to the public strong partnerships and innovation.
The Library is an active and committed partner in the City of Seattles Race and Social Justice efforts which seeks to end racial disparities and achieve racial equity in City government. RSJ embeds racial equity and social justice principles into programs budgets and culture.
Library employees are highly regarded by the public for their knowledge quality of service empathy compassion and caring. As a workplace we value transparent communication partnership and engagement. We are enriched individually and organizationally by our diversity. We are looking for a leader who will continue our development of an inclusive workplace that delivers a sense of belonging to Library staff and patrons.
Earlier this year the Library launched a new strategic plan. We are now looking for a leader to join the team who is creative flexible and able to put this plan into motion. We are looking for a leader to help us as we consider restructuring and rebalancing units services and teams across the Library to better serve our patrons as we move toward our preferred future.
If you share our values and meet the qualifications the Library invites you to apply for the Director of Inclusion and Belongingposition.
About the Position
The Director of Inclusion and Belonging is a senior leadership position responsible for helping Library leadership develop implement and oversee initiatives that promote inclusion and belonging within the organization and for the patrons of the Library. This position is part of the Librarys Senior Management Team and reports to the Chief Librarian and Executive Director. This role requires a strategic thinker and visionary who will partner with Library senior leadership Library division leadership and City of Seattle partners to support an inclusive culture that values diverse perspectives and ensures equal opportunities for all employees and patrons.
While building a culture of Inclusion and Belonging is the responsibility of the entire Library leadership team the Director of Inclusion and Belonging will play a key role in the Librarys efforts to foster an equitable workplace and support inclusive practices systemwide. This individual will help Library leadership drive systemic change remove barriers and ensure that the Librarys policies practices and culture align with its commitment to Inclusion and Belonging.
This position is responsible for supporting Library leadership in the inclusive delivery of services to Library patrons consistent with the Librarys mission and strategic priorities. Additionally the Director of Inclusion and Belonging will demonstrate the Librarys commitment to community public service civic engagement and diversity equity inclusion and accessibility to promote the value of the Library and Library staff to others through local regional state and national committees and boards where the Library can be a key partner or collaborator in causes and efforts supportive of our work.
Job Responsibilities
Develop and implement a comprehensive Inclusion and Belonging strategythat aligns with the Librarys mission values and longterm strategic goals.
Collaborate with Library leadersto embed Inclusion and Belonging principles into the Librarys overall business and service deliverable strategies.
Lead the design and implementation of the Inclusion and Belonging framework by establishing goals metrics and assessment criteria to track progress identify gaps and measure the impact of Inclusion and Belonging initiatives.
Develop oversee and advance SPL initiativesthat foster a culture of openness and inclusion.
Integrate key concepts of belonging inclusion equity and accessibilityinto existing programs policies practices and work plans.
Serve as an advisor and thought leaderon issues of Inclusion and Belonging.
Increase and measure staff cultural competencythrough training and reviewing data on internal and external complaints related to Inclusion and Belonging including bans and trespasses.
Serve as Executive Sponsor of the Race and Social Justice Change Teamand staff identity caucusing groups leading and collaborating to identify and dismantle systemic racism specifically patron and staff barriers to access and opportunities.
Mediate conversations among leadershipand staff on culturally sensitive issues.
Develop plan and execute Inclusion and Belonging activities(e.g. training education workshops communications and events) to engage the organization and help make SPLs staff teams and culture more inclusive equitable and responsive.
Collaborate with SPL management teamsto strengthen their roles as champions and advocates for Inclusion and Belonging both internally and externally driving awareness commitment and accountability.
Partner with HR and SPL Leadershipto embed principles of Inclusion and Belonging into all talent systems across the employee life cycle including identification and development of diverse talent succession planning leadership development people management retention strategies and recruiting.
Grow adoption of Inclusion and Belonging principles among the SPL workforceand provide leadership and support to empower and strengthen internal communities.
Provide regular updateson relevant activities and progress across the organization including staff leadership and board meetings.
Convene and lead an Inclusion and Belonging committeeincluding staff from multiple classifications cultures and orientations for feedback about and input into Inclusion and Belonging assessments and plans.
Implement relevant projects as outlined in the LibrarysStrategic Planby providing visionary leadership to realize the Inclusion and Belonging elements of the plan. Recommend strategic service improvements and enhancements that leverage emerging library trends technology and service development opportunities.
Participate with the City and Librarys Race and Social Justice effortsto address systemic and policy related race and social justice inequities.
Integrate equity values principles and practicesinto program design development implementation and evaluation and lead the application of an equity lens to policies procedures and operations to address systemic and institutionalized racism.
Work successfully across divisionswith other members of SPLs Leadership Team to implement Inclusion and Belonging strategies.
Make recommendations to the Executive Director and Chief Librarian.Oversee the analysis and reporting of Library usage data and conduct regular evaluation of the effectiveness of Library programs and services in meeting Library Inclusion and Belonging objectives.
Support the Librarys Labor management partnershipby working collaboratively with the Senior Management Team Human Resources and the Union on labor strategy and proactive resolution of issues.
Contribute to the review development and implementation of Library policies and procedures for the whole organization.
Qualifications
At least seven years of management experience developing inclusion and belonging related initiatives (previous executive level experience preferred).
Proven record implementing inclusion and belonging initiatives through to .
The ability to demonstrate vision strategic thinking collaboration and inclusive leadership skills; flexibility and adaptability; and a willingness to embrace and drive change initiatives. The ability to be intellectually engaging with strong interpersonal communication and advocacy skills.
The ability to frame issues and potential solutions to others negotiate to a successful resolution and engage in effective problem solving while also exhibiting selfawareness and selfmanagement strategies.
The ability to recognize and set priorities and to use initiative and independent management decisionmaking.
Knowledge of public libraries and their role within a community with particular emphasis on the Librarys role in Intellectual Freedom.
Excellent communication public speaking and presentation skills to a variety of audiences are essential.
The ability to lead by example and promote teamwork.
Additional Information
How to Apply
Candidates who meet the qualifications are asked to submit the following items by 5:00 p.m. on May 12 2025 for first consideration.
- NEOGOV online application
- A cover letter that describes how your experience and skills align with the stated job responsibilities and qualifications. Please let us know why you are interested in this position.
- Current resume that summarizes relevant education professional experience training and skills.
Applications that do not include a cover letter resume online application and completed supplemental questions will not be considered.
Applicants will be screened for competitiveness completeness and written communication skills. Initial screening will be based on a review of application materials. The employment history detailed in your application materials MUST validate/support your responses to the supplemental questions. If your responses cannot be validated you will not proceed to the next steps of the review/selection process. The most competitive candidates will be invited to participate in a series of one or more interviews.
Benefits and Salary Information
The full salary range for this position is $134801.28 $222413.76 annually.
The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation holiday and sick leave as well as medical dental vision life and longterm disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the Citys website at: Information about retirement plans can be found at: Information
If you have questions regarding this bulletin or employment at The Seattle Public Library please send an email to. The Library promotes diversity and inclusion in employment. If accommodations are needed during the selection process please contact us. Please keep in mind that job offers are contingent on a review of criminal history as well as verification of information provided by the applicant as part of the application process.
Required Experience:
Director
Employment Type
Full-Time
