Associate Director Youth & Family Services

INTRODUCTION

This position within the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL), a member of the management leadership team for the Department of Public Services, serves as the Associate Director of Youth and Family Services. DCPL is a large urban library system with 25 neighborhood library locations throughout the District and one central library. DCPL’s mission is to provide environments that invite reading, learning and community discussion and equips people to learn all their lives, to embrace diversity and to build a thriving city. DCPL is proud to be a recognized force in the community for engaging the mind, expanding opportunities and elevating the quality of life.

The Associate Director of Youth and Family Services ensures the effective use of resources by planning, organizing, monitoring, evaluating, and measuring impact against service objectives; managing budgets (including grant funded projects); and preparing formal reports and deliverables. The incumbent works closely with the community, representing the library to the public, developing key relationships, and serving as the library’s point person in a wide range of partnerships and collaborative projects with schools, government agencies, philanthropic organizations, and other service providers.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Plans and monitors assigned budgets, including the Books from Birth program and other grant budgets; performs, or delegates as appropriate, administrative record keeping and reporting.
• Represents the Library’s point of view in formal meetings and dealings with program officials in local, regional, and national organizations.
• Persuades, engages and articulates a vision to a wide variety of audiences. Recognizes and sets priorities, embraces and drives change initiatives, and uses collaborative and inclusive leadership skills.
• Manages relationships with diverse populations inclusively and equitably; respects, values, and encourages the unique dimension each employee adds to the organization and each member of the community brings to the whole. Seeks opportunities to learn from differences.
• Oversees the development of responsive, coordinated, and innovative programming, services and large-scale events. Ensures that the Library's standards for evaluation are consistently applied in the development and execution of these efforts.
• Primarily focused on customer needs, able to deliver high quality, value added services. Constantly strives to find new ways to increase customer satisfaction and understanding, foster equitable services, and forge meaningful connections.
• Develops DCPL’s strategic programmatic direction for services to children, teens, and their caregivers. Manages and maintains excellent internal and external customer service, interprets library policies and procedures to the staff and public, and responds appropriately to sensitive or controversial inquiries or complaints related to assigned library service emphases.
• Conducts evaluation and assessments of service operations and service delivery.
• Cultivates relationships and partnerships at the system, city and national level that align with the Library's strategic priorities and address community needs and interests.
• Collaborates with other DCPL departments to launch new initiatives and develop systemwide service plans.
• Recommends significant changes to policies, programs, approaches, or methods to further organizational and community goals, solve problems, and optimize services.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with community partners to advocate for children and youth and their families in senior policy discussions.
• Supports, promotes, and ensures alignment with the organization’s vision, mission, and values; holds big picture view while setting priorities, often uses breakthrough strategies to find the way forward.

Education and Experience

The incumbent must possess a Master of Library Science from an accredited institution and at least 1 year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (MS14). In addition, the following is required:

• Demonstrated skill in establishing and maintaining relationships with community partners and demonstrated ability to advocate for children and youth and their families in senior policy discussions.
• Ability to plan and manage, directly and indirectly, 21st century library services.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally; develop reports, policy guidelines, correspondence, and program procedures.
• Ability to recognize and set priorities, embrace and drive change initiatives, and to use collaborative and inclusive leadership skills.
• Comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of the principles and practices of serving youth and their caregivers in a large public library system.
• In-depth knowledge of principles and practices germane to childhood literacy and public library program and service development for all ages and developmental stages.
• Ability to make significant recommendations to change, interpret, or develop important or innovative policies, programs, approaches, or methods in solving a variety of problems or in expanding services.
• Broad and adept knowledge in methods of effective outreach to children, teens, and families. This may also include knowledge sufficient to advising staff at various levels within the Library; and developing policies, programs, services, and products for the Library.
• Ability to persuade, engage and articulate a vision to a wide variety of audiences.
• Knowledge of public library operations, services, and functions; the principles and practices of public library program and service development for all ages and developmental stages.
• Skill and ability to represent the library’s point of view in formal meetings and dealings with program officials in local, regional, and national organizations.

Residency Requirement

A person applying for a position in the Career Service, Educational Service, Management Supervisory Service, an attorney position in the Legal Service (series 905) other than the Senior Executive Attorney Service (SEAS), or an attorney position in the Excepted Service (series 950) who is a bona fide District resident AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION for the position, may be awarded a 10-point residency preference over non-District applicants, unless the person declines the preference points. If selected the person shall be required to present, no less than 8 proofs of bona fide District residency and maintain such residency for 7 consecutive years from the effective date of the appointment. Failure to maintain bona fide District residency for the 7-year period will result in forfeiture of employment.

If the position you are applying for is in the Career, Management Supervisory, or Educational Service, if you are selected for the position and your annual salary is one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) or more, you must establish residency in the District of Columbia within one hundred eighty (180) days of the effective date of the appointment and continue to maintain residency within the District of Columbia throughout the duration of the appointment.

General Suitability Screening

This position is subject to general suitability screening; verification of employment history, reference checks and degree/license, as applicable. The appointee to the position may be offered employment contingent upon receipt of a satisfactory general suitability screening.

Enhanced Suitability Screening

The position for which the individual is applying has been identified and designated as requiring enhanced suitability screening; If tentatively selected for the position, a criminal background check, traffic record check, consumer credit check, and mandatory drug and alcohol test will be conducted (as appropriate); and the appointee to the position may be offered employment contingent upon receipt of a satisfactory enhanced suitability screening.

Employment Benefits

Selectee will be eligible for health and life insurance, annual (vacation) and sick leave and will be covered under the District of Columbia government's retirement plan. However, if selectee was previously employed in the District of Columbia government under an appointment for which he/she was eligible for Civil Service Retirement (CSR), contributions to CSR will resume upon re-employment.

Licenses and Certifications

None

Working Conditions/Environment

The work is performed in an office setting.

Other Significant Factors

Duration of Appointment: Management Supervisory Service (MSS).

MSS At-Will Statement: Positions in the Management Supervisory Service (MSS) serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and may be terminated at any time with or without cause.

Collective Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under a collective bargaining agreement.

Promotion Potential - None

Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The District of Columbia Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer: all qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, disability. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination, which is also prohibited. In addition, harassment based on any of the above-protected categories is prohibited.

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