Executive Director, Visitor Experience

About the Library

Calgary Public Library is one of the largest municipal library systems in North America, serving more than 818,000 active members at 22 locations around the city.

Libraries connect people to ideas, experiences, inspiration, and insight. Our staff make a big impact on individuals and families every day, often through simple, small interactions. At the Library, you’ll take an innovative, creative approach to programs and services, considering the best ways to support our community and patrons of all ages.

We collaborate with different points of view, inspiring curiosity and growth as our varying backgrounds and expertise come together. At the Library, those varied perspectives and lived experiences make us stronger to better serve our community. We are committed to equity, diversity, and creating a sense of belonging for everyone.

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Director of Visitor Experience is responsible for overseeing the management of library locations and business units. This role involves setting strategic direction and ensuring the effective implementation of priorities that reflect community need and future growth of Calgary Public Library.

The Executive Director of Visitor Experience is accountable for ensuring the Library’s operations align with its mission, vision, and values. This role aims to foster an environment of belonging, drive continuous improvement, and maintain a patron and human-centric approach. The Executive Director plays a crucial role in building organizational capabilities and ensuring the Library provides high-quality services and programs that reflect and anticipate community need.

Responsibilities

• Strategy Formation and Implementation: In collaboration with executive team members, develop and implement the organizational strategy, anticipating environmental trends, shifts, complex challenges and opportunities.
• Functional Strategy Formation: Lead the development and implementation of strategy for Visitor Experience, aligning it to the organizational strategy. Integrate the strategy by effectively communicating it down through the system, into work plans and individual and departmental goals.
• Operations Management: Take overall responsibility for designing, developing, and delivering the organization's operational strategy and outcomes.
• Community Library Operations: Achieve defined goals by setting strategic direction and developing annual and long-term plans that define location operations policies, methods, and procedures.
• Business Planning: Lead the development of annual and longer-term business plans for a significant function, ensuring alignment with strategy; quantify business outcomes, i.e., key performance indicators (KPIs) and resource budgets (financial and headcount); and ensure integration of key activities or projects across the organization.
• Leadership and Direction: Set and communicate the strategy, along with the broad actions needed to implement it, for achieving the organization's mission, vision, and values within a function; inspire a large or diverse workforce to commit to these tenets and do extraordinary things to achieve the organization's business goals.
• Service Delivery: Analyze community needs and trends to identify gaps in library services. Partner with the Executive Director, Design and Innovation, and their team to develop and implement innovative library programs and services to address community needs. Collaborate with other departments to create cross-functional initiatives. Monitor service delivery metrics and adjust as needed.
• Internal Relationship Management: Manage relationships with internal departments, building high levels of professional credibility and mutual trust, and managing the deployment of appropriate internal and external resources to support in delivering strategic priorities.
• Performance Management: Manage performance within area of responsibility; set appropriate performance goals for direct reports and hold individuals accountable for achieving them; take action to ensure the achievement of annual business objectives.
• Growth & Development: Employ a coaching mindset to guide others throughout the organization in own area of expertise to enable others to improve performance and fulfill personal potential. Use the organization's formal development framework to identify the team's individual development needs.

 Required Skills & Qualifications

• Master's degree in Library Science (MLIS) from an ALA accredited institution
• Proven senior level-leadership (10 years minimum)
• Strong understanding of library operations and best practices
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills
• Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and make informed decisions
• Experience with project management and budget oversight
• Commitment to community engagement and outreach