Executive Search: Chief Librarian and CEO

Vancouver Public Library

Location:  Vancouver

Vancouver Public Library (VPL) is one of Vancouver’s oldest public institutions, dedicated to meeting the lifelong learning, reading and information needs of Vancouver residents for more than 100 years. Today, VPL is a system of 21 busy locations and 800 staff across Vancouver’s neighbourhoods. VPL helps to make Vancouver a more connected, creative and innovative city. In 2023, VPL welcomed more than 4.5 million in-person visitors, with patrons borrowing nearly 10.5 million physical and digital items including books, eBooks, movies and music. VPL is the most-visited major urban library per capita in Canada, one of the most digitally-advanced, and partners with hundreds of community groups to enrich the services it offers and reach more people.

The Chief Librarian & CEO is responsible for providing vision and leadership to VPL by planning, organizing and directing the operations of library services in accordance with policies and the Board’s strategic plan. The Chief Librarian & CEO reports to and advises the VPL Board of Trustees and recommends actions to address current and emerging issues and trends to ensure that policies and services result in attaining the vision and mission and are embodied by the Library’s values.  The Chief Librarian & CEO is responsible for staying current in a rapidly evolving digital world, including ensuring that the VPL continues to innovate in providing information, cultural connection and life-long learning opportunities to a highly diverse population while improving physical and digital accessibility. This Chief Librarian & CEO is responsible for continually improving operations, engaging employees, building on the success of innovative services, identifying alternative revenue streams, and ensuring the VPL is a resource to the community beyond the traditional notions of a library. Through the Chief Librarian & CEO, Vancouver Public Library plays a key role in ensuring a healthy, resilient and sustainable community.

The ideal candidate brings senior level management experience in a complex, unionized, urban library system. Alternatively, they may be a CEO in a complex, multi-partner, multi-unit unionized environment with parallels to a municipal library. The ability to implement a vision, manage a complex budget, and lead a passionate and distributed team is required. The role is ideally suited to leaders with a strong commitment to VPL’s values and who can cultivate positive and effective working relationships with a wide variety of internal and external partners including the Board, City, staff, union, VPL Foundation and other partners.

Based in Vancouver, BC, this role is perfect for a visionary and transformative library services leader to take on a pivotal role in an institution that helps its community by connecting people to each other and to ideas.

In accordance with BC’s Pay Transparency Act, the salary range for the role is $240,000 to $316,297 with a targeted mid-point of ($272,100).  The salary offered to the successful candidate will consider a wide array of factors including but not limited to the individual’s skillset, level of experience applicable to the role they are being offered and internal equity considerations.

To explore this opportunity further, please click apply.

The Vancouver Public Library acknowledges that it is situated on the ancestral, unceded, and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.