Invitation to Compete #20-25: Director of Inclusion and Belonging

Central Library, 1000 4th Ave., Seattle, WA 98104

Regular, FLSA exempt, full-time, 80 hours per two-week pay period

Salary range: $134,801.28 - $222,413.76 annually

This recruitment is open to the public and to The Seattle Public Library’s 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 Library’s 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 world-class 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 Seattle's 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 Belonging position.

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 Library’s 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 Library’s efforts to foster an equitable workplace and support inclusive practices system-wide. This individual will help Library leadership drive systemic change, remove barriers, and ensure that the Library’s 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 Library’s mission and strategic priorities. Additionally, the Director of Inclusion and Belonging will demonstrate the Library’s 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.

Develop and implement a comprehensive Inclusion and Belonging strategy that aligns with the Library’s mission, values, and long-term strategic goals.

Collaborate with Library leaders to embed Inclusion and Belonging principles into the Library’s 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 initiatives that foster a culture of openness and inclusion.

Integrate key concepts of belonging, inclusion, equity, and accessibility into existing programs, policies, practices, and work plans.

Serve as an advisor and thought leader on issues of Inclusion and Belonging.

Increase and measure staff cultural competency through 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 Team and 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 leadership and staff on culturally sensitive issues.

Be one of many strong voices for Inclusion and Belonging at SPL and in the broader community, proactively building and maintaining community partnerships.

Develop, plan, and execute Inclusion and Belonging activities (e.g., training, education, workshops, communications, and events) to engage the organization and help make SPL’s staff, teams, and culture more inclusive, equitable, and responsive.

Collaborate with SPL management teams to 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 Leadership to 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 workforce, and provide leadership and support to empower and strengthen internal communities.

Provide regular updates on relevant activities and progress across the organization, including staff, leadership, and board meetings.

Convene and lead an Inclusion and Belonging committee, including 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 Library’s 2024-2033 Strategic Plan by 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 Library’s Race and Social Justice efforts to address systemic and policy related race and social justice inequities.

Integrate equity values, principles, and practices into 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 divisions with other members of SPL’s 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 Library’s Labor management partnership by 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.

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 execution.

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 self-awareness and self-management strategies.

The ability to recognize and set priorities, and to use initiative and independent management decision-making.

Knowledge of public libraries and their role within a community, with particular emphasis on the Library’s 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.

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 $134,801.28 - $222,413.76 annually.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans Information about retirement plans can be found at: https://www.seattle.gov/retirement

Additional Information

If you have questions regarding this bulletin or employment at The Seattle Public Library, please send an email to job.applications@spl.org. 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.

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