Job Posting: Project Officer

Hiring Organization: Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL)
Job Title: Project Officer (2 positions available)
Job Location: Remote
Application Closing Date: Wednesday, February 22^th 2023 at 11:59 PM ET

Opportunity

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries – L’Association des bibliothèques de recherche du Canada (CARL-ABRC) is seeking two candidates for the position of Project Officer to advance CARL’s strategic directions. These are one-year term positions initially but could lead to permanent employment with CARL.

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries represents the country’s twenty-nine largest university libraries and two federal institutions. A non-profit organization, we coordinate our members’ initiatives and promote their causes to achieve excellence in research and higher education.

The ideal candidate is a dynamic, self-motivated, bilingual library professional who has strong communication and project management skills and is eager to work with library leaders and key stakeholders across Canada to support initiatives that advance research and higher education. They will bring prior experience or a demonstrated interest in academic library roles supporting scholarly research and scholarship or post-secondary teaching and learning.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Project Officer will provide project management, coordination, communications, and research for selected key initiatives of the Association; and operational support to one or more of its strategic committees, liaising with research library directors and leaders in the field. Engagement with several projects at the same time, and with new projects arising over time, is anticipated. Projects are generally related to the development of member library capacity and best practice, and projects may pertain to research data management, open access scholarly communication, library publishing, open education resources, preservation/access to Canada’s documentary heritage, new library roles supporting research, teaching and learning, improving CARL’s online presence, and supporting member events and communications.

This is a full-time position (35 hours/week) with an initial employment period of one year from date of employment. Renewal or permanent appointment will be subject to excellent performance and evolving operational requirements.

We welcome applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our mission.

Recent graduates and early career professionals are encouraged to apply.

Note: We prefer to directly hire for these positions; however, a one- or two-year secondment of a qualified individual from a CARL member institution or other Canadian academic library would also be considered. (See Additional Notes.)

Major Duties & Responsibilities

As directed by the Executive Director, develop project plans and manage the execution of projects; for specially- or externally-funded projects, support the on-time, on-budget delivery of planned deliverables and outcomes, track expenditures of funds, and ensure documentation and reporting.
Provide strategic and operational support to one or more CARL committees including supporting its meetings, liaising with chair and members, undertaking research, leading or contributing on projects, finalizing reports and publications, producing related website content and other documentation, organizing events and managing logistics, and liaising with national and international partner institutions and stakeholders;
Contribute to the ongoing operations of CARL by participating in regular meetings; undertaking, in applicable areas, web content development, social media, and production of communications and information products; and assisting in the planning and execution of spring and fall member meetings.

Requirements

Master’s degree in library and information science from an ALA-accredited or equivalent program;
Experience or demonstrated interest in academic library roles in supporting scholarly research and scholarship or in post-secondary teaching and learning;
Demonstrated project management experience;
Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing in French and English;
Ability to prioritize, plan and organize work to meet deadlines successfully;
Ability to follow direction and to exercise responsible independent action;
Ability to interact with association members, project participants, co-workers, staff of other organizations or government with courtesy, discretion and tact;
Ability to successfully resolve difficult situations with tact and diplomacy;
Proficiency with standard office software applications.

Preferred Qualifications

Candidates with the following qualifications may be preferred. These should be explicitly described in the applicant’s cover letter:

Work experience in a research library setting;
Education, training or experience specific to data management, library teaching, library publishing, repositories management, or communications;
Knowledge of best practices in web and document accessibility and the AODA;
Familiarity with technologies supporting CARL’s web and social media presence, e.g. WordPress, Twitter, RSS feeds.

Location and Hours

The position can be from any location in Canada. (See Additional Notes.)
Work week: 35 hours, normally Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time but with flexibility, subject to operational requirements. Our flexible work policy permits the hours to be compressed into 4.5 days with half-days on Friday.
Occasional travel for meetings or conferences.
Overtime may be required from time to time.

Remuneration

The salary range for this position is $65,000 – $68,000 plus benefits. Remuneration will be determined based on qualifications and experience. (See Additional Notes.)

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries offers a competitive benefits package.

Additional Notes

For an exceptionally-qualified candidate, a part-time work arrangement may be considered.

A secondment of a qualified individual from a CARL member institution or other Canadian academic library would be considered as it is seen to be beneficial to CARL, to the home institution, and to the seconded individual. In such a case, the salary offer would be commensurate with the individual’s experience and existing salary.

CARL is committed to the principles of employment equity and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible. If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact .

Application Process

An application will comprise:

A cover letter specifically detailing your qualifications for each of the Requirements and Preferred Qualifications listed above;
An up-to-date and complete CV.

Applications must be received during the posting period.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview and asked at that time to supply names and contact information of three references who are knowledgeable about their work, at least one of whom is a current or recent direct supervisor. Shortlisted candidates proposing a secondment arrangement should confirm, prior to interview, that they have their institution’s support.

Please submit your application as a single document [Word or PDF] using the following file-naming convention [lastnamefirstname.ProjectOfficer] via email to:

To the attention of:
Susan Haigh, Executive Director
Canadian Association of Research Libraries
Suite 203, 309 Cooper St
Ottawa, ON K2P 0G5