Head of Youth Services - Montclair Public Library

Head of Youth Services - Montclair Public Library

The Head of Youth Services leads one of Montclair Public Library’s most visible and community-facing departments, overseeing programs, collections, and services for children, teens, and families from birth through high school. This is a role for a librarian with genuine vision, strong management instincts, and the creative energy to keep a busy department moving forward.

This position reports to the Library Director and supervises a team of FT and PT librarians & library assistants.

• You believe the library is a magical place for children and you take that seriously. Every program, every interaction, and every corner of the department is an opportunity to create an experience kids remember.
• You are energized by children, teens, and the families and communities they belong to, and that energy shows up in the work.
• You come to work with ideas. You read the field, watch what communities respond to, and bring proposals to the table without being asked.
• You are a skilled project manager. You can take a large-scale initiative from concept to execution, coordinate multiple stakeholders and moving parts, and anticipate what your team needs at each stage to stay on track.
• You are comfortable with data. You use attendance figures, circulation statistics, and program metrics to make decisions, not just to report numbers.
• You manage people with range: you know when to give a strong performer room to run and when to address a problem directly before it grows.
• You communicate clearly and proactively with your director, your staff, and your community partners.
• You are a collaborative colleague who works well across departments and understands that the library functions as one system.

As Head of Youth Services, you will set the direction and pace of a department that serves Montclair’s youngest residents and their families. You will develop programming across all age groups from babies and toddlers through middle and high school, build and sustain school and community partnerships, lead a team of dedicated staff, and ensure that Youth Services remains a dynamic and welcoming destination in the library.

This is a department head position on the library’s management team. You will contribute to library-wide planning, participate in manager meetings, and represent Youth Services in decisions that affect the whole institution.

• Design and deliver a year-round calendar of programs for children and teens across all age groups, from early childhood through young adult.
• Give equal programmatic attention to teen and tween audiences, developing offerings that reflect their interests, developmental needs, and place in the community.
• Lead the Summer Reading Program from planning through execution, coordinating performers, staff, volunteers, and logistics.
• Build and maintain active partnerships with Montclair schools, childcare providers, community organizations, and cultural institutions.
• Develop outreach initiatives that bring the library’s services to underserved families and communities beyond the building.
• Pursue grants and community support to fund programming, partnerships, and special initiatives.
• Evaluate programs using attendance data and patron feedback, and adjust the calendar accordingly.

• Plan and execute large-scale initiatives and signature events from concept through completion, including budgeting, logistics, partner coordination, staff assignments, and day-of execution.
• Develop structured project timelines with clear milestones and assign responsibilities across the team well in advance.
• Conduct regular check-ins with all stakeholders throughout a project to surface problems early, adjust course, and keep everyone aligned.
• Be present and accountable at major programs and events, ensuring staff have what they need before, during, and after.
• Apply lessons from each initiative to improve planning processes and outcomes over time.

• Supervise, schedule, mentor, and evaluate a team of FT and PT librarians & library assistants.
• Conduct…