Director of Information & Technical Services

Director of Information & Technical Services

Harvard University

Job Location:

Massachusetts Apply By:
End of day on Friday, July 31, 2026 Date Created: 07/06/2026

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard’s world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

At Harvard Library, we are champions of curiosity. We aim to be global leaders in expanding world knowledge and intellectual exploration. We engage with our communities in the creation and sharing of new knowledge, connecting them with the vast collections that we curate and steward through collaborations around the world. At its core, our mission for nearly four centuries has been to advance the learning, research, and pursuit of truth that are at the heart of Harvard.

Our efforts are motivated and powered by working collaboratively, embracing diverse perspectives, championing access, aiming for the extraordinary, and always leading with curiosity.

Although the position will remain posted until filled, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the end of the day on Friday, July 31, 2026.

Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Discovery and Access, the Director of Information & Technical Services will lead the Information & Technical Services (ITS) department of the Harvard Library. The Director will oversee the operational management of staff, functions, and operations of ITS and will provide strategic direction to the department’s sections (monographic acquisitions, e-resources & serials acquisitions and management, metadata creation, and metadata management), as well as provide vision and leadership for Harvard Library initiatives within their purview.

The Director serves as a trusted advisor for library leaders making policy-level decisions and sets priorities in ordering, scoping, metadata processing, creation, and management, licensing, project planning, and strategy in all these areas for ITS. This position is responsible for the overall administration and coordination of work and for establishing and implementing technical services policies, standards, and procedures. The Information & Technical Services department has 99+ staff in multiple locations and an annual operations budget of approximately $14.9 million.

The Director serves as an active member of the Harvard Library Leadership Team and the Discovery and Access Leads Team.

The Director of ITS will:

• Lead the stewardship, growth and impact of Harvard Library’s Information & Technical Services department.
• Provide vision and strategic direction for technical services operations and priorities across all the sections in ITS.
• Lead, manage, coach, and guide ITS senior managers and coordinate ITS operations and workflows aligned with Harvard Library’s and ITS department’s strategic priorities.
• Manage, understand, integrate, and oversee the functional operations of the ITS sections, with a systems-level perspective that recognizes and understands interdependencies across all four sections to ensures cohesive, aligned service delivery, operations, projects, and workflows.
• Provide strategic leadership and informed guidance to section heads by maintaining broad yet in-depth cross-functional knowledge across all the ITS sections, enabling effective coordination, prioritization, and decision-making in all areas of the department.
• Leverage staff resources to meet strategic priorities within financial constraints.
• Formulate policies for the administration of technical services activities.
• Promote and facilitate coordinated technical services across the Harvard Library; ensure programmatic integrity and cooperative planning that strengthen access to the collections.
• Ensure that the work of ITS addresses identified user needs of the Harvard affiliates and community.
• Demonstrate accountability and creativity in building strong relationships with…