Assistant Provost for Library and Information Services - Office of Library and Information Services

University at Albany • Albany, NY

1d

About The Position

The Assistant Provost for Library and Information Services provides system-level leadership for library and information services across the State University of New York (SUNY), guiding strategy, operations, and shared services that support SUNY's 64 campuses. The role leads the strategic use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and supports the digital transformation of information ecosystems for teaching, learning, research, and library services. As the primary system voice for shared library initiatives, the Assistant Provost connects technology, scholarship, teaching, research, and resource sharing to strengthen SUNY's knowledge infrastructure. The position also provides system-wide policy leadership, contributing to the development, interpretation, implementation, and evaluation of policies, procedures, and standards for library and information services.

Digital Innovation and Academic Services provides system-wide academic and digital services that support teaching, learning, research, student success, and operational excellence across SUNY. The Office of Library and Information Services advances library and information services through shared programs, technologies, collections, resource-sharing initiatives, licensing agreements, and strategic partnerships. It works with campus libraries, academic leaders, researchers, and external partners to improve access to information resources, support scholarly communication and research, and promote innovation in library services and emerging technologies.

The Assistant Provost reports to the Senior Associate Provost for Digital Innovation and Academic Services. The position supervises the Director of Shared Library Services, Associate Director for OLIS Licensing, Associate Director for Assessment and Data Analytics, and Administrative Assistant for OLIS. The work is performed in a typical office environment with remote work flexibility consistent with University policy. Occasional travel to SUNY campuses, conferences, professional meetings, and external partner organizations is required. The role involves sustained interaction with campus leaders, library professionals, vendors, and external stakeholders, as well as strategic planning, complex problem-solving, budget oversight, personnel management, and oversight of concurrent initiatives and priorities.

Requirements

• Master's degree or higher from a college or university accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or an internationally recognized accrediting organization.
• At least six years of progressively responsible leadership experience in higher education libraries, including library information systems, research support, resource sharing, and other technology-enabled services.
• Experience managing personnel, budgets, and organizational resources.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning and leading strategy execution, operations, programs, or services within a complex organization.
• Experience overseeing technology-enabled services, digital platforms, or enterprise systems that support teaching, learning, research, or operational objectives.
• Strategic leadership and organizational planning skills.
• Knowledge of library operations, information services, scholarly communication, and higher education environments.
• Ability to develop and manage complex partnerships involving campuses, vendors, consortia, and external organizations.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies, digital transformation initiatives, artificial intelligence, and evolving information ecosystems.
• Strong financial management, budgeting, procurement, and contract administration skills.
• Experience utilizing data, analytics, and assessment to support decision-making and organizational improvement.
• Ability to lead organizational change and manage complex system-wide initiatives.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to supervise, mentor, and develop professional staff.
• Strong relationship-building, consensus-development, and stakeholder-engagement skills, including the ability to establish and maintain collaborative partnerships across diverse constituencies and complex organizational environments.
• Commitment to fostering inclusive, accessible, and equitable services and workplace practices.
• Ability to develop inclusive and equitable relationships within a diverse campus community and support diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and belonging relative to the role.

Nice To Haves

• Experience operating effectively within large, multi-institutional or public higher education environments, navigating system-level priorities alongside campus needs.
• Experience leading large-scale, cross-institution initiatives, including setting direction, aligning stakeholders, and delivering results in complex environments.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage complex partnerships, including vendor relationships, procurement processes, and external collaborations across diverse stakeholders.
• Familiarity with statewide or large-scale procurement and contracting environments and varied regulatory, legal, and institutional frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to shape and guide collaborative strategies for resource access, including shared investments, partnerships, and coordinated service models.
• Experience with approaches to expanding access to scholarly resources, such as collective licensing, shared collections, and resource-sharing networks, and the ability to make strategic decisions across these models.
• Experience managing shared services, licensing programs, vendor relationships, or collaborative resource initiatives.
• Demonstrated capacity to lead and manage distributed or remote teams, including practices that support remote collaboration, communication, and organizational culture.
• Project and program management experience, including prioritization, coordination, and delivery across complex and distributed environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the planning, development, delivery, communication, and promotion of system-wide library and information services, aligned with SUNY priorities.
• Develop, implement, interpret, and oversee system-wide policies, standards, and guidelines for library services, information resources, digital platforms, emerging technologies, and information access.
• Direct OLIS operations, including budgets, staffing, organizational planning, technology investments, and resource allocation.
• Oversee shared licensing programs, contract negotiations, vendor contracts, assessments, analytics, reporting, and evidence-based decision-making.
• Lead system-wide initiatives in shared library services, scholarly communication, repository services, research support, research data management, digital scholarship, open science, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and equitable information access.
• Lead the strategy, implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of shared library systems, technologies, and digital infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with SUNY campuses, external organizations, consortia, vendors, professional associations, strategic partners, and the Center for Professional Development.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop OLIS staff and foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing organizational culture.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive