Executive Director – Wilton Library (CT)

The Wilton Library seeks an Executive Director to help continue and enhance the Library’s mission to inform, connect and inspire the community. The Wilton Library, a non-profit Association Library located in the center of the town of Wilton, CT, serves a community of 18,000+ residents. In addition to providing traditional library services, the Wilton Library also offers outstanding adult and children’s programming, vital teen services, and public fine arts and performing arts spaces. The Library collaborates with local government and businesses and is the “go-to” place for local history knowledge, meeting room spaces, and digital connections. Consisting of a single facility, the Library is poised to move forward building on its successes, like the recent acquisition of the Brubeck Collection and celebrating 125 years of service in 2020. The new Executive Director will work with a committed staff (27 FTE, 20 FT, and 20+ PT), an energetic core of volunteers, an established donor group, a dedicated community, and a $3.6 million budget to deliver quality services. Key initiatives include increasing the library’s donor base through long-term strategies, identifying the needs of new and younger community members and area businesses, helping the library continue to emerge from the pandemic, and maintaining the high level of excellent customer service the community has come to expect.

Wilton is nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in western Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, Wilton is north of the City of Norwalk, west of the Town of Weston, and east of the Town of New Canaan. Wilton’s residents live in an area of 26.8 sq. miles. Wilton is 55 miles from midtown Manhattan and is within easy driving distance from Westchester County, New York. The Town is accessible from routes 7, 33, 106, and 107. Wilton is only one hour from Grand Central Station on the New Haven Line Danbury branch of Metro-North Railroad, which runs a daily commuter service.

Responsibilities: The Executive Director reports to a 24-member Library Board of Trustees and works with the Board, staff, and major stakeholders to establish the strategic vision for the Library aligning the Library’s mission, goals, and objectives with the community’s needs and priorities. The Executive Director’s primary responsibilities are to maintain an outstanding library that anticipates and fulfills the needs of its community utilizing all resources available. The Executive Director is responsible for every phase of library operations including programs, collections and services, personnel, technology, public relations and outreach, marketing, buildings, grounds, equipment, budget, donor relations, and fundraising.

Qualifications: A Master of Library Science degree from an accredited university and progressively responsible experience in library administration and staff supervision, including five (5) years of supervision of a public library department or as a director or assistant director of a public library. A combination of education and experience that demonstrates the ability to successfully meet the requirements of the position may be considered. Essential attributes and skills include vision, creativity, energy, and enthusiasm; superior written and oral communications skills; demonstrated success in effectively promoting library services to the community; political acumen; collaborative and consensus-building skills; experience in recruiting, mentoring, evaluating, and retaining an excellent staff; and a thorough knowledge of current trends and “best practices” for library service. Proven success working effectively with a policy-making board is desirable.

Compensation: A starting salary range of $120,000-$150,000 (with final placement dependent upon experience and qualifications) with an attractive benefits package.

For further information, contact Bradbury Miller Associates. Apply via email with a meaningful cover letter and your resume as Word or pdf attachments to Brian Hare (brianhare@bradburymiller.com).  This position closes on December 5, 2021.

View the announcement in its entirety along with accompanying links and information at https://bradburymiller.com/job/wilton/.

Submit specified application materials to brianhare@bradburymiller.com.