Head of Data Services

Description

About UMass Amherst 

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.  

Job Summary 

In collaboration with Data Services librarians, the Scholarly Communication team, and liaison librarians, the Head of Data Services leads a dynamic and evolving team to develop and deliver forward-thinking, measurable, campus-aligned programming, resources, and services to support researchers at every stage of the data lifecycle; scaffold scalable education and outreach programming and support for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty; and coordinate project support for data-intensive research. They will assist University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers in meeting the data management and sharing requirements of funding agencies and publishers. They will prioritize the development of strong, collaborative relationships with library subject specialists in data-intensive disciplines and with relevant offices, departments, and centers across campus. The incumbent will manage a small team of specialists focused on data management, spatial data and GIS, open science, data science, and data visualization. 

The position is responsible for leading, managing, innovating, goal setting, marketing, and assessing all functions of the department in partnership with other departments within Data, Digital Strategies, and Scholarly Communication and across the Libraries. The Head of Data Services serves a critical role in ensuring the Libraries are poised to meet the research and student success goals outlined in the University's strategic plan.   

Essential Functions 

• Provides vision and direction for the Libraries’ Data Services, working across all disciplines, including strengthening and promoting existing services and developing new services 

• Directly assigns, supervises, and evaluates the work of the Data Services team, and provides mentorship for team members  

• Aligns departmental planning, priorities, goals, and services with the strategic initiatives of the Libraries and the University 

• Reports departmental progress regularly and makes data-driven decisions about data services programs and activities through development and implementation of departmental qualitative and quantitative assessments and participation in division and library-wide assessment initiatives 

• Keeps apprised of key issues and trends in data visualization, digital scholarship, information and data literacy, research data management and curation, research impact metrics, scholarly communication, academic libraries, and higher education, and regularly incorporates this knowledge into planning and sharing of information with library colleagues and campus partners as relevant. Serves on internal committees as assigned and may be asked to represent the Libraries on campus committees, Five College Committees, and Boston Library Consortium Committees, and/or at other selected professional meetings and conferences 

Other Functions  

• Participates in professional development and continuing education activities, including service in professional and scholarly associations, and presenting and publishing on work-related topics 

• Works a flexible schedule, which includes some evening, weekend, and holiday hours 

• Performs other related duties as assigned or required to meet the goals of the department, Libraries, and University 

Organizational Values  

• Commitment to support justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) within libraries and institution.  

• Ability to build and sustain effective working relationships and work collaboratively in a diverse and fast-paced environment.   

• Purposefully promote a One Library environment for all that encourages inclusion, personal growth, respect, self-reflection, curiosity, and continuous learning.  

• Understands responsibilities with respect to conflicts of interest and behaves in ways consistent 

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure) 

• Graduate degree in librarianship (from a program accredited by the American Library Association) or advanced degree in a relevant data-intensive subject area. 

• 3 years relevant experience in libraries, archives, museums, or similar academic settings 

• Ability to articulate vision, set direction, and accomplish initiatives in a rapidly changing environment. 

• Demonstrated knowledge of the evolving landscape of open and public data, data ethics, and data sharing. 

• Background that demonstrates proficiency with tools for working with data (e.g., R, STATA, Python, Tableau, NVivo, MAXQDA, or similar tools). 

• Experience developing a data services program and building cross-campus partnerships in an academic environment. 

• Demonstrated experience supporting the research data lifecycle across a variety of data types and disciplines.  

• Experience providing consultation or reference services for data in an academic setting. 

• Evidence of commitment to support justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) within libraries and the institution.  

• Evidence of ability for ongoing professional development and contribution to the library profession. 

• Strong organizational, project, and time management skills to lead or coordinate multiple projects and work with minimal supervision.   

• Ability to communicate clearly and knowledgeably through a variety of media; ability to represent the Libraries to university and external audiences. 

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure) 

• Supervisory experience with staff and/or student employees, including mentoring and promoting professional development. 

• Experience writing grant proposals and supporting faculty grants. 

• Familiarity with bibliometrics; geospatial data; data visualization tools, trends, and techniques; generative AI tools; and/or machine learning 

• Experience teaching the evolving landscape of open and public data, data ethics, and data sharing. 

• Experience teaching quantitative and/or qualitative software for working with data. 

• Second advanced degree in a related field 

Work Schedule 

• The regular working schedule for this position is Monday - Friday, day hours. 

• The incumbent of the position is expected to work on a flexible schedule, which includes some evening, weekend, and holiday hours. 

Salary Information 

• Librarian III or IV 

• Librarian III salary floor: $69,500. 

• Librarian IV salary floor: $78,900 

• Salary commensurate with experience. 

Special Instructions to Applicants 

Along with the application, please submit a resume, cover letter, and contact information of three (3) professional references. 

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University.  To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans.  It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.