Director of Library Service Innovation in Cairo at The American University in Cairo

Company Description:

Founded in 1919, AUC moved to a new 270-acre state-of-the-art campus in New Cairo in 2008. The University also operates in its historic downtown facilities, offering cultural events, graduate classes, and continuing education. Student housing is available in New Cairo. Among the premier universities in the region, AUC is Middle States accredited; its Engineering programs are accredited by ABET, its Chemistry program is accredited by the Canadian Society for Chemistry, and the School of Business is accredited by AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS. The AUC Libraries contain the largest English-language research collection in the region and are an active and integral part of the University's pursuit of excellence in all academic and scholarly programs. AUC is an English-medium institution.

Job Description:

The Director of Library Service Innovation leads the Library's service operations, user engagement, and experience initiatives. The Director oversees the Library Service team, develops programming within the newly remodeled Learning Commons to enhance the user experience and support student success, with particular attention to early undergraduate students. The Director also coordinates the library's self-paced information literacy course for undergraduates, working with the other librarians and key stakeholders to update and develop it according to changing trends and standards. Reporting to the Dean, the Director serves as a member of the Senior Library Group and the Library School Council, and works closely with campus partners to ensure that library functions effectively address the needs of early undergraduate students. This is a non-tenure-track instructor position.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, supervise, and mentor the Library Service team fostering a culture of service excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Drive the transformation and modernization of library services, reimagining service models, and workflows to meet evolving student needs and align with emerging trends in academic libraries.
• Train services staff and ensure the team remains current with the latest trends and best practices in academic libraries.
• Set performance expectations, conduct evaluations, and support professional development.
• Contribute to library-wide strategy as a member of the Senior Library Group and represent the library on the School Council.
• Lead the continuous enhancement of library services across physical and digital environments.
• Assess library services, learning spaces, digital platforms, and the self-paced course using surveys, focus groups and other tools to evaluate user satisfaction and guide improvements.
• Develop and oversee interactive activities, events, and programming within the newly remodeled Learning Commons & Accessibility Hub to effectively engage users
• Promote the Learning Commons & Accessibility Hub as a vibrant, inclusive hub for academic inquiry, creative work, informal learning, and collaboration.
• Manage the ongoing development, delivery, and assessment of the library's self-paced information literacy course in coordination with a team of librarians and other stakeholders.
• Collaborate with CLT to ensure the course remains pedagogically sound, engaging, and accessible.
• Integrate relevant digital tools, databases, AI platforms, and emerging research technologies.
• Lead undergraduate orientations, tours, and campus-wide activities that promote awareness and use of library services, resources, spaces, and technologies.
• Partner with the Academy of Liberal Arts, Center of Learning & Teaching, Student Affairs, Student Well-Being, and other campus units to align library services with broader undergraduate success initiatives.

Requirements:

• Master's degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited program (or equivalent international library science degree).
• 5-7 years of progressive professional experience in academic libraries, with at least 2-3 years in a supervisory or leadership capacity.
• Proven experience designing, delivering, and assessing user-centered services and programs.
• Demonstrated skill in designing assessment projects, collecting and analyzing data, and translating findings into improvements.
• Familiarity with information literacy, digital literacy, and AI literacy frameworks.
• Experience working with library services platforms; familiarity with systems such as WMS is a plus.
• Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

Application Instructions:

• Letter of interest
• Reference letters