ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SYSTEMWIDE LICENSING - REMOTE WITHIN CALIFORNIA

For UCOP internal applicants, please login to the internal candidate gateway at: Jobs at UCOP

UC OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

At the University of California (UC), your contributions make a difference. A world leader producing Nobel and Pulitzer Prize recipients with over 150 years of groundbreaking research transforming the world. Choose a career where you can leverage your knowledge, skills and aspirations to inspire and support some of the greatest minds in the world, and those who will follow in their footsteps. Working at the University of California is being part of a unique institution, and a vibrant and diverse community. At the University of California, Office of the President, we propel our mission through impactful work locally, in government centers and systemwide. We are passionate people, serving the greater good.

The University of California, one of the largest and most acclaimed institutions of higher learning in the world, is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and public service. The University of California Office of the President is the headquarters to the 10 campuses, six academic medical centers and three national laboratories and enrolls premier students from California, the nation and the world. Learn more about the UC Office of the President

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

At the California Digital Library (CDL), we believe that the library, in all its forms, enables and advances the critical work of students, scholars and the public. As a University of California systemwide library, CDL provides services to and on behalf of the UC system as a partner and collaborator to the ten UC campus libraries. As a globally connected digital library, CDL occupies a unique position between the local UC campuses and the global digital library infrastructure. The user base for CDL services and programs includes UC faculty, students, and library staff; the patrons of the consortia in which the UC Libraries participate; and the many people worldwide who benefit from UC's open access offerings. The California Digital Library has four core programs: Shared Collections; Discovery & Delivery; Publishing, Archives, and Digitization; and the UC Curation Center (UC3). The CDL is a unit within the Academic Affairs division of the UC Office of the President, has a staff of 75+ and is located in downtown Oakland.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Assistant Director for Systemwide Licensing is responsible for stewarding the California Digital Library activities related to systemwide licensing for digital scholarly content, on behalf of the University of California ten campus library system. Reporting to the CDL Director of Shared Collections, and in collaboration with the CDL Assistant Director for Open Access, the incumbent holds a leadership position within a team responsible for negotiating, implementing, and assessing business agreements for digital resources worth in excess of $60 million, including 400+ multi-year contracts with 100+ vendors.

As an experienced manager of both people and processes, the Assistant Director for Systemwide Licensing oversees a team responsible for all stages of the electronic resources lifecycle, including licensing, acquisitions, cataloging, maintenance, and assessment, for systemwide conventional subscriptions and purchases, and works collaboratively with the Assistant Director for Open Access Agreements to support the lifecycle of resources acquired via open publishing agreements. In all this work, the Assistant Director actively advances UC principles, goals, and aims for access to scholarly content to support UC research and teaching. The Assistant Director for Systemwide Licensing facilitates collaborative decision-making among UC Libraries campus collection managers and librarians responsible for shared content licensing, including through the development of cost-sharing models. Possessing a commitment to proactively promoting and embracing diversity in ideas, people and organizations, the incumbent will model and lead within a highly collaborative working and learning environment.

The incumbent provides strategic and operational direction to CDL's licensing unit, managing a distributed team of hybrid and onsite staff (UCOP Oakland headquarters and UC San Diego Libraries), responsible for business negotiation and ongoing management of shared digital resources, including the CDL Shared Cataloging Program. California residents from outside the Bay Area who wish to work remotely will be considered.

This position is not available for sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• 40% Strategic and Operational Service Oversight: Leads and oversees UC systemwide licensed content negotiations with publishers and other content providers for digital scholarly content, ensuring outcomes that produce significant efficiencies and cost savings for the UC Libraries. In collaboration with the CDL Assistant Director for Open Access, responsible for negotiating business agreements for digital resources worth in excess of $60 million, including 400+ multi-year contracts from 100+ vendors. Both directly and in collaboration with UC Libraries collection managers and librarians, and through the coordinated effort of the CDL licensing team, develops negotiating tactics and strategies, options, and fall-back positions. Rationalizes and transforms licensing activities and investments in light of emerging business models and trends in scholarly communication, including open access developments. In collaboration with CDL's Finance and Operations team, monitors systemwide collections budget, including annual budget projections, campus library recharge processes, and coordination between CDL and UCSD financial systems. Provides broad strategic and policy advice to the Director of Shared Collections regarding all aspects of collections licensing, budget allocation and expenditures, and contract administration. Provides direct supervision and work direction for the team responsible for electronic resources lifecycle management, including content licensing; acquisitions; management of UC campus library recharges; resource access set-up and maintenance; cataloging for discovery and access; assessment of value and impact; and support for renewal and other decision-making.
• 20% License Negotiation: Negotiates license agreements with publishers and other content providers to ensure that licenses conform to CDL's principles and guidelines. Develops and promotes licensing standards, models and best practices to support the University's mission of teaching, research, and public service. Ensures that contract administration includes review of potential risk, consequences of policies and legislation, and that all contracts are in compliance with and adhere to applicable laws, policies, and organization/University guidelines. Consults with the UC Office of General Counsel as appropriate. Oversees dispute resolution efforts to resolve failures in performance and proactively resolve problems.
• 25% Supervision, Training, Mentoring: Manages a team responsible for a full range of systemwide licensing, electronic resources management, acquisitions, and cataloging activities; provides leadership in working on complex issues with little or no precedent, and where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors. Supervises and advises professional staff on operational responsibilities including license negotiation, electronic resources management, acquisitions, cataloging, and collection assessment. Sets individual and team-based performance goals; motivates collective effort; and cultivates staff expertise through effective leadership and support for professional development. Promotes a culture of continuous learning, empowerment, and collaboration.
• 15% Leadership, Collaboration and Consultation: Works collaboratively and proactively with UC Libraries to develop shared goals, strategies, and workflows. Serves on and provides collaborative leadership to relevant systemwide committees and cultivates strong relationships with UC campus librarians, library leaders, and other University and external stakeholders. Advises and reports regularly to the CDL Director of Shared Collections and campus library leadership on emerging issues impacting licensing and negotiation strategies, systemwide electronic resources management, acquisitions, and/or shared cataloging. Represents CDL and the UC Libraries licensed content unit in various professional fora, including representative consortial organizations. Monitors key professional issues and trends in licensing, scholarly communications, and electronic resource management, and contributes actively to the development of standards and best practices.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years relevant experience with a successful record of increasing responsibility and accomplishment.
• Proven experience and track record of success in negotiating effective licensing and business terms with major publishers, including strong negotiation and persuasion skills as well as political acumen.
• Deep understanding of the mission, goals, and organization of libraries, preferably in an academic research library setting.
• Advanced knowledge of current and emerging issues, practices, standards and trends in the areas of library content licensing, scholarly publishing and communication, and library electronic resource management, including a record of achievement in advancing library practice in a majority of these areas.
• Experience working in a consortial or similar complex organizational setting, or comparable experience in an environment requiring extensive interaction and consensus-building among multiple diverse stakeholders.
• Significant experience in license construction and standards, including advanced knowledge of relevant intellectual property issues and trends and other applicable laws, rules, regulations, guidelines and policies.
• Broad familiarity with library technical and descriptive standards and trends, including bibliographic standards such as MARC and RDA, digital file formats and other relevant digital library standards, and accessibility standards.
• Strong knowledge and skills in management and personnel administration, including selection, training, leadership, mentoring, evaluation, and problem resolution.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including superior ability to deal with broad and diverse constituencies.
• Demonstrated success in leading teams and facilitating collaborative effort.
• Excellent critical thinking and analytical ability.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in information science, library science, law, business or a related discipline strongly preferred.

Travel Requirements
5% Remote employees (residing outside reasonable commuting distance to the Oakland office) must be able to travel to the Oakland office with reasonable notice based on business and operational needs.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Job Title
Product Development Manager 1

Job Code
005945

Salary Grade
Grade 26

Payscale:
$160,000 - $180,000

The University of California, Office of the President, is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience. The full salary range shows the growth potential for this position and the pay scale is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position.

Benefits: For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University visit: Benefits of Belonging

California Residency: California residents who wish to work onsite, hybrid, or fully remotely will be considered. This position is not eligible for Visa or Green Card sponsorship. Must be willing to relocate if not a current California resident.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

HOW TO APPLY

Please be prepared to attach a cover letter and resume with your application.

APPLICATION REVIEW DATE

The first review date for this job is September 12, 2025. The position will be open until filled.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Background Check Process: Successful completion of a background check is required for this critical position. Background check process at UCOP

Smoke Free Work Environment: The University of California, Office of the President, is smoke & tobacco-free as of January 1, 2014. UC Smoke & Tobacco Free Policy

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs, as may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.

EEO STATEMENT

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

The University of California, Office of the President, strives to make this job board accessible to any and all users. If you have comments regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact us at: Accessibility or email the Human Resource Department at: epost@ucop.edu.