Description

The St. Louis Public Library (SLPL) seeks a strategic, collaborative, and visionary leader as its next Chief Executive Officer and Foundation President (CEO) to lead a highly regarded civic institution. The next CEO will bring a strong commitment to serving St. Louis’s diverse communities and to advancing the Library’s role as an essential public resource, while navigating a complex urban and political environment with diplomacy, credibility, and deep community engagement.

The St. Louis Public Library is a high-performing, deeply trusted urban institution that plays a critical role as both a cultural anchor and a core provider of social infrastructure across the city. With a strong financial and operational foundation, the library serves as a stabilizing presence in a variety of neighborhoods throughout the city where it often functions as a primary point of access to essential services, particularly in neighborhoods with significant socioeconomic challenges. Its reach and reputation extend beyond traditional library services, supported by active partnerships with schools, cultural organizations, and civic institutions, positioning it as a collaborative hub within the region. At the same time, the library operates within a complex city landscape and is entering a period of transition and opportunity, including system changes, expanded regional collaboration, and the potential for a major fundraising initiative. Together, these factors underscore an institution that is both well-established and poised for continued evolution as it redefines its role in meeting the needs of the community.

Anchored by an engaged and mission-centered senior leadership team and reporting to the Board of Directors, the next CEO will provide strategic, financial, operational, and cultural leadership for the Library, ensuring that SLPL fulfills its public mission with excellence, transparency, and long-term sustainability. In partnership with the Board and throughout the community, the CEO will be expected to articulate and execute a compelling vision for the Library’s future relevance and impact in St. Louis, one that advances thoughtful strategic planning, strengthens the Library’s visibility and community-centered service, deepens philanthropy and resource development, builds strong civic and regional partnerships, and sustains a collaborative, high-performing organizational culture.

Requirements

Required:

• Proven leadership experience in a complex organization.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with a governing board.
• Strong ability to lead and develop senior staff.
• Proven track record of financial management experience.

Preferred:

• An MLS or advanced degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated deep knowledge of trends shaping libraries and information access.
• Successful and significant fundraising experience.
• Strong familiarity with urban service environments.
• Demonstrated experience in a public or quasi-public institution.