Associate Director, Scholars Portal (Librarian III/IV; Permanent Status Stream)

Job Title:  Associate Director, Scholars Portal (Librarian III/IV; Permanent Status Stream)  
Date Posted: 03/10/2026
Closing Date: 04/09/2026
Req ID: 47099
Job Category: Librarian – Permanent Status Stream
Faculty/Division: Library 
Department: Scholars Portal
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)
Existing Vacancy: Yes

Are you looking for challenging, meaningful work in a supportive and diverse environment? Are you looking for a career at one of Canada’s top employers? Work where the world comes to think, discover and learn. Consider a career at the University of Toronto.

About the University of Toronto Libraries

The University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) system is the largest academic library in Canada and is ranked in the top five among peer institutions in North America. The system comprises 40 libraries located across three university campuses: St.George, Mississauga, and Scarborough. This diverse and extensive network of college libraries, special collections, and specialized information centres plays a pivotal role in supporting the teaching, scholarly, and research needs of nearly 100,000 students enrolled in a wide array of graduate, professional, and undergraduate programs.

The library system provides access to millions of resources in various formats, including electronic, print, audio-visual, data and geospatial materials. UTL also boasts impressive holdings of archival material and substantial digital collections, securely preserved in the libraries’ data centre. The staff at UTL are integral to the academic and scholarly enterprise, working closely with faculty and students to support their teaching, learning, and research requirements. They are subject matter experts; they are skilled in research data management, collections, statistics, GIS, metadata, digital preservation, scholarly communications, copyright, teaching, knowledge synthesis, open access and much more. Our work is grounded in our commitment to support equity, diversity, and inclusion. UTL continuously evolves to meet the changing academic priorities and pressures at the University and within the broader landscape of higher education.

About Scholars Portal 

Scholars Portal is a digital service arm of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) and a division of the University of Toronto Libraries. The goal of Scholars Portal is to develop and manage common technology, shared collections, and service infrastructure that supports the delivery and preservation of electronic resources to researchers and students in Ontario’s 21 universities and beyond.

 
The Scholars Portal team comprises 30 librarians, developers, and systems staff who support services in four broad areas: research & member services; data and geospatial services; digital collections; and web & preservation services. 

About Borealis

Borealis, the Canadian Dataverse Repository (https://borealisdata.ca) is a national research data repository for Canadian researchers provided by University of Toronto Libraries (UTL), in partnership with academic libraries, research institutions, and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. Borealis is strengthened by connections to local research data management (RDM) support services at institutions across Canada. The mission is to foster open and transparent research practices by enabling researchers to deposit, manage, publish, preserve, and share their research data with the wider scientific community. 

The Opportunity

The University of Toronto Libraries invites applications for a visionary and collaborative leader to serve as Associate Director, Scholars Portal. This role offers a unique opportunity to guide a nationally significant research data infrastructure while shaping the future of data services that support Ontario’s academic libraries and the broader Canadian research community.

Reporting to the Director of Scholars Portal, the successful candidate will provide strategic and operational leadership for SP’s Data Services portfolio and serve as the lead for Borealis, the Canadian Dataverse Repository – a bilingual, secure, multidisciplinary national research data repository delivered by UTL in partnership with regional consortia and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. As a senior leader within Scholars Portal, the Associate Director will guide the development of innovative, user-centred data services that meet the evolving needs of OCUL member institutions and the wider academic community. They will work closely with SP’s technical and service teams, including librarians, developers, analysts, and programmers, to ensure that platforms such as Odesi, and Scholars GeoPortal remain robust, sustainable, and responsive to emerging research and teaching priorities. Additionally, the Associate Director will ensure that Borealis continues to strengthen local and national research data management (RDM) services and advance open, transparent research practices across Canada.

The Associate Director will cultivate strong relationships with stakeholders across the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), institutional RDM teams across Canada, and national partners including the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. They will participate in OCUL governance groups, national working groups, and multi-institutional initiatives focused on data stewardship, technical infrastructure, and research data sharing.

The Associate Director will play a pivotal role in strengthening the digital research ecosystem in Ontario and across Canada, ensuring that Scholars Portal remains a trusted, forward-thinking provider of critical academic library and research data services.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for SP’s Data Services portfolio—including Borealis, Odesi, and Scholars GeoPortal, ensuring services remain responsive, sustainable, and aligned with the needs of OCUL member libraries and the broader research community.
• Serve as the service lead for Borealis, guiding the development, operations, and strategic directions of Canada’s national Dataverse repository in collaboration with UTL, regional consortia, partner institutions, and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.
• Participate in strategic planning for Scholars Portal and advance priorities related to data services and repository infrastructure.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders across OCUL institutions, national RDM communities, and external partners.
• Represent Scholars Portal on OCUL committees, Borealis governance groups, and national working groups related to RDM, digital repositories, and data stewardship.
• Champion UTL’s values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in service design, staff development, and community engagement.
• Oversee day-to-day technical operations and infrastructure for Borealis, Odesi, and Scholars GeoPortal, ensuring service reliability, security, and exceptional user support.
• Provide supervisory leadership for librarians and staff, including recruitment, mentorship, coaching, and performance management.
• Lead and coordinate project teams with effective planning, delegation, documentation, stakeholder communication, and assessment.
• Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and technical documentation for data services and repository infrastructure.
• Monitor service quality, assess evolving needs, and identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• A master’s degree in library, archival or information science from an accredited institution.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, with the ability to work respectfully and collaboratively with diverse communities.
• Strong background in information and communications technologies and/or experience in one or more key SP portfolio areas, particularly RDM, repository systems, digital collections, or technical library services.
• Proven leadership experience, including team development, and fostering a collaborative workplace culture.
• Relevant administrative, managerial and supervisory experience, particularly in a unionized environment.
• Extensive experience with digital repository systems, research data platforms, or technical infrastructure in a library, research, or academic environment.
• Strong understanding of technical systems design, web applications, search and discovery services, data access, and database systems.
• Demonstrated experience with code versioning systems and technical development workflows (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins).
• Experience working with APIs, technical documentation, and the creation of training or instructional materials.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including librarians, researchers, institutional RDM teams, vendors, and external partners.
• Strong project management skills and experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder technical or service-related projects.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate persuasively with varied audiences.
• Demonstrated strength in planning, decision-making, and problem-solving.
• Must qualify for appointment at the Librarian III rank according to the Policies for Librarians.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with open science practices, Canadian RDM policy environments, and trends in academic research data sharing.
• A record of professional engagement through publications, presentations, or participation in relevant professional associations.
• Ability to communicate effectively in both official languages (English and French).
• Experience with national or multi-institutional research infrastructure, consortial library environments, or cross-institutional scholarly communication initiatives.

Salary and Terms of Appointment:  

It is anticipated that this position will be filled at the Librarian III/IV level, subject to review and experience. Minimum salary: LIB III: $110,940; LIB IV: $130,714. (Salary is dependent on rank at hire and qualifications) The expected salary range is  $110,940 – $150,000, depending on experience. Negotiations beyond this salary range will be considered for exceptionally qualified candidates.     This is a permanent status stream position.

Benefits: We offer generous benefits packages to all employees. Additional information is available at: https://people.utoronto.ca/careers/benefits/

Additional information:

Librarians at the University of Toronto are members of the University of Toronto Faculty Association. 

How to Apply:

Application Materials Required: A cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references of which at least two have supervised your work. Please attach a single electronic file into the “Resume” Field. (MS Word or pdf) with a file name convention of Surname, FirstName, 47099.

The University of Toronto Libraries thanks all applicants but will only contact applicants selected for an interview. 

University of Toronto Library System: http://library.utoronto.ca/

University of Toronto: https://people.utoronto.ca/

Policies for librarians: https://people.utoronto.ca/policies/

This search aligns with the University’s commitment to strategically and proactively promote diversity among our community members (Statement on Equity, Diversity & Excellence). Recognizing that Black, Indigenous, and other Racialized communities have experienced inequities that have developed historically and are ongoing, we strongly welcome and encourage candidates from those communities to apply.

University of Toronto Libraries’ Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Statement:
https://library.utoronto.ca/policy/anti-racism-and-diversity-equity-and-inclusion

University of Toronto Libraries’ Anti-Racism Statement:
https://library.utoronto.ca/policy/anti-racism-and-diversity-equity-and-inclusion

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Diversity Statement
The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our academic mission.

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see http://uoft.me/UP.

Accessibility Statement
The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.

If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact uoft.careers@utoronto.ca.