Literacy Specialist

The City of San Mateo Library Department is looking for a Literacy Specialist (.625 FTE)

with Prorated Benefits

Why Join our Department?

The San Mateo Public Library is seeking an energetic and motivated individual to be a part-time Literacy Specialist (.625 full-time equivalent, working 25 hours per week). In this position, the successful candidate will work collaboratively with a dedicated team of literacy staff comprising our Project Read program. Under the supervision of the Literacy Program Coordinator, the ideal candidate will work with Project Read staff to create fun, meaningful and literacy-focused programs and services for adults and families. The ideal candidate will also be a person with a passion for working with adult learners and tutors, demonstrating skill and innovation in the planning and implementation of various learning opportunities.

The San Mateo Public Library builds community by inspiring imagination, discovery, and learning. The Library is a dynamic community resource and destination that includes the Main Library, a state-of-the-art LEED Gold rated green building, and two community branch libraries. The Library provides library services to residents of the City of San Mateo and the Town of Hillsborough and is part of the Peninsula Library System (PLS), a consortium of public library jurisdictions and community college libraries in San Mateo County. The Library is also part of the Pacific Library Partnership, a consolidation of four library systems in the greater Bay Area of Northern California.

The Library provides an array of core services for all age groups: a collection of library materials comprised of books, magazines, newspapers, databases, compact discs, DVDs, downloadable e-books, and technology lending; information and reader’s advisory service; free access to information technology via public computers and wireless Internet, library programs for children, tweens, teens and adults; literacy instruction; specialized collections in the areas of business and biotechnology; a world languages collection that includes titles in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Farsi; and an extensive volunteer program that integrates the community with opportunities to help fulfill the Library’s mission.

Look to some of the reasons why the City of San Mateo is a great place to work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GTIzeSpc_g

What You’ll Do

The Literacy Specialist plans, coordinates, and implements student, tutor and volunteer assessments, trainings and related activities for an assigned literacy program. The incumbent also provides assistance in the daily operations of the program and carrying out the goals of the program. Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Plan and present volunteer training workshops and programs; match volunteer to appropriate literacy activity and match students with volunteer tutors; prepare and provide instructional plan for students and trains tutors in implementing lesson plans; administer adult literacy student assessments.
• Plan, organize, and implement instructional and supportive workshops and activities for students and volunteers, which may include writing workshops, reading groups, continuing education sessions and support groups.
• Plan, organize, and implement family events and story times for literacy program clients. Plan and implement early childhood literacy program and assist and collaborate with professionals involved with the program.
• Maintains accurate records and statistics of student and volunteer activities for State grant and other reports. Tracks program progress and prepares program reports as required by the State Library or other program stakeholders.
• Plan, organize, and provides student and tutor recognition events and develop, design, and create promotional materials and displays.
• Recruits, trains and supervises assigned program per diem staff and or volunteers.
• You may be required to work nights and weekends, so demonstrating work schedule flexibility it essential.

The Literacy Specialist receives direction from the Literacy Program Coordinator and/or the Supervising Librarian of Children’s and Literacy Services or other higher level personnel. The Literacy Specialist supervises assigned per diem staff and program volunteers.

For a complete list of duties, reference our job specifications at www.cityofsanmateo.org

Job PDF:

Literacy Specialist JA 4.2025 Final.pdf

Who You Are

• You possess knowledge of the principles and practices of recruiting, interviewing, training and instruction, principles and techniques for assessing and measuring literacy skills, methods for and practices of teaching adult literacy, appropriate curriculum and materials, language acquisition and instructional strategies, digital resources and software programs, and volunteer programs, community organizations and educational resources..
• You possess the ability to effectively recruit, train, guide and oversee the work of per diem staff and program volunteers, communicate effectively both in writing and verbally with people of diverse multi-cultural, socio-economic backgrounds and temperaments; exercise tact and diplomacy, collect, analyze and prepare data for reports, maintain accurate records, work evenings and weekends, work independently, exercise good judgment and take initiative, establish and maintain positive, effective and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, plan, organize and conduct workshops and training sessions, effectively assess and match students and volunteer tutors, and identify and procure literacy materials.

What You Bring

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:One year of fulltime or its equivalent experience working in a library setting, an adult literacy program, accredited school district or other community program; experience in the field of English as a Second Language is desirable.

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in education, social sciences, behavioral sciences, English as a Second Language, communications or other related fields.
• Possession of a valid, appropriate California Driver’s License is required.

Bonus Points (highly desirable)

• Bilingual in Spanish
• Experience in the field of English as a Second Language

What We Offer

• Comprehensive benefits package including generous paid leave and health benefits (Prorated for a .625 FTE employee.)
• CalPERS retirement 2% @ 55 for classic members; 2% @ 62 for new members. Classic employees contribute 8.30% to CalPERS and New members contribute 6.75% to CalPERS
• Participation in the Social Security Program
• For more information, please refer to the Library Merit Unit Benefits Summary effective January 2022 – benefits are prorated for a .625 FTE employee
• This classification is represented by the Service Employees International Unit

Are You Ready? Apply.

Submit an online application, résumé (required), cover letter (required) and supplemental questionnaire at www.calopps.org or to the Human Resources Department, City of San Mateo, 330 W. 20th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403, (650) 522-7260.

Application Deadline

Recruitment will close by Friday, April 25, 2025 @ 5:00 p.m..

Interview Process

All applications, résumés (required), cover letters (required), and supplemental questionnaires received will be reviewed for minimum qualifications. Résumés are required but do not take the place of a completed employment application. A fully completed application is required; a resume does not replace the information required on the employment application, including work history. Applications with "see resume" as a substitution for the work experience description, those with unclear past employment information, or those with insufficient information to evaluate possession of minimum qualifications will not be considered; missing information cannot be assumed. A limited number of the most highly qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the examination process, which may consist of an oral panel interview, written exercise, or in the form of a practical demonstration of skill and ability, or any combination of these; a Zoom oral board is tentatively scheduled for May 13, 2025.

An employment list will be established for those who pass the examination process. Current and future vacancies may be filled from this list. The list will remain in effect for at least six months with the possibility of an extension for an additional six months. Once placed on an employment list, and at the time a vacancy occurs, eligible candidates may be contacted by the hiring department and scheduled for additional department interviews.

Date Posted – April 14, 2025

Note: The City of San Mateo reserves the right, at its discretion, to limit the number of qualified candidates invited to the selection process. ALL RESPONSES WILL BE CONDUCTED VIA THE EMAIL ADDRESS PROVIDED IN YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION. Therefore, it is imperative that you provide an email address to which you have access, and it is recommended that you frequently check your email for notices from: sanmateo@CalOpps.org.