Head, Data Services

Description

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Collections and Open Strategies within the Research, Engagement, and Scholarly Communications (RESC) division and overseeing a new team of experienced data specialists, the Head of Data Services provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the Libraries’ data-related services. This highly collaborative position advances the library’s mission to support research, teaching, and learning by developing, managing, delivering and promoting scalable and aligned services in such areas as research data management, data literacy, data visualization, geospatial data, and computational research support. The Head works closely with library leadership to ensure the library remains agile and responsive to the evolving data needs across disciplines. It collaborates extensively with campus partners, including the Office of Information Technology, relevant research departments, and research offices to meet these needs. 

Essential Responsibilities & Duties

Administration and Managerial Responsibilities

•  Manage a team by developing a plan based on assessment of university programs, staffing, and collections.
• Support a matrix approach to data services, partnering with groups such as subject librarians, the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library (WHSCL) and Emory Center for Digital Scholarship (ECDS)
• Partner and collaborate with campus stakeholders (e.g., IT, research offices, academic departments) to support interdisciplinary data initiatives.
• Coordinate recruiting, hiring, orientation, training, supervision, evaluation, and development of staff and student employees.
• Work with existing data team members to identify priorities for additional data support staff.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and guidance to direct reports while encouraging effective communication and collaboration across the team.

Data Services 

• Oversee daily operations, budget planning, and resource allocation for the Research Data Services team.
• Develop and promote data services and programming related to the full research data cycle across the library and campus.
• Contribute to the team’s portfolio of services by providing consultations and instruction in at least one of these areas: data visualization, qualitative research methods, data cleaning support, methods and analytics support, or text and data mining.
• Identify emerging trends and assess user needs to develop new or enhanced services and resources related to data services.

Professional Responsibilities

• Participate in professional and scholarly associations; maintain membership and accreditation; participate in meetings, conferences, and workshops; serve in appointed or elected positions.
• Maintain up-to-date professional knowledge and skills related to job responsibilities and current trends in higher education, academic libraries, and information technology.
• Adhere to guidelines in the Emory Handbook Governing the Librarian series for Faculty-Equivalent Librarians regarding appointment, renewal, and promotion.
• Participate in library and campus committees.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• A master's degree in library and information science and/or an advanced degree in a relevant discipline.  
• Three years of managerial or supervisory experience or equivalent.
• Five or more years of experience and expertise working in data services/support (quantitative, qualitative, textual, geospatial), research data management, or closely related area within an academic or research setting. 
• Demonstrated commitment to the provision of high-quality service and instruction. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability and enthusiasm for teaching data tools and methods to university researchers across multiple levels and disciplines via multiple modes (in-person, online, group settings, one-on-one).
• Familiarity with data support tools.
• Background that demonstrates proficiency with tools for working with qualitative and/or quantitative data (e.g., R, STATA, NVivo, MAXQDA, etc).
• Familiarity working with scripting languages such as R or Python for data management and cleanup.
• Familiarity with AI applications within the data services environment.

Join Our Information Session: Head, Data Services

Date: January 13, 2026 
Time: 2:00–3:00 PM (ET)
Details: Learn more about the position, our data