Senior Security Officer - Library Department

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The award-winning San José Public Library (SJPL) consists of more than 600 employees, a 23% bilingual workforce, and has 24 branch libraries across San José, in addition to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, which is the city’s main library jointly operated through a unique partnership with San José State University. SJPL serves a diverse community of roughly one-million residents and currently has nearly 700,000 library members. It annually attracts over 6 million visitors (pre-pandemic) and circulates more than 8 million items per year.

Over the past few years, SJPL has cultivated a 21st century library experience dedicated to public service and committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion at the core. In addition to providing library services to the community, SJPL proudly leads two citywide initiatives - the Education and Digital Literacy Strategy and the SJ Access digital equity initiative, which has become the number one provider of free public access to Wi-Fi connectivity, tech device lending, and multi-lingual digital literacy programs and support. SJPL is led by Jill Bourne, City Librarian, who was nationally recognized in 2017 as Library Journal’s “Librarian of the Year.”

SJPL enriches lives by fostering lifelong learning and ensuring that every member of the community has access to a vast array of ideas and information. The library department is a place where people do great work and make a difference in our community. To see examples of SJPL’s work and learn more about its impact, visit www.sjpl.org. Join us to make a difference!

Position Duties

This position requires flexible availability. Shifts may include morning, afternoon, to evening availability Monday - Sunday. Shift rotations may be required and will be based on the needs of the department.

Under the direction of the Security Services Supervisor, this position is responsible for performing work focused around supporting safety and delivering de-escalatory security services at any of the 24 SJPL library branches. This position has the unique opportunity to establish and build community trust and safety. The Senior Security Officer will perform duties related to enforcing SJPL Behavior Policy, monitoring and responding to security related incidents at library branches, be proactive in mitigating/deterring criminal activity and damage, performing accurate incident reporting, as well as providing security coaching and training to staff. The Security Officer will monitor inside the library building, as well as the outside perimeter of library building and library parking lot.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Interact with a diverse population of library customers and employees to preserve a safe and inviting community environment; provide customer service to library customers.

• Patrol multiple library branch locations, including building interior and exterior, to identify and deter illegal activities, report suspicious behavior or dangerous situations, while promoting a positive visual presence.

• Address and deescalate library security incidents in alignment with the library’s Behavior Policy and enforcement of violation guidelines.

• Ensure a courteous and professional demeanor when dealing with difficult library customers and demonstrate excellent customer service to both customers and all levels of library staff.

• Determine, using sound judgement, the best means of addressing security situations, including informing customers about library policies, reporting incidents appropriately to local law enforcement, producing accurate documentation/reporting, warning customers of rule infractions or violations, assisting staff with escorting people out, and serving suspension paperwork.

• Investigate and document potentially hazardous conditions and communicate with library facilities, executive management, Police, Fire, and other agencies as appropriate; liaise with the partner University Police Department and San Jose Police Department, as needed.

• Write incident reports of library conduct policy violations, activities, and irregularities, such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of unauthorized persons, or unusual occurrences. Maintain security-related records and information.

• Draft library customer suspensions requests and serve suspension paperwork; gather and present data related to incidents.

• Evaluate and recommend revision of security and emergency procedures and policies.

• Interpret, implement, and relay legal statutes, laws, departmental policies, procedures, and regulations.

• Provide security-related trainings to library staff.

• May provide training to contract security officers, monitor effectiveness, and evaluate performance/process improvements; ensure current training of all security personnel is complete.

• Respond to emergencies at any of the branch libraries; ensure accurate reporting and follow up with library executive management; Respond to medical emergencies and may provide first aid or CPR.

• Current CPR and American Red Cross Standard First Aid certification desired but not required time of hire. Training can be provided.

• Bilingual skills preferred.

The salary range for Senior Security Officer is approximately $79,475.76 - $96,576.48 paid annually. This amount includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The successful candidate will possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to interpret, implement and relay policies, procedures, laws, regulations with the public and partner departments, and possess the ability to mitigate and deescalate conflict.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience

Completion of high school or equivalent (General Education Development [GED] Test or California Proficiency Certificate) AND four (4) years of experience in security, safety, or law enforcement.

Required Licensing (such as driver’s license, certifications, etc.)

Possession of a valid State of California Driver’s license.

Other Qualifications

Competencies

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

Job Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies, basic legal procedures, and federal and state rules and regulations.?

Social Awareness: Demonstrates the ability to read or sense other people’s emotions and how they influence the situation of interest or concern; demonstrates empathy and organizational awareness .

Conflict Management: Uses appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to reduce tension or conflict between two or more people, by presenting the facts, analysis, and conclusions or solutions that show command of content and perspectives and interests of the audience.

Customer Service: Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills: Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.?

Problem Solving: Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Initiative: Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.

Computer Skills: Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.

Communication Skills: Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Selection Process

The selection process will include an evaluation of each applicant’s training and experience based on the information provided in the application and responses to all job-specific questions. All questions must be fully answered; incomplete applications may be withheld from further consideration. Only candidates whose qualifications most closely align with the position will advance in the process, which may include one or more interviews.

Submission of a resume is optional and does not replace the requirement to complete all sections of the application, including education, work experience, and supplemental questions. Applications that rely solely on a resume or contain incomplete responses may not be considered.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 4/13/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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