Principal Librarian - Books, Reading and Culture

If you have a strong background in library management, have excellent communication skills and can foster a love for books, Reading and Culture to adults in West Sussex then this is the perfect role for you!

We're looking for a Principal Librarian to join our Books, Reading and Culture team.

Salary: £37,336 to £40,221 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Location: Countywide, with a base location in either Power Place (23 Terminus Road, Chichester, PO19 8UJ) Crawley Library (Southgate Ave, Crawley RH10 6HG) or Worthing Library (Richmond Rd, Worthing BN11 1HD). Final arrangements will be confirmed with successful candidate.

Interview Date: 05 March 2024

Our library staff and volunteers change people's lives for the better every day, and being part of leading the service offers huge job satisfaction.

West Sussex libraries deliver essential community-based support, promoting the benefits of reading for everyone, offering a comprehensive service to inspire children and families to use their local library and realising the opportunities for our libraries to meet the needs of vulnerable or older adults in our communities.

You will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes available.

The Opportunity

As a Principal Librarian, you will be responsible for delivering a specialist library service relating to books, Reading and Culture for adults across the county.

You will be an expert in your field and deliver a range of projects and programmes to increase engagement and participation. You will provide key support to team librarians and libraries as they delivery services locally.

Reporting to the team manager, you will support projects and priorities including stock selection, promotion, delivery of outreach activities, working with a range of partners and providing training, expertise and support to front line staff.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About You

The ideal candidate will be a passionate advocate for Libraries and the pivotal role they play in the specific audience groups as well as residents.

You will be able to demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, communicating on several different levels with multiple stakeholders and adapting your style accordingly.

You should be a Chartered Librarian or be able to evidence the equivalent level of significant experience. If you are a proactive individual with excellent communication and pragmatic problem-solving skills, we want to hear from you!

Rewards and Benefits

Along with a generous holiday entitlement of 27 days plus opportunity to buy additional leave).

Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

• A excellent local government pension scheme
• A range of flexible working options, depending on your job role
• Maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave
• volunteering opportunities
• Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
• A range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform (see ourStaff discounts page if you are a business looking to offer a discount)
• Health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and Voluntary Health Cash Plans.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CPP00876.

Does this sound like the opportunity for you? Click apply below, upload your CV, and complete the application form, explaining how you meet the key skills in the attached job description and experience you can bring to the role.

Please ensure all that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.

Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

Please ensure you apply directly through the West Sussex County Council job website: Job search - West Sussex County Council

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to 5 years referencing, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.