Please note this is a fixed term contract for a period of 12 months.

Please note that this is a hybrid role and will include working from and visiting libraries.

The Role

This post is part of the Libraries' Senior Management Team, reporting to the Head of Service. Responsible for Service Development teams and project delivery, including the mobile libraries, adult & children's services, stock & resources, outreach services and working with partners.

This role requires someone who can manage a range of services and people, who is flexible, who can remain calm under pressure, who can take decisions, be an advocate for the service with partners, internal and external stakeholders, customers and library staff.

You will be proactive, passionate about the role of libraries and how they can become the hub of the community. Being customer focussed, this role will research, develop and lead on ways to bring the use of libraries into the community particularly in levelling up areas.

The Service Development manager will lead on building partnerships locally, regionally and to be the service representative at events. The role will develop and deliver the library services offer that is committed to enhancing the lives of Essex residents and contributes to the cultural life of the community.

To lead and develop service initiatives and strategies that support the growth in numbers of physical and virtual library membership. To work collaboratively with internal and external partners and ECC functions, to enable a programme of events and service initiatives that target community segments and link to ECC’s strategic objectives.

To drive change in a way that the library service delivers events that delivers, creating a culture of being quality focused and where teams recognise that events and activity should be piloted. Clear Return on Investment/resident satisfaction criteria needs to be met and reported on.

Accountabilities

• To manage the service development and library service support teams and proactively support the upskilling of the operational and frontline areas of the service to ensure the service development objectives can be delivered.

• Build strong working relationships with a range of partners across key localities, while acting as a trusted partner to deliver shared goals. Deliver exemplar customer interactions to individuals and communities which support strong relationships and a reputation for achieving outcomes and resolving issues. Represent the service in appropriate internal or external forums where necessary.

• Develop bids for funding to deliver innovative library initiatives, which build strong relationships with partners and organisations and enhance the library customer experience and attracts new audiences.

• Lead on new library developments and seek new ways to deliver services and reach new and diverse audiences.

• Responsible for working with the Core customer insight and data function to ensure strong and consistent frameworks are in place to design, deliver and report on events and activity.

• Horizon scan new service and library initiatives and engage proactively with the wider public library network across the country. Participate in the development of national and regional library programmes and services.

• Ensuring that our commitment to Equality and Diversity is central to library engagement and provision and aligns to wider strategic vision. To address equality of access to library services and to proactively target a wider, more diverse audience.

• Ensure that staff have appropriate knowledge and skills through a programme of training and development opportunities, to enhance skills that support the aims of the Service Development function.

Dimensions

Budgetary management responsibility (indirect impact): £2 Million

Indirect impact – Role contributes to budget authorisation/management, authorising low level spend, tracking spend/commitments

People management responsibility (including direct reports): 3 direct reports and approx. 25 wider team members.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to degree level or equivalent by experience. Strong analytical skills and excellent written skills. Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.

• Ability to effectively engage and work collaboratively as well as possessing strong influencing skills to enthuse people to get them on board.

• Ability to demonstrate a passion for delivering excellent customer experience. Experience of being pro-active in seeking customer feedback to ascertain improvements and customer experience.

• An excellent communicator with a persuasive, enthusiastic and encouraging manner and an ability to develop and maintain constructive and effective professional relationships.

• Ability to influence senior leaders and Cabinet members across the Council. Accountable for networking and collaborating with partners and keeping up to date with national library initiatives and developments.

• Applies a clear, logical, analytical and systematic approach to recording and monitoring budgetary spend and service performance data.

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all its employees. More information can be found here pay and reward

To view our Organisational Behaviours information please follow this link.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

To apply please click the Apply Now link below.