Libraries Area Manager

We are looking for two Area Managers to help run library services in the north and south of the county.

The Area Manager role in the south of the county will also manage Prison Library Service contracts.

The Area Manager role in the north will also manage library transport, including the Mobile Library Service.

Staffordshire's Libraries are benefitting from a 5-year plan of investment to update them for local communities.

Both roles will be based in Stafford, but you will work across different areas.

You can work flexibly in this role.

Main Responsibilities

As part of the library management team you will:

1. Lead library services in a specific geographical area, responsible for:

• Library staff and volunteers
• Library buildings
• Budgets and income targets
• Building partnerships and relationships
• Keeping Community Managed Libraries running

• Managing contracts for Community Managed Libraries
• Supporting Community Managed Library partners and volunteers
• Helping Community Managed Libraries to grow and develop
• Finding funding and helping Community Managed Libraries to apply for funding

• Customer and community engagement
• Community Managed Libraries
• Workforce planning and development
• Volunteers and Friends Groups
• Health and safety
• Planning and performance
• Income generation
• Universal Library Offers

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for you to have:

• A relevant degree or library qualification
• Experience of working in a library
• Experience of managing a service area at a senior level, including leading teams
• Strategic thinking, planning, and acting skills
• Excellent communication skills and confidence working with partners and stakeholders.

We want a strong leader who is motivated, enthusiastic, organised, and can work under pressure.

“We’re happy to talk flexible working.”

Interviews will be held during the week commencing the 6 May 2025.

Don’t feel you meet all the requirements? We value transferable skills, experiences, and qualifications, so consider applying anyway. For an informal chat about the role, please contact Sue Ball, Libraries and Arts Manager, sue.ball@staffordshire.gov.uk.

Our Recruitment Process:

We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire.

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities.

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.