Library and Cultural Services
Library and Cultural Services (L&CS) are provided across the University’s three campuses. The largest of the libraries is the Albert Sloman Library at our Colchester campus, with a smaller Library and IT Centre at our Loughton campus. At Southend, services are provided through a shared service with Southend City Council at the Forum. The Library teams cover academic and research services, content and digital services and user engagement. In August 2021, The University’s art gallery, Art Exchange, and the Lakeside Theatre joined the library to form Library and Cultural Services, and a restructure of the team is underway to more closely integrate the arts functions within L&CS, under the leadership of the Assistant Director Engagement and Cultural Services.
Duties of the Role
Reporting to the Director of Library and Cultural Services, the Assistant Director Engagement and Cultural Services will provide leadership, direction, development and coordination for the full range of Engagement and Cultural Services functions. This includes Library user engagement and frontline services, the Lakeside Theatre and the Art Exchange Gallery. As a member of the L&CS Leadership Team, the Assistant Director will play a key role in strategic planning and development of the whole service and is responsible for policy development and operational effectiveness of services related to Engagement and Cultural Services. The Assistant Director will be an innovative practitioner and will represent Library and Cultural Services at University and external meetings, working collaboratively with academic colleagues, other professional services, the Students Union and with external organisations for the benefit of staff and students of the University.
Skills and qualifications required
The post holder will have a degree or equivalent qualification and a professional qualification in a relevant field. They will have experience of leading a diverse team, with a good knowledge of the HE environment and current developments in library services and/or arts and cultural services. They will have a successful record of strategic and operational management, with a collaborative and collegiate approach to leadership, a proactive approach to continuous improvement, experience of change management and experience of financial management. They will have excellent written and verbal communication skills and an ability to work in partnership with a range of colleagues and stakeholders across the University and externally.
Whilst this is a permanent, full-time post based at our Colchester campus, hybrid working, with a mixture of on campus and home working, can be accommodated. Travel will occasionally be required to other campuses.
At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.
To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives.
Please see the attached job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role plus more information relating to the post. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application. Applications should be made on-line, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please contact resourcing@essex.ac.uk
*More information: Working at the University