Customer Services Assistant

Kirklees Metropolitan Council; Saffron Walden; On-site; GBP 7,700 - 26,000; Part time

Job summary

Essex County Council in Saffron Walden is seeking a part-time Customer Services Assistant to support library services, deliver story sessions, and assist customers with catalogues and programs. The role requires weekend work and occasional unlocking duties.

You will be part of a diverse team focused on delivering an inclusive, high-quality customer experience across libraries in the county.

Qualifications

• Demonstration that you know how to use IT systems or have the ability to learn.
• Customer service experience in any area.
• Confidence in speaking to customers and signposting them to Library services and partner organisations.
• Enthusiasm and ideas.
• Enjoy working within a team to improve services.

Responsibilities

• Help customers use the library catalogue and learn to use the full library offer.
• Deliver engaging story and rhyme sessions to groups of parents and toddlers.
• Support Health & Safety by identifying issues and helping sort them out.
• Contribute ideas for promotional activities to generate income for libraries.
• Be a trusted helper for unlocking/locking up in smaller libraries.

Skills

IT systems

Customer service

Communication

Teamwork

Job description

Customer Services Assistant

Permanent, Part Time

£25,959 per annum (full time equivalent)

Location: Saffron Walden

Working Style: Fixed-base worker

Closing Date: 1st November 2026

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

This role is part time, working 11 hours per week. Actual earnings based on these hours – £7,717 per annum.

Working days will be discussed at interview, however there will be a requirement to work at the library every Saturday.

Interviews: 17th November.

Come and join us in Libraries where we’re starting to reimagine what our libraries are going to be and help our present and future customers have the best experience possible.

You’ll join a service that is undergoing change. Libraries around the UK are evolving to meet the differing demands of our customers. The demands are often different dependent on the location of our Libraries, and this is where your knowledge will be invaluable. You’ll support with book circulation and issuing, signpost customers to different services and be our ears and eyes for what makes the difference to our customers. We want you to feel proud to play your role.

The Opportunity

Our Customer Service team are at the heart of what we do- they are the face of our libraries and our driving force. To join them you’ll need to be confident helping a diverse range of customers, with demands that change daily. We have an inclusive environment – your experience, your age and your perspectives are welcome in our team.

As a Customer Services Assistant, you will be required to work with children to develop and grow our audience in this key area of our business. Part of your responsibilities will be to deliver story and rhyme sessions to groups of parents and toddlers in this key area of our business. We would therefore like you to deliver a short 5 minute activity at the interview that enables you to demonstrate your ability to engage with children. This could include reading a short children’s story or sharing a children’s nursery rhyme.

Accountabilities

• First and foremost – you like helping people. If you’ve got some IT skills – self-taught or not, that’s ideal. We use self-service equipment, and our customers need your empathy and patience at all time.
• Deliver engaging story and rhyme sessions to groups of parents and toddlers in the library.
• Health & Safety is key to what we do. We’d like you to be the kind of person who sees things that need sorting and help sort them out.
• You’ll help with promotional activities – we generate income in all our libraries and value your ideas. Especially ones that can be rolled out across all Libraries.
• Assisting customers to use the library catalogue and learn to use the full library offer.
• Ensure seamless stock circulation and management, involving sorting, shelving, tidying, and handling reservations, fines, and membership activities.
• Data drives us – you’ll help us look at it in different ways, ensuring that we focus on the customer and staff to improve what we offer.
• Our smaller libraries have less staff, so we’ll ask you to help out with unlocking / locking up, and ask you to be a trusted keyholder.

The Experience You Will Bring

We welcome candidates with a diverse range of experiences and qualifications. Here’s a sample – what we’re interested in is if you are brilliant at the basics which include:

• Demonstration that you know how to use IT systems, or have the ability to learn
• Customer service experience in any area
• Confidence in speaking to our customers and signposting them to Library services, other parts of the Council services and our partner organisations.
• Enthusiasm and ideas
• Enjoy working within a team to make us as brilliant as possible.

We are dedicated to building a team that reflects the diverse community we serve. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

Together, let’s create a welcoming and inclusive library experience for everyone.

To read more about us please visit: Place and Customer

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we are dedicated to making a positive difference for residents, communities and businesses across the county. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, Greater Essex was accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

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.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email [e-mail]

Company: Essex County Council

Salary: Up to £25959.0000 per annum

Location: Saffron Walden, Essex

Sector: Corporate Services

Sector: Customer Services

Job Role: Officer