District Library Manager

Cambridgeshire County Council; Cambourne; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Sick pay

Pension

Mileage allowance

Development opportunities

Employee recognition

Job summary

Cambridgeshire County Council is seeking a District Library Manager to lead Cambourne Library and the South Cambridgeshire library network. The role is 30 hours per week on a fixed term basis until March 2028, based at Cambourne Library with responsibilities across ten libraries and key partnerships.

You will shape service delivery, mentor staff, develop new community collaborations, and help drive the Library Strategy for a growing district in Cambridgeshire.

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams across multiple sites.
• Ability to use data to inform decisions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with staff and volunteers.
• Understanding of public library service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead ten libraries and support two Area Library Managers.
• Develop partnerships and strategic plans for library services.
• Represent Library Leadership Team and contribute to Library Strategy.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Partnership building

Data-informed decisions

Microsoft Office 365

Teams

Excel

PowerBI

Tools

PowerBI

Excel

Microsoft Teams

Job description

We are seeking to appoint a District Library Manager for South Cambridgeshire for 30 hours per week, on a fixed term basis until March 2028. Are you ready to lead Cambourne Library, newly refurbished and at the heart of one of the fastest-growing districts in the country, while playing a key role in shaping the future of public library services across South Cambridgeshire? We are seeking a dynamic, people-focused operational leader to champion South Cambridgeshire Libraries. From our hub library in Cambourne to our libraries in Bar Hill, Comberton, Cottenham, Great Shelford, Histon, Linton, Papworth, Sawston and Willingham, you'll lead a service dedicated to achieving the council's vision of creating a healthy, fair and sustainable Cambridgeshire. This is an exciting time to join South Cambridgeshire Libraries. The district is experiencing significant growth and development, creating a unique opportunity to shape how library services respond to the needs of existing and new communities. You will play a leading role in supporting the continued development of library services across the district, including preparations for the opening of Darwin Green Library and the development of a new library at Northstowe. Through your leadership, you'll help promote culture and creativity, support community health and wellbeing, expand access to trusted information and digital services, and inspire a love of reading through engaging and inclusive programmes.

About the role

This is more than a management role. It's a chance to influence how library services evolve within one of Cambridgeshire's most ambitious growth areas. You'll lead a diverse team across ten libraries, ensuring our spaces remain welcoming, inclusive and responsive to the needs of local communities. Whether you're overseeing daily operations, developing partnerships, supporting new service initiatives or contributing to strategic planning, your work will directly impact how residents access knowledge, culture, information and support. Based at Cambourne Library, you'll work across the South Cambridgeshire library network and be a key member of the Library Leadership Team, working closely with the Head of Libraries, Archives and Culture. This varied role combines operational leadership with strategic development. One day you might be supporting the delivery of a community project, leading service improvements or mentoring staff; the next, you could be developing partnerships with local organisations, contributing to plans for new libraries, or helping shape the future direction of library services across a rapidly growing district. Our benefits We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage…, We're proud of our libraries and our reputation as a sector-leading library service, but we're always looking for new ways to improve, innovate and reach more people. We're seeking a confident and collaborative leader who can support and inspire teams, identify opportunities for service development, and help ensure our libraries continue to meet the evolving needs of South Cambridgeshire's communities. A key part of the role will be providing leadership across a network of libraries that are largely single-staffed, ensuring colleagues feel supported, connected and empowered to deliver excellent services locally. You'll work closely with and support two Area Library Managers, helping to build a positive culture, develop talent, and create a resilient and adaptable workforce across the district. In addition, you will also act as a point of contact for our Community Managed Libraries across Cambridgeshire. As a member of the Library Leadership Team, you'll play an active role in shaping and delivering the Library Strategy, contributing both operational expertise and strategic insight. You'll work collaboratively with colleagues across the service to develop new approaches to community engagement, improve access to services, and ensure libraries remain relevant and responsive to changing community needs., Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.

Our benefits

• A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family
• Buy up to 4 weeks additional annual leave (pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings
• Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth
• Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day
• Access to Peer Support Groups through our IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network
• Opportunities to nominate and receive Employee Recognition Awards
• An Our Cambs Rewards account, giving you access to in-store and online discounts as well as our Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.

Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.

You're a natural leader, someone who brings people together, builds trust, and gets things done. You've managed teams before, ideally across multiple sites, and you know how to balance operational demands with long-term vision. You're confident using data to inform decisions, and you're comfortable navigating change. You don't need to have worked in libraries before, but you do need to understand what excellent public service looks like, and be committed to helping deliver a high-quality, cost-effective library service that responds to the needs of local communities. If you've got experience of leading a team in a customer-focused environment and you're passionate about making a difference, we'd love to hear from you. For a full list of the requirements of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description & Person Specification. When completing your supporting statement, please emphasise how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the job description with a focus on: 1. Awareness of current issues, challenges, developments and opportunities in the library sector. 2. Evidence of a range of leadership qualities and skills necessary to recruit, build, motivate, lead and manage the performance of a large team of staff. 3. Excellent interpersonal skills with staff and volunteers, including active listening, problem solving, patience and understanding. 4. Ability to implement and realise corporate priorities/strategy, taking account of political and external influences, and to use influencing and negotiating skills. 5. Demonstrate ability to make effective use of Microsoft Office 365 suite, especially Teams, Excel and PowerBI. 6. Proven ability to interpret key performance indicator data to inform decision making. Ability to present and report on data in a clear and concise manner.