Head of Web Development

BRITISH LIBRARY; West Yorkshire; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

A national library organization seeks a passionate Head of Web Development to lead the evolution of its web presence. You will guide innovation and ensure a top-notch user experience across platforms. The ideal candidate has expertise in headless CMS systems and modern frameworks. This role offers competitive compensation, flexible hours, and a strong pension scheme, alongside a commitment to an inclusive workplace.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Pension scheme with 28.97% employer contributions

Flexible working hours

25 days holiday plus 2.5 privilege days

Digital allowance

Qualifications

• Passion for innovative web development and transforming user experiences.
• Experience with cloud-first architectures and Jamstack principles.
• Ability to work collaboratively across stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the vision and innovation for the British Library's web presence.
• Enhance security, performance, and resilience in web architecture.
• Collaborate with diverse stakeholders to meet evolving user needs.

Skills

Passion for user experience

Experience with headless CMS systems

Familiarity with modern frameworks

Stakeholder collaboration

Job description

Location

Boston Spa (BSP) / St Pancras (StP)

Contract

Fixed Term for 18 months

Hours

Full time (36 hours)

Salary

£48,668 - £63,752 (BSP) / £52,724 - £67,809 (StP) per annum (plus digital allowance)

About the role

Want to be the Head of Web Development for The British Library and continue our journey towards delivering one of the world’s best online experiences, putting our users at the heart of everything we do? We've laid the foundation for a totally new web experience and rebuilt from the ground up, embracing modern Jamstack architecture principles that are cloud first for enhanced security, performance, and resilience. We need a leader to help innovate and adapt to a changing world, evolving our story, together, as we move forward.

The successful candidate will be passionate about working on state-of-the-art headless CMS systems built using established modern frameworks and tooling, accessing and sharing one of the most varied and interesting collections of any organisation on the planet. If you love nothing more than a well thought-through, performant user journey, and are keen to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders and partners to achieve more than we could by ourselves, then please reach out and apply.

About us

We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.

What we can offer you

• A competitive salary
• A fantastic pension scheme with minimum employer contributions of 28.97% (this may be higher dependent on grade)
• Flexible working hours, with the ability to take up to 5 days flexi leave in a 3‑month period
• 25 days holiday plus 2.5 privilege days in addition to Bank Holidays
• This role also qualifies for a digital allowance

Things you need to know

• We are able to provide sponsorship under the UK Skilled Worker visa for this role.
• Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check (DBS check).
• Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn.
• We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse candidates and disabled candidates. Creating an inclusive workplace is the core of our business and a way to engage the diversity of thought that is essential to achieve our aims.

Closing date : 11 January 2026.