Senior Community Librarian - Based at Welford Road Prison

Leicester City Council; Leicester; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job description

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Position: Part Time / 22 hours per week / Fixed Term until 31st March 2026.

Are you passionate about delivering high quality services to communities in Leicester?

Neighbourhood Services provide library, community, and multi-services across Leicester City. We aim to serve the citywide and local community by providing accessible reading, and digital inclusion services, as well as health information and cultural offers. We work closely with our partners to deliver an exciting programme of events and activities to engage families and adults from all communities.

Join us as Senior Community Librarian to work within HM Prison Leicester. Our aim is to ensure there is access to library services, information resources, and reading programmes by encouraging engagement and promoting a love of language, learning, and books within the prison. This is your chance to work with a range of partners to develop dynamic and effective services which will make a difference for our residents. With flexibility and supportive management, you'll have the right environment to nurture and lead your team.

This is a part-time fixed term position until 31st March 2026, working 22 hours per week from Monday to Sunday. You'll be based at HM Prison Leicester (Welford road).

We will consider this vacancy on a secondment basis for Leicester City Council employees. If you wish to apply for this post on a secondment basis then please make your line manager aware before applying.

What you'll be doing:

1. Deliver strategic priorities set by management team within the prison, including access for service users to books, DVDs, mandatory publications, and paper-based activities.
2. Work in partnership with Prison Education Service and external organisations to contribute to Neighbourhood Services Improvement & Efficiency Plan and implement this at a local level.
3. Manage the delivery of services, ensuring events and activities are funded with bids from external organisations.

What you'll need:

1. Experience of supporting the running of a library and working in a developmental, supervisory, or specialist role in a community environment.
2. Understanding of the needs of socio-economically disadvantaged and socially excluded groups and communities.
3. Proficiency in IT, with the ability to utilise library systems, write reports, monitor performance, and create publicity.
4. Strong communication skills to engage stakeholders and assist potentially distressed and vulnerable service users in a sensitive manner.
5. Commitment to the role of libraries in society and a positive outlook to lead local service development and change.

Appointment will be subject to prison vetting and you'll need to go through the Prison System vetting process before you are eligible to work in the Prison.

What we can offer you:

As well as the satisfaction of helping to improve thousands of lives across Leicester, you can look forward to a work environment that encourages a healthy work/life balance. You'll enjoy generous annual leave, membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme, and the option of flexible working. You'll also have the chance to develop your skills and expertise with various training and development opportunities. Additionally, you can choose from several flexible benefits, including childcare vouchers, discounts on city buses and trains, and help with relocation to Leicester, where appropriate. For an illustrative value of your benefits package, take a look at our benefits calculator.

Join us:

We're committed to recruiting a diverse and highly-talented workforce as we continue to build a council that is fitting and representative of our great city. That's why we've designed our recruitment process to put you at your ease, make you feel welcome, and bring the best out of you. We'll do all we can to make our recruitment process as fair as possible. To help you with your application, take a look at the 'our approach to recruitment' page.

For a chat about this post, please feel free to contact Hiten Patel on 0116 4541849.

Interviews / Assessments will take place week commencing the 28th of April.