Senior Librarian (Acquisitions & Systems)

Arden University; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic educational institution is seeking an experienced Senior Librarian to coordinate library services at its Birmingham campus. The role includes leading a team, managing content and acquisitions, and improving service delivery. Ideal candidates will have a degree in library science, along with strong IT skills and project management experience, to innovate in digital library services. This full-time role offers competitive pay and excellent benefits.

Benefits

30 days holiday + bank holidays

Aviva pension plan

Private Medical Insurance

Access to Perkbox benefits

Study any Arden course for free

Corporate benefits

Christmas closure

Qualifications

• Experienced library professional with strong organisational and leadership skills.
• Confident managing library operations and systems.
• Proactive and analytical, committed to service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support a team of library staff.
• Manage content and acquisitions efficiently.
• Monitor service engagement data to inform planning.

Skills

IT literacy including Microsoft Office 365

Experience in a library team within higher education

Knowledge of library systems

Understanding of bibliographic data

Experience with acquisitions and supplier liaison

Knowledge of electronic resources management

Familiarity with copyright in higher education

Experience with project management

Education

Degree in library or information science

Job description

Salary: £46,000 - £48,000 per annum

Employment type: Fixed Term Contract for Maternity Cover (12 months)

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Deputy Head of Library Services - Acquisitions and Systems

Department: Library and Learning Success Hub

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here.

The role can be based in one of Arden’s campuses (Birmingham, Leeds, London, Manchester, Nottingham) or a remote working position with occasional travel to one of our campuses. You must therefore be located within commutable distance to an Arden campus.

Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

About Arden University

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Department

At Arden University, we’re dedicated to providing students with everything they need to excel in their studies—all in one place! Our Learning Success Hub is a dynamic, 24/7 support service designed to help students thrive academically and achieve their goals. This includes a Library Portal, Academic Skills support and the English Language Hub.

About the Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Senior Librarian (Content & Acquisitions) to join our Library Services team at Arden University. Reporting to the Deputy Head of Library Services (Acquisitions & Systems), you will play a key leadership role in coordinating the activities that ensure the smooth and effective running of Arden’s Library Service.

In this pivotal position, you will lead and support a team of library staff, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture that ensures our services are delivered to a consistently high standard and aligned with the needs of the University community.

You will take primary responsibility for content and acquisitions management, including programme maintenance, financial administration, and supplier liaison. You will also lead on the development, documentation, and maintenance of key workflows, ensuring efficiency and consistency across library operations.

In addition, you will play an active role in monitoring and analysing service engagement data to inform planning and reporting, and you will contribute to the delivery of service improvement projects that enhance the student and staff experience.

This role offers an exciting opportunity for a professional librarian with strong leadership, analytical, and organisational skills who is committed to innovation and excellence in digital and academic library services.

About You

You’ll be an experienced and motivated library professional with strong organisational, leadership, and communication skills. You’re confident managing library operations, systems, and acquisitions, and you take pride in delivering excellent services to students and staff.

You will bring:

• High level of IT literacy, including Microsoft Office 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams).
• Experience in a library team within higher education or private practice.
• Knowledge of library systems, such as management systems, discovery tools, reading list platforms, or procurement tools.
• Understanding of bibliographic data, cataloguing, and classification standards.
• Experience with acquisitions, supplier liaison, and financial administration.
• Knowledge of electronic resources management and the information sources used in academic environments.
• Familiarity with copyright and licensing in higher education, and the confidence to apply it in decision-making.
• Experience managing or supporting projects with internal and external stakeholders.

You’ll be proactive, analytical, and collaborative—someone who enjoys problem-solving and is committed to continuous improvement in library service delivery.

Why Arden

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!
• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%
• SimplyHealth plan option
• Private Medical Insurance
• Access to Perkbox benefits
• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
• Plus, other excellent benefits
• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education

Our Values

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date: Sunday 9th November

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship statement

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points-based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.