Salary: £24,294 to £24,702 per annum
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract until 31 December 2025. The final end date will be confirmed with the successful candidates.
Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week) Monday to Friday
Location: Your base location will either be Burgess Hill Library, 15-19 The Martlets, Burgess Hill, RH15 9NN or Shoreham-by-Sea Library, St Marys Road Shoreham, BN43 5ZA. However, the work will be carried out across various library locations throughout West Sussex.
Interview Date: 22 October 2024 at Crawley Library, Southgate Crawley, RH10 6HG
The role will require successful candidates to work Monday to Friday, with some flexibility in the hours between 8:30am and 6:00pm. Additionally, you will be expected to work until 6:00pm on two days each week.
You will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes available to book from main county council buildings (subject to availability).
Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.
The Opportunity
We have two exciting roles available, one in the vibrant north of the county and another in the bustling south, serving as vital points of contact across our extensive network of 36 libraries.
You will be based in one of our community-based libraries, where you will play a key role in delivering frontline assistance, support, and problem-solving for a wonderfully diverse range of libraries and communities.
As a Library Welfare Officer, you will play a crucial role in providing support, guidance, and assistance to library visitors, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for all.
On a day-to-day basis, you can look forward to:
- Greeting customers, signposting to key services, and acting as liaison with other community partners when the situation warrants, which may include the emergency services.
- Maintaining a visible presence on the library floor, which will include moving around the library premises during the working day.
- Acting as the first port of call to address signs of distress or anti-social behaviour in a timely manner.
- Provide unwavering support and assistance to library staff, role modelling and passionately reinforcing best practices and behaviours.
The variety of our work means that no two days are the same. We get huge job satisfaction from helping everyone who comes through our doors, and you could too!
Apply now! Join us in creating a supportive and caring environment for our library community!
About You
The role of Library Welfare Officer will require you to remain alert, paying close ongoing general attention to customers and activities occurring in the library.
You will be able to demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, communicating on several different levels with multiple stakeholders and adapting your style accordingly.
We're looking for someone who is comfortable modelling good practice and sharing knowledge libraries. You will have experience of working with community groups, customers, or volunteers, including dealing with challenging situations and defusing, de-escalating behaviours.
The successful candidates will be self-motivated, highly approachable, and deeply customer focused. You will have good digital skills, basic literacy, and written communication skills.
For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CPP00991.
Does this sound like the opportunity for you? Click apply below, upload your CV, and complete the application form, explaining how you meet the key skills in the attached job description and experience you can bring to the role.
Please ensure all that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.
Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, satisfactory references, and a health check.
Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.
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