Interim Head of Library Operations
Temporary, Full Time
Up to £550 per day
Location: Chelmsford
Working Style: Operational field-based worker
Closing Date: Sunday 26th October 2025
Please note this is a temporary vacancy for a period of 6 months, with the possibility to be extended into a 24-month FTC.
The Role
Libraries are much more than a place where books are stored, they are places where communities come together to learn and share experiences. We have been transforming our library service to be fit for modern life, including making changes to systems, process and culture. We need someone who really wants to help us stay on this improvement journey and deliver high profile change as we move into devolution and the future unitary model for Essex.
You will be a highly visible leader of geographically dispersed teams. Your background in operations and customer facing services mean you are well place to ensure customer experience, health and safety and operational excellence are key drivers of success in the service. You will continue to coach, develop and support your direct reports to ensure they are set up for success.
This role has a hybrid working arrangement. We will expect you to attend our Chelmsford offices based on business engagement needs (typically 2-3 days per week). There will also be a requirement to visit other sites throughout the operational area, as required.
To read more about our business area, please visit: Climate, Environment and Customer Services
Accountabilities
- Responsible for front-line customer experience delivery across the library service, ensuring every resident receives a consistently positive and welcoming experience. Champion inclusivity so that all users feel valued and supported. Use data and customer insight to proactively address complaints, identify service gaps, and drive continuous improvement.
- Lead and manage the successful embedding and sustainability of change initiatives, ensuring improvements are operationally ready, customer-focused, and aligned with ECC’s strategic priorities, regulatory requirements, and governance frameworks.
- Provide focused leadership on Health and Safety, proactively identifying and assessing risks, implementing robust mitigation strategies, and fostering a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous vigilance across the service.
- Deliver inspirational, hands-on leadership to embed a customer-focused culture, influencing people at all levels to ensure library services remain central to ECC’s resident facing delivery. Promote service innovation and ensure libraries are positioned to meet evolving community needs.
- Uphold high performance standards across the library service and within the wider Customer Services function, developing a collaborative, agile team that draws on diverse skills and expertise. Foster a culture of problem solving, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
- Establish and maintain high professional standards, ensuring full compliance with ECC policies, mandatory training, communication protocols, workplace behaviours, and housekeeping. Promote operational discipline and service excellence and ensure robust operational plans are in place.
- Identify and develop any potential new income streams and work with the wider organisation to support ECC’s strategic objectives. Ensure sustainability of existing revenue sources and proactively manage risks to income through timely mitigation and oversight.
The Experience You Will Bring
- Educated to RQF level 6 (Bachelor’s degree) or equivalent by experience in business management.
- Evidence of continuing professional development with expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
- Significant experience and achievement in managing a customer facing operations, particularly in more geographically dispersed services.
- Evidence of success in determining and evaluating service quality and identifying opportunities to embed an ethos of delivering a quality service and culture that embraces innovation and change.
- Ability to develop, lead and manage large change agendas which will lead to improved results and experience of managing a large and diverse workforce.
- Significant experience of influencing and proactively leading cultural and operational change, in a politically sensitive and complex environment.
- Excellent influencing and communication skills – able to challenge robustly and constructively; adept at communicating complex challenges in a clear, compelling way.
- Leadership of a team – creates a high performance culture, draws on specialist skills and expertise effectively, celebrates success. Brings together diverse capabilities from across the organisation around clear goals.
Why Essex? This is an exciting time of change at Essex County Council. We are progressing devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR), with this work set to evolve rapidly over the next twelve months and in the lead-up to a Mayoral election in May 2026. As Head of Libraries, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering services within this changing landscape, working closely with senior leaders across the organisation. This represents a significant and career-defining opportunity to influence the future of library services at one of the largest and best performing Local Authorities in the UK, serving a diverse and dynamic population.
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.
At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.
Please note that Essex County Council has determined that the off-payroll working rules will apply to this assignment and where a worker elects to provide their services through an intermediary (such as a personal services company) then income tax and primary national insurance contributions will be deducted at source from any payments made to the intermediary.
As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email Essexsharedservices@essex.gov.uk