Digital West Yorkshire Project Administrator

Please note we are awaiting confirmation of funding for these roles and we expect to be notified by the start of August. If you register an interest in this role then we will ensure you know the status of the funding before the application deadline.

Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week

Salary: £35,745 pro rata

Location: Home-based or based in one of the West Yorkshire Library services, with frequent travel

Duration: Fixed term contract ending on 31 March 2022

Reports to: Project Manager

Main purpose: To ensure the successful delivery of the Digital West Yorkshire Programme

Main activities: To support the successful delivery of the projects

Application deadline: We do not yet know the outcome of our funding bid so cannot specify a deadline for applications. You will have at least a week to submit your application following confirmation of funding.

Interviews: TBC. These will be conducted virtually.

Working hours: This role is full time. Standard full time working hours are 37.5 per week, and a standard work pattern of 9am to 5.30pm with an hour for lunch.  Flexible working arrangements are possible if agreed in advance, with core hours of 10 am to 12 noon, and 2pm to 4pm.

Holidays: 25 days per year, and holiday year from April to March. For employees joining part way through a year, a pro-rata entitlement applies based on two days’ holiday for each completed month in the holiday year. Carry over of holiday from one holiday year to the next is only allowed in exceptional circumstances and if agreed well in advance. 

Pension: Employees will be auto enrolled in an approved pension scheme that is managed under a Pension Master Trust arrangement. Libraries Connected will contribute 5% of qualifying earnings and match employee contributions of 5%. 

Sick Pay: Arrangements for payment during periods of sickness absence are as follows:

  • 0 – 6 months service: Statutory Sick Pay only
  • 6 months to 2 years’ service: 4 weeks full pay
  • 2 years to 5 years ‘service: 4 weeks full pay & 4 weeks half pay
  • More than 5 years’ service: 8 weeks full pay & 8 weeks half pay.

Introduction to West Yorkshire Digital Libraries  

More than 10 million people in the UK are restricted in their access to government services, health care, education, and employment opportunities through limited digital access. This may be down to skills and education, to the cost of equipment and network connections or to cultural and language barriers to access.

Since 2001, public library services have supported these people – and others – through the people’s network. This is the provision of free public access computers throughout the library networks and has had a massive impact for those who would not otherwise be able to get online.

As we begin to recover from Covid-19, we have seen a greater shift of activity online, which has further marginalised these people. West Yorkshire Digital Libraries is our strategy to take the next step in encouraging and supporting digital inclusion across the region.

Your role

  • To provide administrative support to the Project Manager and Project Boards
  • To manage the filing of project paperwork so as to provide audit trails and support project reporting and evaluation
  • To minute project board and other key project meetings
  • To support project financial processes, including raising invoices, processing expenses and maintaining budget records
  • To organize meetings schedules, venues and catering
  • To field queries and comments from the participating libraries and to provide timely updates on day-to-day matters via Basecamp (our projects platform)

Key relationships

  • Is managed by the Project Manager
  • Works with the Finance Manager to support effective financial processes
  • Works with the Office Administrator, to provide mutual support as needed
  • Supports the project boards
  • Supports the network of participating libraries and individual library staff

About you: Person specification

Experience

  • Experience of supporting project delivery in a multi-faceted administrative role
  • Experience of managing project paperwork and setting up filing systems
  • Experience in finance processes, including raising invoices and processing expenses
  • Experience of minuting meetings
  • Experience of organising meetings and events including booking venues and catering
  • Experience of diary management

Knowledge/qualifications

Essential:

  • Strong administrative skills
  • Knowledge of project management processes

Desirable:

  • An understanding of the public libraries sector or other area of public service delivery

Behaviours/competencies

  • Communicating and Relationship Building - Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to build effective working relationships across a diverse group of stakeholders
  • Solutions focused – Takes a highly organised yet pragmatic approach to project management, always focused on solutions and problem solving.
  • Planning and Organising – Self managing with the ability to manage multiple strands of work, effectively prioritising activities and time
  • Excellent organisational skills, with a keen attention to detail
  • Excellent communication skills and ability to field queries and issues

Professional skills

  • Confident user of MS Office Tools, especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint
  • Confident use of Basecamp (or equivalent) as the project communication platform
  • Confidently numerate, and ability to manage financial information including via spreadsheets and finance databases

Circumstances

  • Travel within the UK will be required (with appropriate consideration for staff and public safety)
  • This role can be home-based or based in our Islington office (though please be aware this office is not currently open, and our team are all home based for the moment)
  • It is possible to negotiate flexible working across the week.

How to apply

  • Please email your CV and a covering letter, setting out relevant experience and how you fit the person specification in this role description to commercial@librariesconnected.org.uk by midnight at the end of Wednesday 25 August 2021.

About Libraries Connected

Libraries Connected (formerly called The Society of Chief Librarians) has 20 years of experience as the professional body representing the 177 Heads of Library Services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Libraries Connected takes a leading role in the development of public libraries, through sharing best practices, advocating for continuous improvement on behalf of local people, and leading the debate on the future of the public library service.

Our vision is an inclusive, modern, sustainable and high-quality public library service at the heart of every community in the UK. We believe modern public libraries should be the cornerstone of the community and should deliver a diverse spectrum of local needs around information, learning, literacy, employment and digital skills, health, culture and leisure.

The role of Libraries Connected is to:

  • Represent the public library sector nationally, regionally and locally and to communicate the value of libraries to decision makers and to a limited extent to the general public
  • Connect partners to local libraries, by brokering national partnerships with a wide range of partners around the delivery of services and for the attraction of funds, by working together and making optimal use of resources
  • Improve the provision of local public library services by developing and disseminating standards of best practice, provide training and development for library staff, facilitating a network of library leaders across the UK
  • Drive innovation and new thinking around the important role of libraries in a modern society.