University Librarian and Director of The John Rylands Library

Attractive salary

Click here for the full Job Description and Person Specification

The University has a distinguished heritage and an ambitious agenda for the future, ‘Manchester 2020’, which aims to make Manchester one of the world’s leading universities by 2020. This is an exciting opportunity to join the library’s leadership team to share responsibility for the strategic leadership and management of the University Library, across 13 sites. As one of only five national research libraries, ours is one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the country.

Located on Deansgate in Manchester City Centre, and a unique and distinctive part of the University Library portfolio, The John Rylands Library has been ranked in the top 4 places to visit in Manchester on TripAdvisor. It is free to visit and open seven days a week. It was created more than 100 years ago as a gift to Manchester and its people. Housed in an extraordinary Neo-Gothic building, The John Rylands Library is home to one of the world’s richest and most unique collections of books, manuscripts, maps, works of art and objects. The John Rylands Research Institute, based within The John Rylands Library, seeks to open up the University’s world-class Special Collections to innovative and multidisciplinary research, exploring the human experience worldwide, from the earliest times to the present day.

To view a video about the University Library and what we do, click here.

Visit our website - http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/

Reporting to the Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, the University Librarian will lead and inspire his or her team to provide an outstanding level of support for teaching and learning, research and social responsibility to the University of Manchester. The post-holder is responsible for advancing best practice and incorporating innovative thinking to strengthen the library’s position as a leading research library in the UK and internationally, within the context of the University’s wider strategic ambitions. Our new strategic plan has been approved and will continue to deliver significant organisational change to support the delivery of new priorities, in pursuit of a customer-facing culture.

The role

You’ll motivate and inspire the University Library team (nearly 300 staff) across 13 library sites to deliver world class services to students, academics and members of the general public. Responsible for managing a budget of £23M per annum and for the creation and delivery of the Library strategy, you’ll take into account the present and future demands relating to teaching and research. You’ll lead on the conservation, exploitation and promotion of the Library’s unique collections and services, fostering creative and innovative ways to improve the Library’s services to all our customers.

The person

• A visionary, strategic leader, with extensive experience in delivering organisational transformation and innovation within an academic culture
• A team player who thrives on working collaboratively and responsively with a wide range of stakeholders, and with exceptional influencing and relationship building skills
• A positive, motivational leader of large, diverse, customer-focused teams and substantial budgets
• Experience of working and prioritising in large and complex organisations and the ability to position the Library as a lead player in an international network of world-class research libraries
• Ability to develop and nurture strong strategic relationships within and beyond the University, and represent the University Library on high profile platforms, both nationally and internationally

For the full Job Description and Person Specification please click here.