Staff Development Weekly Update

ALN Staff Development Update #116 – 7 October 2026

This weekly update is intended to keep you up to date on ALN’s staff development programme; to highlight interesting initiatives being undertaken by ALN or its members; and to promote job opportunities in our member libraries. If you have any queries or any content you’d like to include, please get in touch at: academiclibrariesnorth@sconul.ac.uk

ALN Events

Thanks to everyone who has stepped up to present on the 2026-2027 programme so far – we really appreciate it! We’ll be adding to this list gradually over the year so please keep coming back to check for new content.

October 2026

Joining the ALN Mentoring Scheme – Information Session 1
Hosted online by ALN
Date: Tuesday 13 October 2026
Time: 11.00 – 12.00

Joining the ALN Mentoring Scheme – Information Session 2 
Hosted online by ALN
Date: Friday 23 October 2026
Time: 10.00 – 11.00

November 2026

Supporting Student Systematic Reviews
Hosted in-person at Leeds Trinity University
Date: Monday 9 November 2026
Time: 10.00 – 11.30 (with optional campus tour afterwards)

Reading Lists: keeping them relevant and making the most of library collections and beyond…
Hosted online by LJMU
Date: Wednesday 18 November 2026
Time: 12.00 – 12.45

Research funding for librarians: reflections on the Research Catalyst programme 2025-26
Hosted online by Sunderland
Date: Monday 30 November 2026
Time: 10.00 – 11.30

December 2026

** New Series** Career Conversations…with Alex Wheeler (Manchester Met)
Hosted online by ALN
Date: Thursday 3 December 2026
Time: 10.00 – 10.45

Celebrating individual and institutional successes

We would love to create a space in our updates to help to celebrate the successes of individuals within our member libraries and those of the library services in general. Does your institution have something to share? Any project wins or individual achievements that you would like to share with your colleagues in other ALN institutions, both big or small? Please get in touch with us so we can start to share and celebrate together – academiclibrariesnorth@sconul.ac.uk. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Frontline Forum 2026/27

The Frontline Forum organising team has been busy planning dates for the 2026/27 academic year!

The first Frontline Forum will take place on:

Monday 16 November 2026 – 10.00 – 11.30 – Topic: engaging students at the start of term

Take a look on our Frontline Forum webpage for more information and our past Frontline Forums here.

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About the Forums

The Frontline Forum is an online discussion and development space for teams working directly with students and users. The forums are an opportunity to share best practice, engage with other ALN activities and learn about different service models and delivery types offered by different universities. The forum is aimed at staff who work on frontline desks and provide the first line of support to students and other library users.

ALN Conference 2026

We were delighted to award 13 sponsored places for this years conference. Their reflections and thoughts have been brought together and supplement the recordings below. We love all of the submissions from cartoons, drawings, photos and text.

As a reminder, the theme of our conference was ‘Reimagining Openness in Academic Libraries’ and looked at what “open” really means in academic libraries today. We had such a broad range of speakers, workshops and keynotes that helped make both days of interest to colleagues working across all library services. Resources from both days are available on the ALN website. We have now completed the checking and editing of recordings to ensure they are all accessible and they are now available on our Conference 2026 playlist on YouTube.

Save the Date!
For our 2027 conference, the online day (via Teams) will be Wednesday 23 June and the in-person day will be taking place on Tuesday 13 July 2027 at the Creative Centre at York St John University.

If you have any queries about the conference, please contact ALNConferenceTeam@gmail.com.

ALN Skill Up Series

Have you seen that we introduced a new series last academic year called Skill Up with ALN? These hour long sessions offer an opportunity to learn about different roles and areas of library life and aim to demystify areas of the library service. We have already run two sessions this year and have some more topic ideas for the 2026/27 academic year but if you have any ideas, please do share them with us.

ALN SD Offer Infographic

Do you think you know all that ALN offers to support your staff development? Why not check out our Staff Development Infographic to see the full list of activities. Let us know how you got on. Did you get all of them?

ALN Annual Review 2025

Free External Self Directed Opportunities

There are many different places to find a range of freely available materials.

After consulting with members of our Staff Development Group we have begun to pull these together in one document which helps to highlight resources that other information professionals have found useful or have recommended to others to use.

If you’d like to give us feedback on any resources you’ve used, want to suggest your own or report any broken links, we’d appreciate your thoughts via this webform.

EDI Innovation Fund Projects

In May 2025, we funded 4 projects, two of which have shared their findings – see below – and one project team contributed to the in-person day of the ALN Conference 2026:

• Calm Spaces. Aim: To evaluate and develop calm spaces at the University of Huddersfield and Sheffield Hallam University. It is hoped that the results of the project will have a positive impact on student wellbeing. (Huddersfield and Sheffield Hallam)
  Outputs: Calm Spaces Project Case Studies
• Accessible Library Induction Guides. Aim: To investigate offering basic library services guides in different formats: print, large print, audio, video, and online to make library guidance more accessible to students. The project teams will work with students in the creation of the guides and students will review the content of library induction sessions and create a list of “library essential facts”. (Chester)
  Outputs: Best practice in accessible library guides and Dos and don’ts accessibility checklist and Print accessibility checklist
• Inclusive Academic Reading Project. Aim: To investigate the habits, preferences, and motives of undergraduate and postgraduate students regarding university reading lists and academic reading preferences; and to develop an evidence base to enhance retention, progression, and completion rates, with a particular focus on students from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. (Manchester Met and Sheffield Hallam) You can see the presentation from Manchester Met and Sheffield Hallam colleagues at the ALN 2026 conference at this link (see 2b)

• Reducing barriers and supporting people seeking sanctuary in realising their academic potential. Aim: To evaluate, expand and evolve the University of Hull’s Sanctuary Associate Membership scheme, utilising UX research methods, for example, customer journey mapping, card sorting, creating user personas and user benchmarking to evaluate the use of our current provision and identify user challenges. (Hull) 

Outputs for the remaining project will be shared as soon as they are available.

Mentoring

ALN Group Co-Chair Vacancies

We’re looking for co-Chairs for a few of our groups. It’s a great professional development opportunity – please get in touch if you are interested or would like to know a bit more about what it entails.

You can see more information here on what the groups do, along with videos of some of our current chairs talking about their experiences chairing a group, as well as our role overview, providing more details on the roles.

These are the groups with current vacancies:

• Academic Skills CoP – 2 vacancies
• ILLs Group – 2 vacancies
• Technology – 1 vacancy

Call for SCONUL Contributions/Involvement

SCONUL new shared service: the Organisational Development Knowledge Base (ODKB)
SCONUL’s new shared service, the Organisational Development Knowledge Base (ODKB) is now live, and we are inviting members to add their data. The ODKB is a searchable database of job descriptions and organisational charts, allowing you to share and reuse information and resources quickly and easily. It will allow you to compare JDs for similar roles, including salary information, and to distinguish newly created or reviewed JDs. It will also allow you to review organisational structures for any participating member institution. We would like to thank to all of those who have contributed so far including by providing data for the pilot. Particular thanks go to Davina Omar, Director of Library Services at the University of West London who has led the development of this project.

SCONUL Business Intelligence CIG meeting
Date: Wednesday 14 October 2026 (10.00 – 11.30)
SCONUL’s Business Intelligence Community of Interest Group is currently planning for their next meeting on 14 October. The topic for the meeting is the SCONUL benchmarking statistics and the CIG officers are looking for presenters for some lightning talks. Are you responsible for collating your institution’s SCONUL stats? How do you go about collecting them? What issues and challenges do you face? How do you make use of SCONUL statistics at your institution? If you have any questions, please contact the CIG officers: Michael Whitton m.whitton@soton.ac.uk, Philip Vaughan ab1409@coventry.ac.uk, Emma Hollinshead e.l.hollinshead@aston.ac.uk.

External Events and Opportunities

UK Print Book Collection (UK PBC) membership and one year celebration
Date: Wednesday 14 October 2026
The UK Print Book Collection (UK PBC) is approaching 50 members in its first year and is hosting a webinar to celebrate. There will be case studies from member libraries, and an opportunity to find out more about the UK PBC. If you are not yet a member, please do consider joining this coordinated national effort to preserve long-term access to print books. The success of the UK PBC depends on as many libraries as possible participating in this shared approach to preserving monographs through a distributed collection model, based on a minimum of seven libraries with a retained copy. Membership is free, and there are three membership levels to suit different organisations and levels of involvement. If you would like to become a member of the UK PBC, please email ukpbc@bl.uk to request a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding. For further information, please visit the UK PBC website.

NLISN Event on Intersectionality
Date: Wednesday 21 October 2026
NLISN is putting on an in-person, one-day event ‘Intersections: Identity, Neurodivergence, and Library & Information Work’ which will take place at City St George’s University, Clerkenwell campus, London. Travel advice and specific room information for the event will be shared in due course. The goal is to bring together neurodivergent LIS workers and allies to talk about how neurodivergence sits alongside the other parts of who we are, and how all those different overlaps shape our working lives, our careers, and our wellbeing. We’re particularly interested in how neurodivergence interacts with things like race and ethnicity; gender and gender identity; sexuality; age and career stage; disability and long-term health conditions; menopause and hormonal change; nationality, migration and culture; and professional role or status (leadership, casual and precarious work, student workers, and so on). Bookings are now open for the event with tickets priced at a cost of £25. NLISN has tried to keep costs to a minimum but if you need a free place and a bursary towards travel expenses they will aim to make some available, please get in touch to ask for details. Anyone accepted to speak on the day will be offered a free ticket.

Library Operations Assistant (Part-Time)
Location: Leeds Trinity University
Grade/Salary: Grade 3/From £24,546 per annum (pro rata)
Contractual hours: 32.5
This advert will close when a suitable number of applications have been received.

Leeds Trinity University is a renowned institution located in the heart of West Yorkshire, dedicated to providing a transformative educational experience. Within the university, Leeds Trinity University Library and Learning Services is a dynamic and well-utilised provision, underpinned by a strong emphasis on inclusivity and student-centred service.

This role will be located within the Library provision, primarily working from our City Centre Campus Library with one working day at the Andrew Kean Learning Centre on the Horsforth campus. Reporting to the Library Operations Team Leader, the successful candidate will help to provide an effective frontline service for library users and maintain support services essential for the daily operation of the library. This includes first line enquiry services, circulation duties, shelving tasks, and promotion of the service.

Applicants must have experience of providing service to users/customers, along with a good knowledge of Microsoft Office software.

Previous recent experience of working in a library or information service, and of using a Library management system is desirable.

Excellent interpersonal, communication and customer service skills are essential.

Applications can be for the full 32.5 hours, or for a portion of the hours specified. To apply, please submit a covering letter with your CV and indicate your preference in your covering letter.

Library Experience Advisor (two posts available)
Location: University of Manchester
Salary: £27,319 to £28,778 per annum
Contract: Permanent, Full time
Closing Date: Thursday 8 October 2026

We are looking for two Library Experience Advisors to join our friendly Library Experience Team. You’ll play a key role in creating a welcoming environment by offering friendly, user focused support across our library sites, helping ensure every visitor has a positive and productive experience.

About the Role

In this role, you will:

Support library users directly, helping them navigate and confidently use library systems, databases and collections.
Connect users with library services, resources and spaces.
Provide clear, responsive and supportive help in person and online.
Contribute to maintaining welcoming, accessible and well managed‑ library environments.
The role is campus based.

About the Library Experience Team

The Library Experience Team serves as the first point of contact, handling membership applications, customer enquiries as well as accessibility support. By providing excellent frontline services and maintaining library spaces, they help all visitors feel welcome, supported and productive.

Librarian
Location: Greater Manchester Mental Health (Prestwich)
Salary: £32,073 to £39,043
Contract: Permanent, Full-time
Closing Date: Friday 9 October 2026

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) is looking for an enthusiastic, motivated and forward-thinking Librarian to join our Library and Knowledge Services team.

This is an exciting opportunity to develop your professional skills while supporting a wide range of staff, students and service users across one of the largest mental health trusts in the country. You will play a key role in ensuring colleagues can access the evidence, information and knowledge they need to improve care, develop professionally and make informed decisions.

You’ll have the opportunity to:

• Support clinicians, managers, researchers and students to find the best available evidence.
• Deliver expert literature searches that inform patient care, service development and strategic decision-making.
• Design and deliver engaging training sessions, workshops and inductions both online and face-to-face.
• Lead projects that promote evidence-based practice and knowledge management across the Trust.
• Contribute to the development of innovative services that make a real difference to healthcare outcomes.
• Develop specialist knowledge and skills within health librarianship.

The post holder will be based at The Curve Library on our Prestwich site. There is scope for some home working in line with the Trust’s flexible working policy.

If you have any questions, please get in touch: jane.roberts@gmmh.nhs.uk.

Library Customer Services Assistant
Location: University of Leeds
Salary: £25,249 to £26,093 per annum pro-rata
Contract: Ongoing, Part time (4 roles 40% FTE and 2 roles 20% FTE)
Closing Date: Friday 9 October 2026

Four Part-time roles available – working Saturday and Sunday 16:00-00:00, 14 hours per week, all year round, Grade 3, On-going

Two Part-time roles available – working Sunday 16:00-00:00, 7 hours per week, all year round, Grade 3, On-going.

This roles will be based on the university campus.

You will be working as part of a team providing high-quality front-line support to the University’s staff and students, and to external customers across our libraries as required. Main duties include ensuring our Libraries are welcoming spaces for visitors as well as answering enquiries and assisting our customers in getting the most out of our spaces and services.

You’ll have experience of working in a customer facing role with the ability to engage positively and proactively with customers. You’ll also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, be able to work well with others, and have great attention to detail.

Library Customer Services Assistant
Location: University of Leeds
Salary: £25,249 to £26,093 per annum pro-rata
Contract: Ongoing, Part time (4 roles 40% FTE and 2 roles 20% FTE)
Closing Date: Friday 9 October 2026

There are four positions available for this role. Two positions will be Saturday and Sunday 09:30-13:30 (8 hours per week, all year round) and the other two positions will be Sunday 09:30-13:30 (4 hours per week, all year round). Please can applicants state what is preferred on the application form.

This role will be based on the university campus.

You will be working as part of a team providing high-quality front-line support to the University’s staff and students, and to external customers across our libraries as required. Main duties include ensuring our Libraries are welcoming spaces for visitors as well as answering enquiries and assisting our customers in getting the most out of our spaces and services.

You’ll have experience of working in a customer facing role with the ability to engage positively and proactively with customers. You’ll also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, be able to work well with others, and have great attention to detail.

Content Acquisition Digital Processing Manager
Location: British Library (Boston Spa)
Salary: £28,152 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent, Full Time
Closing Date: Sunday 11 October 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Content Acquisition. We are seeking to recruit a team manager with proven people management skills. You will be managing a team of seven people responsible for the acquisition and processing of digital content acquired under the Legal Deposit regulations. The successful candidate will work with an experienced and supportive management team to deliver a high level of service that supports the British Library’s content strategy.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate:

– Strong people management skills, including the ability to motivate and develop staff.

– Good communication skills, able to communicate effectively with colleagues at all levels.

– Ability to manage resources and workloads, and good time management to meet deadlines.

– Ability to respond proactively and constructively to departmental change management processes.

– Some evidence of analytical skills.

– Computer literate, with a good working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel, with proven ability of working with databases to retrieve or create data.

– Some basic understanding of metadata standards and formats i.e. SGML, HTML, MARC.

Due to the nature of the role, the day-to-day management of staff and related workflows, the successful candidate would be required to work a minimum of three days per week on site.

LIS Customer Services Assistant
Location: University of Chester
Salary: £25,249 to £25,804
Contract: Permanent, Part time
Closing Date: Sunday 11 October 2026

We’re looking for a part time (22.5 hours per week, hours to be agreed upon appointment) Customer Services Assistant to join our Learning and Information Services (LIS) team at the University of Chester, based at our Queen’s Park campus in Chester. This role is ideal for somebody that is keen to work in a library environment, where you will have the opportunity to work with books and learning resources and support multiple front-line service desks and numerous work streams, including telephone, email and chat functions.

Working closely with customer service colleagues, you’ll play an important role in delivering excellent customer service to all students, staff and external visitors to support both the teaching and learning and administrative functions of the university. LIS has a wide and varied service portfolio (including library, IT and Media) that makes this role demanding, diverse and enjoyable.

The successful candidate will be educated to A Level (or equivalent) and have recent proven experience working within a customer service environment. The ability to communicate and work effectively with others in a team environment is fundamental to this role.

This is a part-time role, working Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week. Weekend and evening duties are essential requirements of this post in lieu of a day/morning off during the week, as is travel to other University sites on occasions.

Join us and be part of a friendly Customer Service team that supports learning, curiosity and the student experience every day.

Information Resources Librarian (0.5 FTE)
Location: Leeds Beckett University
Salary/Grade: Grade 4/£30,378 – £34,132 pro rata
Contract: Permanent, part-time role for 18.5 hours per week
Closing Date: Monday 12 October 2026

The Resources and Discovery Team ensure that students, researchers and staff have the teaching, learning and research content they need. Working cross-team, the role contributes to all aspects of information resource acquisition and management, whilst leading on a specific area for the service.

For this role, we are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate experience of working with archive and special collection materials, including their cataloguing, digitisation and promotion.

The successful candidate will have excellent customer service skills and be able to demonstrate high levels of attention to detail. A positive attitude is essential, as well as problem-solving, time management and prioritisation skills. The ability to work confidently independently, as well as collaboratively as part of a team, is also essential.

If you have any questions, please contact Julie Cleverley, J.Cleverley@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Library Experience Coordinator
Location: Manchester Metropolitan University
Grade/Salary: Grade 6/£31,236 to £34,610
Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent
Closing Date: Thursday 15 October 2026
Interview Date (provisional): Wednesday 11 or Thursday 12 November 2026

Do you have experience of managing or supervising a team in a busy customer focused environment? Are you looking for a new challenge?Can you bring your skills and experience to a dynamic library setting? If you are a forward-thinking team leader who likes to drive innovation, loves developing team members, and has experience of creating a friendly and inclusive environment that thrives on excellent customer service, then our Library Experience Team could be the opportunity for you!

About the Role

As a Library Experience Co-ordinator, you will:

• Lead day-to-day service delivery and operational activity
• Respond positively and promptly to customer feedback and escalated complaints
• Manage and support Library Experience Advisers and Assistants to deliver excellent customer service both face-to-face and online
• Work collaboratively with other Library managers to plan and deliver projects that support organisational objectives
• This is a full-time permanent vacancy (35 hours per week). Evenings, weekend, and bank holiday working may be required.

About you

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience delivering high-quality customer service and strong communication skills
• Has managed or supervised a team in a customer-facing environment
• Can identify and resolve day-to-day operational issues effectively
• Enjoys supporting and developing team members

We recognise that people may hesitate to apply unless they meet every requirement. If you are excited about the role and believe you can contribute, we encourage you to apply.

Academic & Study Skills Tutor
Location: Manchester Metropolitan University
Grade/Salary: Grade 8/£41,064 to £47,389
Contract: Permanent, Full Time
Closing Date: Sunday 18 October 2026

We’re seeking a dynamic and forward-thinking Academic and Study Skills Tutor to join our creative and collaborative team of learning development specialists. This is a full-time, permanent role offering the successful candidate the opportunity to shape impactful learning experiences. We’re looking for someone who thrives on innovation, takes initiative, and is passionate about empowering students through a student-centred approach to learning.

Our tutors are innovative educators who actively shape the development and delivery of Learning Development provision. They design and lead diverse teaching and learning activities that promote academic success and enrich the student experience. Ultimately, through creative approaches and collaborative practice, they empower students to take ownership of their learning and excel at Manchester Metropolitan University.

We’re especially keen to hear from candidates who bring fresh perspectives, diverse professional backgrounds, and a proactive, solutions-focused mindset. If you’re passionate about inclusive education and empowering students to thrive, and you hold a degree and a relevant teaching qualification (e.g. PGCert or FHEA), we’d love to receive your application.

What does the role involve?

As an Academic and Study Skills Tutor, you’ll work with students across all levels and disciplines in a variety of settings from one-to-one tutorials to group sessions. We teach both on-campus and online to support students’ academic development by:

• designing and embedding study skills and academic literacy sessions within credit-bearing degree courses.
• leading and enhancing our co-curricular offer, including workshops, short courses, one-to-one tutorials, and online resources.
• creating engaging digital and multimodal materials that encourage independent learning and enhance our team’s offer.
• developing and leading projects that enrich the student experience and drive continuous improvement.
• adopting research-informed, reflective practice to shape teaching and contribute to service development.
• championing inclusive, student-centred education and collaborating creatively with stakeholders including students, academics, and other professional service colleagues.
• responding proactively to changing demands, prioritising effectively to meet deadlines and deliver high-impact outcomes.

Special Collections Assistant
Location: Manchester Metropolitan University
Grade/Salary: Grade 4/£26,093 to £27,319
Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent
Closing Date: Sunday 18 October 2026
Interview Date: Monday 23 November 2026

Are you passionate about Special Collections and providing a brilliant service for students, and researchers? Are you looking for an opportunity to work with unique and historically significant collections within a dynamic university environment? Are you organised, detail-oriented and confident using digital systems and databases? Are you motivated by a varied role that combines public-facing work with behind-the-scenes collections management? If so, this could be the role for you.

At Manchester Metropolitan University, we believe in working together as one. We are proud to create amazing spaces where colleagues can do their best work and thrive.

Our Special Collections include objects, artworks and archives. They are a vital part of life at the University and are used extensively for teaching, research and inspiration.

About the Role:

As the Special Collections Assistant you will be a valued member of the Special Collections team, within the Library & Cultural Services department. You will make a significant contribution to the delivery of customer-focussed reader and enquiry services, and assist with the development, management and care of the collections. Your work will support an active engagement programme which seeks to boost engagement with academic audiences through teaching, learning and research, and with public audiences through a programme of displays and events.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver a high-quality customer service for Special Collections users and enquiries.
• Retrieve, handle and care for rare books, archives and other special collections material.
• Support the cataloguing, documentation and processing of collections.
• Assist with digitisation, metadata creation and copyright-related activities.
• Contribute to the preservation, storage and environmental monitoring of collections.
• Support the delivery of teaching sessions, exhibitions, events and reading room services.
• Undertake administrative tasks, data collection and reporting to support service delivery.
• Promote Special Collections through outreach, engagement and communications activities.
• Develop knowledge of the collections to support users and enhance access.

This is a fully campus-based role. For informal enquiries, please contact Jayne Evans at j.e.h.evans@mmu.ac.uk.

Space & Facilities Assistant (Part Time)
Location: University of Liverpool
Hours of work: Part-time – 21 hours per week: Sunday – Tuesday 2pm – 10pm
Contract: Permanent
Closing Date: Monday 19 October 2026

It is an exciting time to join Libraries, Museums and Galleries as we are recruiting for our Customer Experience Team in the Libraries. As Space and Facilities Assistant, you will join a welcoming, high-performing team to provide a customer focused, high-quality service and environment to library users. This is a key, hands-on role undertaking a range of duties to maintain a safe and comfortable environment in our library buildings. You will play an active part in contributing to the development of student focused services and spaces as part of our front-line team.

Responsibilities and duties include:

– Contribute to the development of all library spaces to enhance the user experience and maintain a safe environment.
– Communicate effectively with all colleagues across various shift patterns to ensure a consistent service delivery and a safe working environment and facilities.
– Participate in relevant training including Manual Handling, First Aid and Fire Warden responsibilities.
– Patrol all public areas of the library to ensure appropriate use of facilities and equipment, follow-up building and maintenance issues and help to maintain a safe, clean and tidy environment.
– Monitor the safety of the building and facilities, reporting any health and safety issues.
– Act as a point of contact for external contractors to support building works.
– Prepare spaces and furniture in preparation for meetings and events.
– Respond to and act on fire alarm and exit activations, taking appropriate action.
– Carry out fire system tests, maintain fire records and carry out appropriate checks on fire doors, emergency lighting and fire alarms.
– Open and close library buildings, when necessary, ensuring appropriate alarm systems are set.
– Liaise with other departments and external agencies to help maintain safety and security in library buildings.
– Monitor printers / photocopiers responding to any issues including checking stock of paper.
– Provide excellent customer service and support responding to building and maintenance issues from colleagues and library users.

Education Manager (Poetry Library)
Location: Manchester Metropolitan University
Grade/Salary: Grade 7/£35,608 to £39,906
Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent
Closing Date: Sunday 25 October 2026
Interview Date: Monday 30 November 2026

Are you passionate about high-quality and inclusive poetry experiences for children, young people and educators?

At Manchester Metropolitan University, we believe in working together as one. We are proud to create amazing spaces where colleagues can do their best work and thrive. Join our diverse team that supports each other and is dedicated to excellence.

In 2021, Manchester Met opened the North West’s first public Manchester Poetry Library (MPL). Our department of Library & Cultural Services is seeking a dynamic Education Manager to join the Poetry Library team. In this position, you will work with poets, students, staff and a wide range of schools and partners to play a pivotal role in supporting poetry and literature events with Manchester Poetry Library that are open to all.

About the Role:

As the Education Manager you will be responsible for the organisation, facilitation and evaluation of Manchester Poetry Library’s (MPL) year-round Learning programme, including strategic partnerships and projects with schools, colleges and community partners.

The role will:

manage and coordinate projects and outreach activities inspired by our poetry collections, including our poetry with, for, and by, children and our multilingual poetry collection
work closely with schools, teachers and education professionals to design and produce CPD resources, materials, and delivery of activities, ensuring efficient and effective high-quality programmes and activities
focus on inclusive opportunities that engage non-traditional arts and heritage attenders, with reader and writer development opportunities that understand and overcome barriers to engagement
This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual who:

has experience of working in literature, libraries, heritage, museums, archive learning or outreach and collaborative working with school and communities, not for profit and public sector is desirable
is passionate about promoting inclusive poetry and literature events with children, young people and teachers and educators.
has a commitment to working with people to enhance lives through co-curation, co –production, and collaborative support and partnerships.
thrives in a fast-paced and inclusive environment.
is an experienced project manager with excellent communication, and interpersonal skills.
Hybrid working is offered for this role, where you will be able to work a proportion of time on campus and a proportion remotely. We recognise the benefits and importance of an environment that supports flexible working and are open to conversations throughout the application process.