Library Services Coordinator (Spaces and Environment)

Salary: £29,588 with progression to £31,236 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 15 July 2026

The Role

Newcastle University Library is dedicated to delivering a friendly, professional and efficient service to all our customers and putting them at the heart of everything we do.  We are the only University Library in the UK to have received the Charter Mark five times, and now hold the Customer Services Excellence award which replaced it.  We are committed to developing and delivering innovative services as stated in our Library strategic plan.

We are looking for someone to line manage and supervise colleagues at our main library and at our off-site Research Reserve. Our Library Research Reserve provides access to state-of-the-art off-campus storage facilities, and houses both library and other University material. The Research Reserve provides a book retrieval, delivery and journal article scanning service.  You will have responsibility for the safe and secure day to day operation of our library buildings and will contribute to the delivery of consistent, high-quality customer focused services across the library’s extensive opening hours.

Two posts are available, one to be based primarily at the Research Reserve at Team Valley, the other based primarily at our main city centre campus library.  The two post-holders will work closely together, working flexibly across both sites, and providing cover for each other as required.  These are full-time, on-site roles, with very limited opportunity for hybrid/home working.

Successful candidates will require satisfactory evidence of a full UK driving licence. Appointment is subject to Occupational Health Pre-Placement Check.

To apply, please upload an up-to-date CV and a letter of application (no more than one page) which outlines your fit for this role and any relevant experience to the key accountabilities listed below.

Informal enquiries can be made to: Gareth Mckay [email protected]

Key Accountabilities

• Responsible for line management and supervision of a team of Library Assistants and Library Attendants based at the Research Reserve and main university library; including induction and training, objective setting, prioritising and allocating work, absence reporting, performance monitoring


• Organising rotas and ensuring adequate cover for the library’s extensive opening hours, including arranging cover for planned and unplanned absences


• Responsible for the safe, effective and efficient daily operation of the Research Reserve, including the Team Valley and other Library stores


• Responsible for liaising with and working alongside colleagues from other library teams based at the Research Reserve and across the library


• Responsible for coordinating the library’s deliveries and collections across campus and beyond. Responsible for moving book stock and other materials between all library sites and stores


• Acting as the designated Fire Marshall/Warden and undertaking the mandatory health and safety training required of the role 


• Coordinating routine safety and building checks, reporting defects via the appropriate channels. Overseeing basic equipment fault checks, portable appliance testing and testing of emergency equipment (e.g. fire alarm and tannoy equipment)


• Monitoring the condition of the public areas of the library, with responsibility for ensuring that bins are emptied, that furniture is in order, and that incidental cleaning and replenishment of sanitary supplies take place as necessary


• Coordinating and carrying out regular environmental monitoring and safety checks, reporting defects, organising repairs and ordering replacements as necessary


• Representing the Research Reserve at library meetings and committees


• Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Experience of supervising and motivating staff


• Experience of working in a building or facilities management environment


• Experience of working in a customer focused environment and excellent customer care skills


• Experience of planning and developing service processes and procedures


• A working knowledge of manual handling, and Health and Safety legislation


• Ability to work independently using own initiative and to work effectively in a team


• Excellent interpersonal, organisational and communication skills


• Good IT skills, including experience of using MS Office


• Experience of planning and delivering on-the-job training


• Demonstrable experience of coaching to support people and improve performance

Qualifications

• Educated to A level or equivalent standard or significant relevant work experience


• Possession of a full driver’s license

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29523