New Malden Supervisor

About the Borough

Found in zone 6 with good transport links in and out of London, Kingston is a vibrant and diverse university town which creates the rich sense of community shared across the borough and its Residents. Kingston boasts an idyllic riverside location, good shopping and great restaurants, as well as a mix of modern and historic town centre. Kingston has lots of open parklands and cycle routes that help connect the district town centres into an enjoyable place to live and work.

We are passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

About the Service and Team

You will be part of the Culture and Heritage team within the Council working within the Library Service, working on an exciting programme making the borough a destination place for culture and heritage.

Kingston Library Service is continually transforming. We have updated our frontline services and are now changing the way we engage with Kingston residents, communities and partners. We are actively looking to help engage, enable and empower our communities, working collaboratively with partners. Part of this work is the development of the Community Hubs initiative which you will play an active part in. It has been acknowledged that culture is critical to health and wellbeing, the local economy and regeneration projects.

We have an extensive activities programme for all ages, which you will play a critical role in designing, supporting and running. You may also need to lead on activities such as Rhyme times, class visits etc

We are always looking at new ways of working, new technologies to help support our customers and give an efficient service.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

The Council is focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for its communities. To do this the Council needs employees who thrive in an agile and networked organisation and who can support continuous improvement within a constructive organisational culture.

The role reports directly to the Outreach and Engagement Manager - Libraries

• Kingston Library is a vibrant hub with many community activities, the successful candidate will develop and build upon what is happening already
• There are weekly Rhyme Time sessions for the under 5s which are run by library staff
• A monthly dementia choir, Reading and book groups, craft and knitting groups, monthly repair cafe, and a collection of board games for everyone to use
• The successful candidate will be experienced in working with community groups and running activities and events for all ages
• You also have experience and skills in team leadership and will be working in partnership with colleagues across the library and wider council

About You

Qualities / Skills

• Demonstrate Agility and Adaptability in mindset and ways of working
• Demonstrate innovation and creativity
• Actively engage in positive cross organisational communication
• Work successfully with key stakeholders within and outside of the Council
• Demonstrate commitment to your own personal development to meet the changing demands of the role.
• Ability to problem solve and use your initiative
• Good Organisational skills

Essential Experience

• Excellent Customer Care skills and Communication skills
• 1 year experience of either working in a library setting or experience in working in a customer facing role e.g. retail
• Team leadership
• Working with communities and community organisations to create activities and events

Desirable Experience

• Managing a building and dealing with health & Safety

Minimum / Essential requirements

• Ability to understand, communicate and interact confidently with customers, Colleagues and stakeholders
• Knowledge, experience of using IT equipment and software
• Ability to work under pressure and react quickly to situations being the main point of contact
• Ability to carry and shelf stock at high and low levels and to move furniture when necessary
• Community engagement experience, delivering community events & activities for the residents.
• Customer service experience
• Able to deliver group activities for young and older residents

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 25-32 days, plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Hybrid working (dependent on the role)
• Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Kingston we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our STAR values.
Here at Kingston we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.