Job Description

Employer

Kingston Council

Location(s)

Surbiton
Workplace Type
On-site Only

Contract Type

Permanent

Working Hours

Part Time

Grade

B+2

Hours Per Week

7

Salary Range

28,125

Salary Basis

Per annum, pro rata'd to part-time working hours

Actual Part Time Salary

5,468.75

Leave Entitlement

25 days

Application Deadline

31/08/2025, 23:55

Anticipated Interview Date(s)

Week Beginning 22nd September 2025

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 Role and our Ideal Candidate

About the Role and our Ideal Candidate

The hours for this role will be Friday evenings 5-8pm and Saturday afternoons 1-5pm. To work alongside colleagues to provide a vibrant, efficient, friendly, customer focused library service putting the customer at the centre of library service activity. To work flexibly undertaking routine tasks such as shelving, issuing and discharging library material. Actively promote the use of self-service to customers, assisting customers to use it and answer customer enquiries and support customers with ICT To help promote and support a range of library activities including reading, learning opportunities, digital and online resources and assist with maintaining a high standard of presentation in the library covering stock, information provision and displays To work flexibly across branches and provide cover in other libraries as required To calculate relevant charges and fees and handle all form of payments from the public ensuring that income is properly accounted for To help lead library events and activities including ICT learning and digital inclusion sessions, Book Groups, Baby Rhymetimes, class visits To assist with library community engagement events and activities e.g. Neighbourhood Festivals, World Book Night, Summer Reading Challenge, which may involve some evening work and working outside the library building

Skills & Qualities

Communicate clearly, confidently and appropriately with colleagues and customers using the best methods of communication for the task. Demonstrate agility and adaptability in mindset and ways of working, demonstrating innovation and creativity

Essential experience

Good Communication skills Good level of English and Maths

Desirable experience

Customer Service experience

Minimum / essential requirements

-

Ability to carry and shelf stock at high and low levels and to move furniture when necessary Ability to understand, communicate and interact confidently with customers Knowledge, experience of using IT equipment and software

About Us

You will be part of the Culture and Heritage team within the Council working within the Library Service. We are in the process of great transformation, breaking down silos, 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.


We have a successful digital offer which goes from strength to strength and is recognised within the wider community. 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 role in supporting, assisting and promoting.


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

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.


In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation.


Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) Three volunteering days per year in Kingston Flexible and agile working arrangements Comprehensive learning and development programme 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 Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses Confidential wellbeing and counselling support Subsidised gym membership

Application Process

Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.



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. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.


We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) so all personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc is completely anonymised during the shortlisting process. Our hiring managers review applications based on the knowledge, skills and experience demonstrated in your application, and how well these match the job profile. Our HR Shared Service with Sutton Council was recently recognised nationally for having the 'Best Inclusion and Diversity Programme' at the PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards 2023, something that we're incredibly proud of.


Hiring managers are encouraged to ensure that their interview panel is diverse, and representative of a range of protected characteristics, to help remove unconscious bias and ensure candidates are treated fairly during the selection process. Some characteristics may not be obvious, but our panels are diverse wherever possible. We have a number of measures in place to inform and support our approach, including mandatory EDI and unconscious bias training for all staff, safer recruitment training for diverse panel members, engaging with our staff networks and encouraging allyship. 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. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.


As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.


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 an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government's minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.


The UK has introduced a new 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.

About Us

About the Borough

This special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.


Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston's riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.


Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London - with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.


Kingston's people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.


We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston's key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.


Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.

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 in the process of updating our payscales in line with the pay award for NJC, Chief Officers and Chief Executives for April 2025 therefore please take this into account when viewing the salary on this position.


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.