Deputy Librarian (Maternity Cover)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Deputy Librarian to work with the College’s Librarian and Graduate Library Trainee to cover a period of maternity leave (January to July 2026). The Library (the former St Peter-in-the-East parish church) plays a key role in the College’s academic life and is a major resource for teaching and learning.  It is one of the most beautiful college libraries in Oxford and is said to be named after the church of S. Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. The Library is open 24/7 and is generally staffed Monday to Friday during normal office hours.

The successful candidate will assist in the smooth running of all aspects of the Library collections and services and the administrative reader-orientated and bibliographical tasks of a busy academic library with a strong student-centric focus.

The post-holder will take an active and creative role in developing the Library’s services and promoting them both within the College community and to the wider public and will have the opportunity to focus on and develop aspects of the Library’s activities of interest to them (for example study skills, outreach to schools or social media).

Location: Queen’s Lane, Oxford.

Salary: The salary reflects the St Edmund Hall Pay Scale at Grade 5 (currently £29,959 to £35,155 per annum).

Hours of work: This is a full-time, fixed term appointment, working 35 hours per week, usually 09:00 to 17:00 with a one hour unpaid lunch break.

St Edmund Hall is a welcoming and supportive community. This post offers the successful candidate the chance to broaden their skills while enjoying a range of benefits, including generous holiday entitlement for the duration of the contract, access to the College’s employee assistance programme, discounts in University shops, and free entry to other colleges, libraries, the Botanical Gardens, and Harcourt Arboretum.  Lunch is provided free of charge in the Hall whilst on duty and when the College Kitchen is open.

View Job Description and Further Particulars

Application Process

Interested applicants should forward the following documents:

1. A Cover Sheet detailing the names and contact details of two referees;
2. A current CV;
3. A covering letter, which explains how you meet the selection criteria for the post.

Documents should be sent preferably by email to recruitment@seh.ox.ac.uk by GMT 09:00 on Monday, 22 September 2025. Postal Applications should be sent to the HR Manager, St Edmund Hall, Queen’s Lane, Oxford, OX1 4AR.

Interviews are expected to be held week-commencing Monday, 13 October 2025.

Informal enquiries about the post should be directed to James Howarth, College Librarian (james.howarth@seh.ox.ac.uk).

Recruitment Monitoring

Please also consider completing the online Equal Opportunity Monitoring Form.  Submission of this form is voluntary and does not form part of the selection process, but we would be grateful if you are willing to return it with your application to assist us with our equal opportunity monitoring. A paper copy can be obtained HERE and should be returned to human.resources@seh.ox.ac.uk.

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