Senior Library Manager - KIM Business Systems

Weekly Working Hours: 37

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

About the Role

The Senior Library Manager is accountable for leading the systems, services, and digital capabilities that underpin a high-quality, efficient, and embedded Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) profession. This includes oversight of a complex portfolio of technology systems, products, repositories, and low-code and digital services across their full lifecycle, from requirements definition and procurement through implementation, adoption, optimisation, and decommissioning. 

The role requires building strong and effective partnerships across the University to ensure that KIM systems and practices support service strategies, improve user experience, deliver value for money, and make effective use of emerging technologies. You will provide expert leadership in KIM systems and will oversee the delivery and continuous improvement of Power Platform and other digital solutions through internal teams, technical specialists, and suppliers rather than through hands-on software development. 

The role also contributes to good practice across information and knowledge services, ensuring consistent, reliable, secure, and sustainable digital services that support the University’s wider aims. 

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Key Responsibilities

Strategic and Service Leadership

• Lead the strategic development of Knowledge and Information Management technology systems and practices, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, service objectives, and user needs.
• Assess requirements for KIM systems and knowledge resources, taking account of student and staff needs, University policies, and strategic direction.
• Work with stakeholders to translate business and KIM requirements into functional specifications, workflows, delivery plans, and technical priorities for implementation by relevant specialists. 

Systems and Digital Delivery

• Oversee the design, configuration, integration, support, and continuous improvement of KIM systems, repositories, authentication tools, and associated digital platforms.
• Lead the delivery of Power Platform and other digital solutions, working with technical specialists to streamline workflows, automate processes, and enhance service delivery.
• Ensure KIM processes and systems are documented, maintained, and governed so that knowledge resources remain accessible, well managed, and aligned with institutional standards. 

Operational Management

• Carry out forward planning to ensure appropriate resourcing, skills, and capability within the KIM team and related services, including sufficient access to technical and low-code expertise.
• Provide expert guidance and support to colleagues on implementing new systems, knowledge practices, and digital solutions.
• Co-ordinate with the Library Business Systems team to develop and maintain sustainable support processes, ensuring the availability and resilience of core systems with appropriate daytime and out-of-hours coverage.
• Provide support, guidance and management to the Metadata team to enable progress, address technical gaps, and support effective delivery. 

Collaboration and Supplier Management

• Maintain effective collaboration with central IT and other relevant teams to ensure new developments and service improvements progress to agreed timescales.
• Lead engagement with external technology providers, ensuring robust supplier relationships, service-level compliance, and effective contract and performance management.
• Lead the procurement and implementation of new systems and digital solutions, working with colleagues in Information Security, Procurement, Information Rights, and Digital Services. 

Continuous Improvement and Governance

• Lead the development and review of KIM systems strategy, policies, standards, and frameworks.
• Support ongoing change by reviewing systems, processes, and knowledge management practices to identify improvements and strengthen service effectiveness.
• Establish performance measures, evaluation methods, and continuous improvement processes to ensure service quality, compliance, and effective knowledge management. 

Leadership and Reporting

• Manage and motivate the KIM team, including recruitment, development planning, performance review, and objective setting.
• Produce reports for the Leadership Team, including performance, systems metrics, budget management, and KIM updates.
• Contribute to strategy development as part of the Extended Leadership Team, ensuring a customer-focused and improvement-oriented approach. 

Sector Engagement

• Participate in professional networks to maintain awareness of sector developments in new technology, AI in KIM, digital service delivery, and low-code capability.
• Use external intelligence to position the University’s Knowledge and Information Management profession as sector-leading in systems and digital innovation. 

About You

Essential

• Higher education qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience of working with Information Security and Information Rights compliance requirements.
• Experience leading, commissioning, or supporting the delivery of digital solutions, including Power Platform or other low-code services.
• Knowledge of modern application development practices, methodologies, and delivery processes.
• Experience of working with Information Security and Information Rights compliance requirements.  
• Experience developing or supporting digital solutions, including Power Apps or other low‑code platforms.
• Knowledge of modern application development practices, methodologies, and delivery processes
• Understanding of good web design, usability, accessibility, and user-interface principles sufficient to oversee the delivery of effective digital services.
• Experience overseeing the administration and support of M365 tools and Windows-based environments.
• Understanding of systems administration and service support across multiple platforms.
• Proven leadership experience in technical, digital, or project-based teams.
• Understanding of IT support methodologies, knowledge management practices, and digital service management.
• Awareness of emerging digital and AI opportunities and risks in knowledge and information management, including responsible and compliant use.

Desirable

• Experience in data analysis, indexing, metadata, or information architecture.
• Knowledge of metadata standards (e.g., MARC, Dublin Core).
• Project management certification (e.g., PRINCE2) and/or proven project management experience.

Support with your application

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email careers@open.ac.uk quoting the advert reference number.

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

Flexible working

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

Working Location: It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where the successful candidate can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes Office, it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be 1 day per month (on a rota basis) as well as other ad hoc on campus meetings as and when required. Full-time working based from our Milton Keynes site is also supported if this is preferred by the candidate. Expenses associated with travel to our Milton Keynes site are not reimbursable.

Next steps in the Recruitment process

Interviews are likely to take place week commencing 29th June 2026.

Early closing date notification

While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented.

If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.

How to apply

To apply for this role, please submit the following documents:

• CV
• A Supporting Statement of up to 1000 words. You should set out in your statement why you are interested in the role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the essential criteria for this role as detailed above.

You can view your progress and application communications when you are logged into our recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folders if you do not receive associated email updates.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.