Customer Specialist - HMP Chelmsford Prison Library

at  Essex County Council

CUSTOMER SPECIALIST - HMP CHELMSFORD PRISON LIBRARY

Fixed Term, Part Time
£23,344 to £26,011 per annum (full time equivalent)
Location: Chelmsford
Working Style: Fixed-base worker
This is a fixed term contract opportunity until 31 st March 2025. This role is a part time working 16hours per week, Monday and Tuesday 8am to 5pm, the pro rata salary will be between £10,095 to £11,248 per annum. The successful candidate will need to attend training for one week (Monday to Friday) at the prison.
Please note, interviews will be conducted face to face at HMP Chelmsford Prison and will include a look at the library. Entry to the prison will involve adhering to strict security procedures.
The Opportunity
The Customer Specialist will support the delivery of a prison library service within the unique environment of HMP/YOI Chelmsford.
Working as part of a dynamic team to deliver library, administrative and support activities, they will proactively be managing workload, taking initiative, and using personal judgement to resolve internal and external customer issues.
The successful candidate will demonstrate an enthusiastic approach in encouraging prisoners to enjoy reading, show empathy, have strong personal integrity and diligence, be committed to providing great customer service and be keen to make a difference.
The role is physically demanding as it involves visiting each wing across the prison estate to move stock to and from the library (trollies are provided).

Accountabilities

• Support the Prison Library Supervisor to deliver a library service to HMP/YOI as laid out in the Service Level Agreement, together with added value activities such as Storybook Dads, Reading Ahead and Family Library Times, which support improved literacy, health and wellbeing and family cohesion.
• Provide effective, high-quality support, advice, and guidance to Prisoner Orderlies on basic library procedures.
• Responsible for dealing with subject knowledge-based queries and activities.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, to drive the delivery of productivity and continuous improvement across customer processes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to understand customer needs, resolving them promptly and providing them with a service they value.
• Collate relevant information from a variety of sources to ensure that complex enquiries or customer complaints can be resolved in a timely fashion.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Ability to develop skills and knowledge in role.
• Confident, assertive, and emotionally resilient, whilst maintaining empathy for the library customers who may have complex needs including poor mental health, low levels of literacy and challenging behaviour.
• Good communication skills with the ability to de-escalate concerns
• Ability to undertake all the aspects of the role, including distribution of library books across all wings and floors. The prison is a Victorian building and there are a number of steps and heavy doors, with no lifts.
• Demonstrable experience and competence of MS Office and their practical application, with the ability to use computerised systems with a high level of speed and accuracy.
• Previous experience of operating electronic or hard copy filing systems
• Ability to be flexible to respond to a rapidly changing environment, tenacious and with a determination to find solutions to problems.
• Library experience is desirable although not essential as full training will be given.
• Experience of working with offenders is desirable.

Please note all offers are subject to the completion of Essex County Council compliance and HMP Prison compliance.
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Please refer the Job description for details