Operations Director (South)
Salary: c. £100,000
This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for leading and shaping the British Library’s operational services across its southern site, centred on St Pancras. The role sits at the heart of the organisation’s delivery model, ensuring that core services are effective, resilient and aligned to the Library’s strategic priorities.
Working as part of the Senior Leadership Team, the Operations Director South plays a central role in translating strategy into operational reality. The position carries accountability for a broad and complex portfolio of services, including customer services, collections access, imaging, public lending rights operations and associated service delivery functions. These services are critical to the Library’s public offer, its national responsibilities and its reputation for excellence.
A key dimension of the role is leadership through complexity. The operational environment is high profile and multi layered, requiring careful balancing of service performance, workforce engagement and organisational change. The role will require visible, confident leadership to build trust and momentum within teams, particularly in the context of workforce dissatisfaction and ongoing union relationships. Creating a more engaged, motivated and high performing operational culture will be a central priority.
The role also operates at the interface between operations and transformation. Close collaboration with capital programmes, including the St Pancras transformation agenda, will be essential to ensure that operational requirements are embedded in future design and delivery. This includes shaping how services evolve in response to changes in the estate, visitor experience and digital capability.
As the principal advisor on operational matters to the Chief Executive and wider leadership team, the role requires strong judgement, credibility and the ability to navigate a complex stakeholder environment. The Operations Director South will represent the Library internally and externally, ensuring that operational services are aligned, integrated and delivering consistently high standards.
This is a role that combines strategic leadership with operational grip, requiring a leader who can drive performance today while shaping a more sustainable, modern and user focused service for the future.
Key Responsibilities
As a British Library leader, this role carries responsibility for embracing and leading change, maintaining a clear focus on outcomes, and placing the Library’s users, staff and partners at the centre of decision making and delivery. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the role also contributes to the collective leadership of the organisation, supporting an inclusive and collaborative environment and the effective delivery of the Library’s wider strategic priorities.
The Operations Director South will:
- Provide leadership and accountability for operational services at St Pancras
Leading a broad portfolio of front line and enabling services, ensuring that operations are effective, efficient and aligned to organisational priorities, while maintaining consistently high standards of service delivery - Act as the principal advisor on operational matters
Providing expert strategic and operational advice to the Chief Executive and Senior Leadership Team, ensuring that operational considerations are fully integrated into organisational decision making and future planning - Drive operational performance and continuous improvement
Establishing clear performance expectations, strengthening service management disciplines and embedding a culture of accountability, innovation and continuous improvement across all operational functions - Lead workforce engagement and cultural change
Addressing current workforce challenges through visible and authentic leadership, rebuilding trust and engagement, and developing constructive relationships with trade unions to support a more positive and productive working environment - Oversee delivery of core library operations
Ensuring effective delivery across key service areas including customer services, imaging, public lending rights, collections access and associated operational functions, maintaining compliance with all relevant standards and statutory requirements - Integrate operations with capital and transformation programmes
Working closely with programme and estates colleagues to ensure that operational requirements are embedded within the St Pancras transformation programme and wider capital developments, enabling seamless transition to future operating models - Build effective internal and external relationships
Working collaboratively across the organisation and with external partners, developing strong networks and ensuring alignment between operational delivery and broader strategic objectives - Lead and develop high performing teams
Creating an environment in which individuals and teams are supported, challenged and developed, fostering a culture of collaboration, learning and continuous improvement across a diverse workforce - Ensure compliance, governance and risk management
Maintaining robust oversight of operational risks, ensuring compliance with legislation, regulatory requirements and internal governance frameworks, and supporting effective organisational assurance - Act as a visible leader and ambassador for the Library
Representing the Library in operational matters internally and externally, communicating with clarity and credibility, and reinforcing confidence in service delivery and organisational direction - Champion values, inclusion and sustainability
Embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of leadership and decision making, while ensuring that sustainability principles are integrated into operational practices and future planning
Through this role, the Operations Director South will play a critical part in strengthening the Library’s operational performance, improving workforce engagement and ensuring that services are well positioned to support the organisation’s future ambitions.