Head of Content and Discovery

Organisation: Cranfield University

Faculty or Department: Student Experience

Based at: Cranfield Campus, Cranfield, Bedfordshire

Hours of work: 37 hours per week, normally worked Monday to Friday. Flexible working will be considered.

Contract type: Permanent

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range of £48,760 to £58,664 per annum, with potential progression up to £71,050 per annum

Apply by: 19/05/2026

About the Role

This is a key role within the Library Services’ Management Team, requiring wide professional knowledge, the capability to drive the implementation of the Library strategic plan, and the ability to manage and motive staff in key functions.

The Content and Discovery Team provides support for the acquisition, licensing, description and discovery of both print and online resources, and provides our document delivery service for items not held in library collections. You will have responsibility for staff located at both our Cranfield and Shrivenham campuses.

About You

You should hold a postgraduate qualification in Library/Information Science (or similar) and have substantive experience in an appropriate library environment preferably within the higher education sector, at least some of which should have been in a managerial position. You will possess an excellent mix of communication, interpersonal and lateral thinking skills combined with detailed knowledge of library content management practices which will help you plan and shape services for the future.

You will be expected to engage with, and influence, staff across the University (and beyond) to achieve collective goals, serving as a role model to Library Services staff with your flexible, enthusiastic, and positive attitude.

About Us

As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here.

Library Services is at the heart of Cranfield University with operations in three different sites. Learn more about Library Services here.

Our Values and Commitments

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here.

We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer and proud members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families. Find out more about our key commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Flexible Working here.

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.

How to apply

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Anne Knight, Head of Library Collections and Operations, on (E): a.knight@cranfield.ac.uk

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details on E: hrrecruitment@cranfield.ac.uk. Please quote reference number 5282.

Please note that we reserve the right to close this advert prior to the stated closing date should we receive sufficient numbers of applications. Therefore, we would encourage you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible