Head of Digital Reach

Overview

Location: The University of Manchester Library

Reports to: Director, AI and Ideas Adoption

An exciting new role and opportunity here at the University of Manchester Library.

Manchester is looking for an exceptional person to support the delivery of the Library’s vision, Imagine2035, as we seek to maximise the reach and impact of one of the world’s greatest libraries. You will provide leadership to your team, and wider library, at a time of both unique challenge and opportunity in our changing world.

The Head of Digital Reach is charged with expanding and deepening our Library’s reach and impact through the development of new partnerships and creative digital initiatives.

Your first priority is establishing the University of Manchester Library’s presence in Manchester’s emergent innovation district Sister. Sister is an ambitious £1.7bn joint venture between the University of Manchester and Bruntwood SciTech to create a world-class innovation district in the heart of Manchester. With Sister comes the opportunity to radically re-imagine a research library in support of start-ups, spin-outs and the creative innovators who work and live in this new community.

The Head of Digital Reach’s portfolio includes extending the reach of our academic library through our current research and special collections. Reaching deeper into our University’s teaching, learning and research activities and opening these Library collections and our services to new communities, both civic and global.

With responsibility for our Library’s imaging, digitisation and digital preservation functions comes the opportunity to support the transformation of our digital collections ecosystem, reimagining these functions by exploiting the possibilities of artificial intelligence, machine learning and other emerging technologies and approaches.

In all endeavours you will be supported by and working with colleagues from the wider AI and Ideas Adoption (AIIA) directorate, and our Special Collections directorate.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a world-class research library and at one of the world’s top research universities. We look forward to hearing from you.