The East Midlands Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (EMMLAC) is one of nine regional agencies being established in England with the encouragement of Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. Their primary purpose is to provide strategic leadership for, and encourage collaboration between, museums, libraries and archives. They will deliver this through a range of programmes that

• enable museums, libraries and archives to be recognised within, and effectively integrated into, local and regional social, cultural and economic frameworks;
• increase public access, and creates new users from potential users and improves the quality of public services by adopting and implementing appropriate international and national standards;
• uses research and analysis to identify public needs, and stimulating collaboration as a means of meeting them; and
• enable a strengthened and sustainable regional funding base for museums, archives and libraries.

The East Midlands - the third largest in England, covering 12% of its land area - comprises the six historic counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland. Its population is around 4.2 million, or 7% of the English total.

The main centres of population cluster around the cities of Derby, Leicester and Nottingham, as well as the smaller city of Lincoln, and the county town of Northampton. However, for the most part it is predominantly rural, and, unlike some other regions, its towns and cities have not coalesced into sprawling conurbations. Its peripheral parts often have close links with neighbouring regions. Its landscape ranges from the high moorland of the Peak District, through the central farmlands of Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire to the low, flat landscape of the Lincolnshire Fens, running down to the North Sea coast.

EMMLAC will be an entirely new organisation, and is currently being constituted as a charitable company, governed by an Executive Board of up to thirteen members. It will have a close working relationship with the East Midlands Museums Service, the East Midlands Regional Library System and the East Midlands Regional Archives Council, the regional network bodies for EMMLAC's sector. Most of its funding will come from central government through Resource. The level of that grant has not been set, but for 2002/3 is not expected to be less that than £580,000

1.     Preparing periodic corporate plans that state the Council's objectives, and how they   are to be achieved, for consideration by the Board

2.     Proposing to the Board annual costed business plans that identify goals and targets against which success in achieving the Council's objectives can be measured

3.     Recommending to the Board capital investment designed to improve the value for money and efficiency of the Council's operations and programmes

4.     Developing strategies and policies for consideration by the Board and implementing those that are agreed

5.     Reporting to the Board on the Council's performance in achieving goals and targets set in corporate/business plans

6.     Controlling and supervising all the Council's resources (human, material and financial) so as to enable achievement of its objectives and goals efficiently and effectively

7.     Attending, and preparing written reports for, meetings of the Council’s Board

8.     Managing the Council's budget, and preparing annual estimates of income and expenditure for consideration by the Board

9.     Supervising personnel matters, including staff appraisal and training and development

10.     Promoting and developing equal opportunities within the Council

11.     Ensuring that appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place

12.     Arranging, and participating in, performance reviews

13.     Promoting knowledge of the Council's work, both within the region and outside

14.     With the Secretary, ensuring that effective and efficient administrative systems are in place

15.     Ensuring that appropriate financial administration and management accounting systems are in place

16.     Maintaining close links with Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries and representing the Council in negotiations about funding agreements.

17.     Maintaining close links with other regional bodies, including those agencies funded by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, with the Regional Cultural Consortium, the East Midlands Development Agency, and the East Midlands Regional Assembly.

18.     Developing and sustaining close working relationships with the East Midlands Museums Service, East Midlands Regional Library System, and East Midlands Regional Archives Council and other national and regional sectoral organisations.

Personal

19.     Maintaining and improving personal standards of competence through continuing professional development

20.     Acting as an advocate for East Midlands museums, archives and libraries and, through example and practice, representing high standards of conduct and professional competence.

Other

21.     Performing such other duties as may reasonably be required by the Board.

We expect that candidates should have knowledge of the cultural, education or information sectors, and experience relating to museums, archives or libraries is desirable. They should be able to demonstrate that they are familiar with the governance and management of smaller organisations. Formal qualifications are less important than the ability to do the job, which demands a person with vision, an ability to think strategically and creatively, and negotiating and representational skills that achieve results. Management and leadership skills of a high order will be required to enable EMMLAC to pursue its objectives successfully, efficiently and effectively.

Candidates should therefore be able to demonstrate a track-record that includes

• taking a leading role in initiating actions and making decisions within a public or voluntary sector organisation, that has resulted in the successful management and use of its resources to deliver outcomes that meet its vision, value and strategic aims;
• developing effective working relationships with a wide range of external bodies and building partnerships;
• providing advice and guidance on strategic issues at a senior level within an organisation;
• developing and motivating employees;
• continuous improvement and quality management, the development of customer-focused programmes, and promotion of equality of opportunity; and
• successful communication within an organisation, and with its customers, stakeholders and the wider community.

We are in the process of presenting a Business Plan to Resource. It lays the basis for the Council's future work, in the following ways:

• by defining its mission, intended outcomes, objectives and values;
• by making provision for adequate initial capitalisation and launch costs;
• by establishing a core team of a chief executive, four policy managers (Lifelong learning, ICT, research and funding/development), and four support staff;
• by creating a platform of information and intelligence to guide future policy development;
• by undertaking a `foundation programme' in 2002/3, based on national objectives and regional need, aimed at establishing the Agency's credibility within the region, and in particular within the museums, libraries and archives domains;
• by operating a one-year `local brokers' scheme to establish collaboration between libraries, museums and archives at a local level;
• by participating with other regional cultural agencies in joint initiatives;
• by investing in local capacity to facilitate access to funding sources;
• by embedding arrangements for disseminating research and information in all its programmes;
• by establishing financial targets so that at the end of the third year of operation there will both a balanced budget, and a prudent level of reserves.

It also proposes to develop during the year, for implementation from 2003/4:

• proposals for extending lifelong learning opportunities within the region's museums, libraries and archives; and
• a grants programme to add value to the work of the region's museums, archives and libraries.
• robust performance review mechanisms to inform how far progress is being made in meeting its outcomes from 2003/4 onwards.

The Business Plan will not be implemented until the chief executive has been appointed, and there will be opportunities for influencing and amending the Plan within the resources that are available and the expectations of Resource, as the funding partner. Full details of Resource and its work are on www. resource.gov.uk.

A search is about to begin to identify headquarters premises for the agency, and the chief executive will have the opportunity to play a role in its final selection. This will provide the base for our established staff. However, we are not planning any final decision on staff structures and appointments without the chief executive being in place.

Although the location for the headquarters has not yet been selected, key requirements are that it should be accessible and well-placed for easy communication with other parts of the region and further afield, both by road and rail. The chief executive will be expected to live within a reasonable travel time of the headquarters. Wherever that is in the region, a variety of housing will be available for purchase or rent, with prices that vary for the usual reasons, but generally being very competitive with other areas of England

It is expected that EMMLAC staff will work as a single team, with each having a general knowledge of their colleagues' portfolios and casework. It is expected that each member of staff will be a competent user of the Microsoft Office suite, using a networked PC system.

The Council's General Terms and Conditions of Employment have yet to be finalised, but are expected to be based on a 37-hour working week with leave arrangements analogous to other public bodies. Salaries will be paid monthly by BACS. We are seeking admission to Nottinghamshire County Council's Admitted Bodies Fund, part of the Local Government Pension Fund.

The post will be offered on a 5-year (renewable) contract.

We expect the starting salary to be in the region of £40,000, with four annual increments that will increase the base rate by the equivalent of 10%. Annual pay awards will reflect public sector increases. The package also includes help with relocation costs.

We strive to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion, disability, marital status, age or sexual orientation, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements that cannot be shown to be justifiable

We are committed to enhancing both the skills and personal development of its employees, and to achieving the status of an Investor in People. The post-holder will be encouraged to undertake appropriate training and professional development, and we will meet the cost of fees and other expenses associated with approved training.

If you would like to be considered for the position, please complete, sign and return the application form to the above address by Friday 4 January 2002, marking the envelope `EMMLAC recruitment’. Please note that receipt of applications will not be acknowledged. When completing your application, the further information you provide should focus on the six issues described in the Person Specification.

We propose to hold interviews on 23 January at Leicester, so if you have not heard from us by then you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.

Selection will be by open competition, which in its final stage will include a presentation and interview. All candidates invited to interview will be sent a copy of the Business Plan that will have been submitted to Resource.

Any potential applicant wishing to discuss the post and its content further is welcome to make informal enquiries to Adrian Babbidge, the Director of the East Midlands Museums Service, on Nottingham (0115) 985 4534.