ABOUT CHILDREN’S BOOKS IRELAND
Children’s Books Ireland is a charity and arts organisation whose vision is simple: Every Child a Reader. We work in English and in Irish, to inspire a love of reading in children and young people on the island of Ireland, and to champion equitable access for all to excellent books. We share our expertise and enthusiasm with the adults who guide and influence young readers, and encourage schools and early childhood settings to build a positive culture of reading and reading aloud. We support and promote authors and illustrators and connect them with their audiences through our work.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Book-gifting Assistant will support Children’s Books Ireland’s book-gifting projects, working towards our strategic aim to inspire and enable more children and young people to become readers for life, and our objective to create a positive culture around reading for enjoyment in schools. They will be part of a two-person team, responsible for the delivery of all our book-gifting work, including our school library programmes and our work with partner charities. They will report directly to the Book-gifting Manager. The book-gifting team works as part of a wider small, creative and dynamic team at Children’s Books Ireland. The role will involve working closely with artists, school staff and suppliers to ensure the smooth delivery of our school library gifting programmes. An interest in and knowledge of children’s books and reading is essential.
The role will suit a self-starter with strong organisational skills, with the capacity to prioritise and balance multiple demands in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will be able to work effectively as part of a small, creative and dynamic team, liaising with other departments as required.
Reporting to the Book-gifting Manager, the Book-gifting Assistant will:
1. Be a key team member in the delivery of a significant number of book-gifting projects, including Every Child A Reader (primary school), Everyone A Reader (secondary school), the Robert Dunbar Memorial Libraries, Bookbag and Free To Be Me Little Libraries, as well as book-gifting projects with fellow charities and corporate partners including KPMG, An Post, Enterprise Mobility, William Fry and Aviva.
2. Process applications for school book-gifting, including assessing applications against set criteria.
3. Work closely with the Book-gifting Manager to act as liaison between artists and schools.
4. Plan and execute library launch events and school visits, both for the book-gifting team and for artists.
5. Manage communications with schools, including decisions on book selection, ensuring contracts are signed, ensuring schools have reported on the project’s impact and tracking completion of surveys or other evaluation tools.
6. Support children and young people to participate meaningfully in our planning and decision-making in line with the National Framework for Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-Making and our own Strategic Plan 2024–2028.
7. Be available to travel island-wide up to 2–3 days of a working week, potentially including overnights, during term-time to deliver our book-gifting programmes.
8. Contribute to the development of materials in relation to school libraries, reading for joy and assisting the Book-gifting Manager in supporting schools to build a sustainable culture of reading.
9. Work with external suppliers and schools to place book orders and order art supplies.
10. Pack and ship books and materials where needed.
11. Complete other ad hoc administrative duties in relation to book-gifting as required.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. At least one year’s experience in a comparable administrative role in the arts, education or charity sectors.
2. Strong interpersonal skills: the ideal candidate will be friendly, professional and able to work with a wide range of partners including funders, artists and school staff.
3. Excellent communication skills, responding quickly and efficiently to queries as they arise.
4. Meticulous attention to detail.
5. Excellent digital literacy, with a high level of proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and ability to work with Dropbox, Zoom, Monday and Slack.
6. Knowledge of and interest in children’s books and reading.
7. Full, clean driving licence and access to a car; travel to schools nationwide will be required during term-time and while we favour public transport or car-pooling where possible, many of the schools we work with are difficult to access without a car.
The following are desirable, but not essential:
1. Proficiency in written and spoken Irish.
Reporting To: Book-gifting Manager
Location: First floor, 17 North Great George’s Street, Dublin 1. Office location may change, but will remain in central Dublin. The successful candidate will have the choice of working fully in person or on a hybrid basis, and will be expected to work from the office at least two days a week outside of term-time; this is more flexible when frequent school visits are taking place.
Start date: As soon as possible.
Contract duration: Permanent, with a six month probation period.
Hours of work: 40 hours per week including 1 hour paid daily lunch break. Working hours are flexible between 8 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required, for which time off in lieu can be taken in accordance with company policy.
Remuneration/benefits: €29,743 per annum. 5% matching pension contribution from start date. 25 days’ annual leave. Ability to work flexibly. Mobile phone allowance of €35 per month and work from home allowance of €3.20 per day provided. Mileage will be paid in line with company policy for approved travel, and all staff who drive for work must have appropriate insurance in place at their own expense.
To apply: Please email a cover letter and CV (preferably in one combined document) to recruit@childrensbooksireland.ie, with BOOK-GIFTING ASSISTANT in the subject line, before 4pm on Wednesday 19th March 2025. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
Children’s Books Ireland is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work and we welcome applications from all qualified candidates, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds and communities. The position will be subject to reference checks and Garda vetting.
Interviews will be held in person in a Dublin City Centre location on Friday 28th March. All applicants will be notified whether they will progress to interview by Friday 21st March.
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