Network Development Officer -North & West Wales

RoleTitle: Network Development Officer North and West Wales (Welsh essential)

Salary: £17,613k actual for 21 hours per week over 3 or 4 days (Grade 2)  

Time Required: Fixed Term Contract Ends 31/03/2027 (extension is funding dependent)

Start date: 1st September 2026 / ASAP

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Based in North Wales (home-based with travel)

Reports to: Head of Operations

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About Benthyg Cymru

Benthyg Cymru is Wales's national Library of Things network, a community-led movement built on one idea: borrowing should be as easy as popping out for a loaf of bread (or getting it delivered). Founded in 2015 following a campaign to save a local library, we've grown to a network of over 35 community sites across Wales, working hand in hand with local groups, councils, housing associations, and libraries. This is circular economy in action, community-led, practical, and rooted in place. Wales now has around six times the UK average of Libraries of Things per capita, and we're only getting started.

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Purpose of the Role
To increase borrowing and strengthen the Library of Things network across North and West Wales by supporting local projects, developing network capability, building local partnerships, unlocking collaborative funding  and income generation opportunities, and championing the value of borrowing, sharing as community connection and sustainability.

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You'll act as Benthyg Cymru's regional support, rooted in place,connected to community infrastructure, and responsive to local needs. Through one-to-one support, training, quarterly network meetings, partnership development, and regional influencing, you'll help Libraries of Things grow their reach, resilience, and community impact.

You'll also gather and share regional insight, learning, and evidence to support continuous improvement, demonstrate impact, and inform Benthyg Cymru's national communications and influencing work.

This is a continuing role. You'll be picking up an active regional network and existing partnerships, not starting from scratch, and you'll have the toolkit, training, and support already in place to get up and running quickly.

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Key Responsibilities

Library of Things Development

- Onboard new members and support their successful integration.

- Help new and established Libraries of Things adopt best practices and resolve operational challenges.

- Provide tailored one-to-one support through site visits, calls, and regular peer check-ins.

- Maintain an active regional pipeline, tracking projects from initial enquiry through to launch.

- Help members confidently adapt and use the Benthyg Cymru toolkit.

- Organise and deliver quarterly regional network meetings to strengthen connections, share learning, and encourage collaboration.

- Coordinate training sessions and practical workshops that build skills and strengthen network capability.

- Promote peer learning, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration across the region.

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Increase Borrowing Locally

- Work with network members to identify and remove barriers to borrowing.

- Use local stories, data, and engaging visuals to raise awareness and encourage borrowing across the region.

- Support members to develop effective local outreach and promotional activity.

- Feed regional insights, experiences, and success stories into national campaigns and communications.

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Build Local & Regional Partnerships

- Build and maintain relationships with councils, housing associations, universities, businesses, community organisations, repair networks, and other relevant partners.

- Develop collaborative initiatives that increase borrowing, promote reuse, and deliver meaningful benefits for local communities.

- Identify opportunities for shared delivery, resources, and funding that respond to local needs.

- Connect Libraries of Things with regional partners and encourage long-term, mutually beneficial collaboration.

Collaborative Fundraising

- Work with the Fundraising and Impact Lead to identify joint funding opportunities involving Libraries of Things, Benthyg Cymru, and regional partners.

- Build relationships with regional funders, feeding local knowledge into Benthyg's wider fundraising pipeline.

- Support partners to embed borrowing, sharing, and reuse within their own services and funding proposals.

- Contribute local insight and impact evidence to funding applications, with the Fundraising and Impact Lead leading on development and submission.

Regional Influence

- Work alongside Benthyg's Director, Comms Lead, and Data & Impact Lead to raise awareness of borrowing among local politicians, public services boards, anchor institutions, and other regional decision-makers.

- Support Libraries of Things who want to engage in local influencing, helping position them as essential community infrastructure that supports affordability, sustainability, and community resilience.

- Contribute to building support for borrowing, sharing, and reuse within regional strategies and policies, working with the wider team rather than leading this alone.

- Feed local intelligence and policy insights back to Benthyg Cymru to inform national influencing work.

You’ll Work Closely With:

- Network Development Officer (South)

- Director & Head of Ops (national partnerships, policy, strategy)

- Fundraising and Impact Lead (data and funding alignment)

- Comms, Marketing and PR Lead (Network comms and events)

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About You

- Practical experience of working with communities, networks, and/or public services across North and/or West Wales

- Fluent Welsh-language skills, both spoken and written, are essential for this role.

- Comfortable using social media, including creating Welsh-first content, and confident supporting network members with their own comms, mainly social media

- Experience of community development, organising, or helping people and organisations build their skills and confidence.

- A warm, approachable relationship-builder who enjoys connecting people and working collaboratively.

- Some experience of partnership development or fundraising, or enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

- Practical, organised, and comfortable taking initiative while staying connected to a small, supportive team.

- Comfortable travelling and working independently across North and West Wales.

- A generous, flexible approach and willingness to contribute across different areas when needed.

- A strong commitment to sharing, equity, inclusion, community-led action, and environmental sustainability.

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What Benthyg Cymru offers:

- 25 days annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays

- Pension

- Fully flexible, home-based working, with autonomy over how you structure your time and travel around outcomes rather than fixed hours

- All travel and subsistence expenses paid

- The chance to do something genuinely innovative with communities, with the independence to shape how borrowing and sharing works across your region, backed by a small, supportive team

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Applications in by 14th August 2026

Apply with CV and covering letterto info@benthyg-cymru.org

Interviews will be held virtually via Teams week commencing 17th August 2026