Network Development Officer -North & West Wales

Come and join our passionate team, making borrowing as easy as popping out for a loaf of bread across Wales!

Role

Title:

Network Development Officer North and West Wales (Welsh essential)

Based in North Wales (home-based with travel)

Reports to:
Head of Operations

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.

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.

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.

- 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.

- 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.

- 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.

- 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…