About us at Hounslow

We’d love you to join us at the London Borough of Hounslow! Our people are deeply committed to providing excellent services to our residents, doing all we can to make lives as good as they can be.
We are an outstanding council, serving an outstanding borough.

With brilliant, visionary leadership, a dynamic Cabinet and a can-do culture, we’ve built strong partnerships which have transformed how we serve one of London’s most diverse boroughs. Hounslow is the world in one place and full of potential. We are stepping up for our residents like never before.

About our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

We live by five core values: Lead with Heart, Do New, Pass on the Power, Harness the Mix and Be a Rock. All our work has equality, diversity and inclusion at its very heart, best articulated in “Harness the Mix”. It's about breaking down barriers between our parts and people and unlocking the problem-solving power of our amazing mix of minds. We serve a diverse community, we have a diverse workforce and we are committed to being an inclusive employer.

We work hard to create representation across our workforce and leadership community, we have thriving employee network groups and our learning and development programmes help us lead, model and breathe ways of working that eliminate inequality, inequity, injustice and bias.

As part of this and under our commitments as a Disability Confident Employer, we make reasonable adjustments to accommodate our candidates. There’s space for you to tell us what you need within our application form.

Our Benefits

If you join us, you’ll have access to a range of employee benefits. Read more about these here.

About The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our friendly Localities and Community Hubs team as a Community & Library Assistant (27 hours per week) within the Chiswick Hub of Community Hubs and Libraries.

We’re looking for someone with great customer service skills, strong communication, and a well organised approach to work. Flexibility is important, as every day brings something new.
In this role, you’ll be part of a supportive team helping customers with enquiries, guiding them as they use our services, and playing an active role in delivering activities for both children and adults.

The role includes some weekend and evening working: alternate Saturdays, one Sunday every 10 weeks, and one late night per week until 8pm.

About the team You’ll Be Working In

You will be based in the Chiswick Hub, which includes four vibrant Community Hubs and Libraries: Brentford, Chiswick, Heston and Osterley. Our wider service includes a further seven hubs, and there may be times when you’ll be asked to support at these locations too.

Our Community Hubs and Libraries are at the heart of the community. They are places where:

• Curious readers arrive in search of their next adventure

• Students gather to revise and learn

• Families come together for fun and engaging activities

These are dynamic, bustling spaces where great customer service, creativity and adaptability really matter. Your day might include anything from helping with book recommendations, assisting customers with digital services, organising eye catching book displays, planning events, or supporting someone to navigate online resources. You’ll also play a key part in maintaining and presenting our book stock.

You will be involved in leading craft sessions, Rhymetime and Storytime events, and supporting a wide range of activities for both children and adults.

About You

You will bring:

1. A customer focused, friendly and cooperative approach

2. Confidence using IT, including MS Office, the internet, and library specific systems.

3. The ability to stay calm, accurate and organised under pressure.

4. Initiative, especially when working independently at times.

5. Creativity and enthusiasm to deliver engaging Storytime sessions and other activities.

If the points below resonate with you, we’d love to receive your application:

1. Delivering an excellent visitor experience and acting as the first point of contact for customers in person, by phone, or via email.

2. Supporting customers with library materials, equipment and public use IT.

3. Organising and helping deliver activities and events in line with our Events and Engagement Plan, including managing bookings and promoting sessions.

4. Taking pride in keeping our community and Library spaces welcoming, tidy and well-presented.

5. Assisting customers with digital tasks such as creating online accounts or accessing information through Hounslow Connect and other platforms

Qualifications:

• English & Maths GCSE A–C (or equivalent), or the ability to demonstrate equivalent experience.

Essential for the role:

Enhanced DBS

Read more about the work you’ll be doing in the Role Profile.

If shortlisted, interviews will include five questions, followed by a book reading and a strict ordering test. You will have 10 minutes at the start of your interview to choose a book from our selection and preview the questions.

Don’t meet every single requirement? We know the ‘perfect candidate’ doesn’t exist. If you can do most of what we’re looking for, please apply—you might be exactly who we need, either for this role or a future opportunity within our team.

When Interviews Will Be Held And Who To Contact

Most key details can be found in the Role Profile, but if you have further questions, please get in touch:

Email: Carol.Milstead@hounslow.gov.uk

Interview dates: Week commencing 11th May 2026.