Job Description

Newton Free Library is seeking an energetic, customer service-oriented person to join our Youth Services team to provide excellent patron service and contribute to a variety of programs and projects that make our library special to many children, families, tweens and teens. Our Youth Services Dept, one of the busiest in Massachusetts, is composed of a children's room and a tween/teen room, serving birth to age 18 and their caregivers and educators. We deliver a wide array of programming and outreach to the Newton community, with nearly 38,000 program attendees last year.

This is an opportunity for an individual with a positive attitude who thrives in an ever-changing fast-paced environment. Assist patrons at our busy children’s circulation desk and in our teen and tween area. Candidates must enjoy working with children and families and possess excellent customer service and communication skills, strong organizational skills, have the ability to pay attention to detail, and easily prioritize tasks.

Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings until 9 and 2 weekends per month (Saturday 9-5, Sunday 1-5).

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and up to one year related experience and/or training, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Requires good communication skills, positive attitude, the ability to perform detailed tasks accurately and efficiently, and to interact effectively and tactfully with general public. Must be able to regularly lift, reach, and push 40 lbs.

Company Description

THE CITY:

The City of Newton is a wonderful place to live and work. Newton has safe and attractive neighborhoods, an excellent public school system, an active community life, multiple transportation systems, proximity to Boston and a well-managed and financially strong City government. The City of Newton has a population of approximately 88,900, with 32,600 housing units and occupies a land area of 18.3 square miles. Newton is principally suburban-residential in character. Unlike many other communities that are established around a single Main Street or downtown, Newton is comprised of thirteen distinctive villages. Newton has a diversified economic base with approximately 4,700 establishments employing approximately 79,500 people. Newton is special in many ways. It is home to a variety of private secondary and post-secondary schools including a portion of Boston College, Lasell University, William James College, Hebrew College, and the UMass Amherst – Mount Ida Campus. The longest stretch of the Boston Marathon runs through the City, including the well-known Heartbreak Hill. Newton-Wellesley Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham health care system, serves as an important partner to the City. In September 2018, Newton was again ranked #1 in Massachusetts as the best place to live and #12 in the U.S.

OUR GOVERNMENT:

Newton has what is known as a “strong Mayor” form of government with the Mayor having the executive and administrative powers of the City. The legislative branch is comprised of 24 City Councilors. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller was sworn in on January 1, 2018 after serving on the City Council. She ran on a platform of providing Newton’s children with a top-notch education in an inclusive environment where empty nesters, seniors, young families, and people of diverse incomes can live together in vibrant villages and neighborhoods. Mayor Fuller is committed to keeping Newton safe, improving the city’s infrastructure, addressing climate change, providing excellent and responsive city services, and fostering art, culture and community life. The first female Mayor of Newton, she is a tireless advocate for all the city’s residents and is committed to making sure the city is welcoming, inclusive and diverse. The City of Newton was evaluated by Moody’s Investors Services in February 2020 and assigned its highest rating of AAA. Newton was thus well-positioned to weather the pandemic and economic downturn.

AS AN EMPLOYER:

The City of Newton believes that its employees are its greatest asset. To that end, we are committed to supporting our employees by providing competitive wages and growth, a comprehensive benefits package which includes a defined municipal pension plan, quality health and dental insurance plans, generous paid leave benefits, paid holidays, and access to supplemental benefits such as deferred compensation, short term disability plans, flexible spending accounts, and other employee benefits. We also provide access to an Employee Assistance Program and access to employee training and professional development opportunities. We continuously work to review and expand upon our benefit offerings. We encourage you to visit our Human Resources Department website to learn more about our organization and benefits which are available to our employees. And as always, you are encouraged to reach out to our dynamic HR Team by emailing hr@newtonma.gov.

Human Resources Diversity Statement

We recognize our workforce is a source of strength that is vital to our ability to effectively serve the City of Newton’s diverse community. We will:

• Actively recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and talented workforce.
• Proactively address discrimination through education and in partnership with other departments and leaders.
• Serve as a role model to celebrate and nurture diversity.
• Foster inclusion by staying curious and clarifying assumptions.
• Evaluate and develop policies and practices that reflect the diverse nature of our workforce.
• Build and strengthen accountability at all levels to support diversity efforts.

To all prospective candidates for this position. The City of Newton has implemented a Vaccine Policy which requires, as a condition of employment, that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or have an approved medical or religious exemption on file with the Human Resources Department, before they begin employment with the City of Newton.

Benefits

This is a non-benefited position