As a valued employee of the British Council, you already help us deliver our mission to support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For over 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.
You are part of our organisation in over 200 countries and territories and where we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.
We connect. We inspire.
Role Description/Purpose
The British Council is seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial Education Manager to deliver a diverse portfolio of education programmes across Northern Ireland, funded by the British Council, other partners or client-funders. This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished education professional to increase programme participation and internationalisation across the schools, non-formal education, further education and higher education sectors in Northern Ireland.
As Education Manager, you will work within a small, close-knit team in Northern Ireland, led by the Head of Education, Northern Ireland, who reports to the Country Director Northern Ireland. You will manage sector partner and stakeholder relationships, regularly deputise for the Head of Education, and build relationships with peers across the UK and the global education network, collaborating on global programmes.
We are looking for someone with broad knowledge of and experience in Northern Ireland's education sector, including non-formal education areas such as youth and community education, who brings an entrepreneurial approach to giving Northern Ireland's educational organisations more international connections. You will be an assured communicator, using multiple channels to raise Northern Ireland's international profile, and will contribute to strategy, planning and delivery of the country Education/Tertiary Education portfolio, supporting business development and income generation alongside the Country Director and global team.
The role sits within Cultural Engagement (CE), one of two global strategic departments within the British Council, bringing together our work in Arts, Education, English & School Education and research. With a workforce of approximately 1,000 globally and an income in 2024/25 of £200 million, CE delivers impact through research and insights, sector engagement, policy dialogue and a mixed portfolio of commercial and Grant and Partnership Funded work globally. Our work in Education is organised into three strands: student mobility and internationalisation, tertiary education partnerships, and non-formal education, empowering young leaders and marginalised groups through skills development. We embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) into all aspects of this work so that our people and partners experience a culture that promotes respect, inclusion and diversity in support of mutual benefit. Over the last 20 years, devolution has brought decision-making and accountability closer to the people of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and this role plays an important part in showing an imaginative and exciting vision of the United Kingdom and its four nations to the world, through our commitment to Working for the Whole of the UK.
Role Accountabilities
You will contribute to the development of the Northern Ireland Education strategy and annual plan, aligned with the global Education/Tertiary Education strategy and the Cultural Engagement plan for Northern Ireland, and to the wider planning process for Northern Ireland's education portfolio, supporting the international ambitions of the education sector. You will support the development of internal relationships across the UK Region and Cultural Engagement teams to ensure Northern Ireland's education objectives are aligned, understood and achieved, and will consider the role of digital products, services and channels in optimising the impact and sustainability of the portfolio, working closely with marketing and digital colleagues.
Day to day, you will manage a range of agreed education activities, ensuring global standards of programme and contract management are achieved, and will ensure effective financial management and compliance, delivering to target on budgets, profitability, timelines and quality standards. You will contribute technical expertise to the design of Education/Tertiary Education programmes and contracts, assuring quality and impact and managing issues and risks, using digital platforms and technological advancements to improve efficiency and quality, and incorporating specific actions to address local EDI priorities. You will provide direct line management where applicable, with matrix management support to sector programme teams as required, and will act as Senior Responsible Officer for smaller projects. You will monitor and ensure the portfolio achieves agreed impact measures, with monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) plans and reporting in place, and will lead by example, modelling compliance with British Council policies, values and behaviours in all your activities.
You will contribute to business development and income generation with support from the Country Director and global business development team, using networking opportunities to develop contacts with potential funders, clients and partners in Northern Ireland, and identifying opportunities aligned with local and global plans. You will apply due diligence to potential partners, manage the development of commercial proposals and support technical writing for evidence-based bids, ensuring EDI mainstreaming and alignment with the Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion framework, and will work with global business support teams to ensure proposals are appropriately costed and priced. You will manage a network of associate advisors, consultants and partners, participate in contract negotiations with the UK Contract Management team, and ensure timely reporting on externally funded contracts and grant-funded initiatives.
You will manage and build mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders in Northern Ireland, agreed with the Country Director, to better understand the context and explore partnerships. Demonstrating expertise on behalf of the British Council and the UK, you will network effectively, speak at events and publish articles, positioning the organisation favourably with government representatives, clients, partners, researchers and technical experts, and will help ensure the British Council's reputation for quality remains high, contributing to our mission of building trust between people in the UK and other countries.
You will build market knowledge and insight about the broad education context in Northern Ireland, sharing this internally and externally to support UK sector engagement with the country and wider region. You will commission relevant research to contribute to the British Council's Tertiary Education research strategy, and will use your sector expertise to provide insight and content for corporate responses to public consultations, representing the British Council's perspective and demonstrating thought leadership in relevant external forums.
You will produce business performance reports, including income, cost management, results and portfolio impact, and will manage income and expenditure accounts for programmes and individual projects, contributing to wider business planning exercises.
Throughout all of this, you will actively contribute to an inclusive and anti-racist organisational culture, being aware of your own biases and taking action to mitigate against these, ensuring people feel valued and are treated equitably, with support for wellbeing and mental health. You will understand the British Council's approach to EDI and how it applies to your role, making time for related learning and development, and will embed good practice in EDI across all projects and programmes, ensuring design and delivery contribute positively to improved gender equality, disability and social inclusion.
Qualifications & Experience
Essentials
- The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required.
- Degree and/or equivalent experience.
- Project management or equivalent qualification or equivalent work experience.
- In-depth understanding of the education sectors of Northern Ireland and the UK, and of bilateral priorities.
- Experience of delivering externally funded projects or programmes.
- Direct experience of client-funded contract pursuit.
- Experience of overseeing monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) within projects and incorporating lessons learned into programmes and strategy.
- Experience of building mutually beneficial relationships with diverse stakeholders, including multilateral agencies, donors, government officials, Education/Higher Education leaders, academics, researchers, alumni and students.
- Knowledge and experience of embedding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in programmes.
- Strong report-writing and presentation skills.
- Ability to communicate effectively with senior stakeholders.
- Team-working and inter-cultural skills.
- Strong knowledge of Northern Ireland's education sector, including trends in youth and non-formal education, as well as tertiary and school education.
- Ability to lead digital events on platforms such as Microsoft Teams, meeting corporate standards for accessibility and safeguarding.
Desirables
- Ability to analyse relevant equality issues and identify opportunities to address these in the portfolio.
- Knowledge of international mobility trends of Northern Ireland students seeking tertiary educational opportunities.
- Knowledge of transnational educational trends in Northern Ireland, including academic and research partnerships of local public and private educational institutions.
Important Information:
- Location: Northern Ireland, UK.
- Salary: This role is aligned to Pay Band 7. Salary will be determined in accordance with the applicable Pay Band 7 salary range for Northern Ireland, UK. Country-specific salary details will be provided as part of the recruitment process.
- Working Model: Hybrid. British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.
- Contract type: Indefinite
- Proof of Identity & Right to Work: Candidates are expected to have researched whether they have the right to live and work in the country in which the role is based. Given that our offices have different legal status depending on the work we do in those countries, we recommend that you contact HR in country for additional information on the likelihood of securing a visa.
- Background Checks: Initial and continuing employment with the British Council is subject to an annual background check. The job undertaken defines the nature of check(s) and assessment applied.
- Closing date:11:59 IST Time, 19th October, Monday 7:29 PM BST (UK Time), Monday 19th October
A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.
Safeguarding Statement
The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.
If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org
