Job Description

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

Head of Arts Rwanda

Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Contract Type: Indefinite Contract

Pay Grade: 7

Remuneration: RWF 3,686,113 Monthly Gross

Closing date 30 August 2026 at 21:59 UK Time

Requirements: You must have the legal right to work in Rwanda at the time of application. We are unable to support with visa sponsorship and relocation.

Role Purpose - The Job:

The Head of Arts is the most senior representative of Arts in the country and represents our work in Arts and creative industries externally.

They lead on planning and implementation of activities in country delivered through one or both of the Arts global programmes: Art in Action and Creative Growth.

They lead a small specialist Arts team in country and manage sector partner and stakeholder relationships.

They provide Arts and Creative Industries sector expertise at a country level and feed relevant insight to the Country Director.

They will build relationships and work closely with colleagues in the Global Arts team, other countries and across the global arts network to share best practice and identify multi-country programme collaboration and income generation opportunities.

They will report to / have regular contact with country leadership teams and work with colleagues in the Global Arts management team including Global Programme leads and artform leads to influence decision making across Global Arts and Cultural Engagement.

Role Context - About The Team:

Cultural Engagement (CE) is one of two global strategic departments within the British Council. It brings together our work in Arts, Education, English & School Education and research. With a workforce of approximately 1000 globally and an income in 2024/25 of £200 million CE delivers impact through research and insight, sector engagement, policy dialogue and a mixed portfolio of commercial and Grant and Partnership Funded (GPF) work globally. CE delivers much of its work through a suite of global programmes/ programmatic frameworks aligned to the British Council’s strategic outcomes.

Our Arts teams in the UK and in our global network of offices, work together and with the arts and culture sectors to achieve significant impact and change by finding new ways of connecting and seeing each other through the arts and contribute directly to peace and prosperity. Our work is delivered through two global programmes. Art in Action connects UK and international artists and creative organisations, encourages innovative collaborations and supports them to access new markets and audiences around the world. We enable creatives to play a part in addressing global challenges and support under-represented groups to be heard. Creative Growth supports the UK and countries around the world to unlock inclusive and sustainable economic growth and innovation through advocacy, sector development and showcase programmes for the creative and cultural industries.

The British Council has operated in Rwanda since 2008, building cultural and educational relations between Rwanda and the UK.

The main focus of the Arts portfolio in Rwanda is Creative Growth. The Government of Rwanda is prioritising investment in the creative and cultural industries across 4 pillars: i) Enabling Environment, ii) Human Capital Development, iii) Infrastructure, and iv) Financing. We work very closely with the Ministry of Youth and Arts to achieve its ambitions for Human Capital Development.

We also deliver regional and global activities under Creative Growth focusing on fashion (Creative DNA), creative entrepreneurship (So Creative e-learning) and creative hubs.

Main Accountabilities:

Leadership & management

• Manages Arts portfolio in the country day-to-day ensuring global standards on programme and contract management are achieved.
• Is responsible for assuring quality and impact for Arts global programmes.

• Line manages small Arts team in country.
• Ensures effective financial management and compliance

• Actively works to mainstream EDI and become anti-racist in our cultures and practices within our organisation and in our programmes.

Strategy and/or planning

• Leads on planning process for country arts portfolio within the Arts global programme portfolio.
• Contributes to global Arts business strategy
• Management of design, development, delivery and closure of projects and or programmes as needed
• Considers the role of digital products, services and channels in optimising the impact and sustainability of the portfolio, working with marketing and digital colleagues.

Sector/subject expertise

• Uses their own expert knowledge on the arts and creative industries, intelligence and insight from other sector stakeholders, opinion formers and funders to support the ongoing development of global arts programmes that meet the specific needs of the country/cluster while also providing value to a diverse range of UK arts and creative industry organisations.
• Through ongoing relationships with the global Arts team, builds and maintains good understanding of UK arts and creative industry sector priorities and HMG priorities.
• Represents British Council in country as a recognised, credible authority in Arts and the creative industries to external stakeholders and audiences.
• Identifies and develops opportunities for the UK Arts sector to work in and collaborate with peers in country

Relationship & Stakeholders

• Builds and maintains a broad, diverse and dynamic network of key creative and cultural sector representatives in country, including artists, creative professionals, creative hubs, arts organisations, arts advocacy groups, intermediary and sector bodies, etc.
• Builds and maintains the sector institutional relationships that will help open doors for artistic collaboration, cultural exchange and creative economy work.
• Represents British Council Arts externally and internally
• Develop and nurtures relationships across Cultural Engagement to ensure strategic objectives are aligned, understood and achieved.

Brand and market positioning

• Promotes and positions the diversity of the UK arts and creative industries sector in country.
• Ensures that British Council’s reputation for quality and as a valued not-for-profit partner remains high and contributes to our organisational mission of building trust between the UK and other countries.
• Works closely with colleagues and experts in CE to feed market/customer insights into the programme development planning cycle, to ensure the British Council’s offer is market relevant for the country and the UK, demand-led and consistent with the British Council and FCDO objectives.
• Contributes to the development of internal and external communications materials to highlight impactful stories from the country Arts portfolio.

Business development

• Contributes to business and partnership development for the portfolio, aligning with country, Arts and CE priorities, systems and processes.

Programme management

• Leads on ensuring agreed activities delivered through the Arts global programmes are tailored to the specific needs of country, through collaboration with colleagues in globally dispersed programme teams.
• Oversees finances of the country Arts portfolio and can interpret financial information
• Holds delivery partners, team members and consultants to account including supply chain management.
• Where applicable has responsibility for managing all country contractual obligations on programme or project.
• Maintains governance frameworks and manages compliance on a project.
• Oversees procurement, grants management and due diligence on programmes.

Requirements Of The Role:

Minimum/essential

• Specialist knowledge and understanding of current trends and practices in arts and creative industry in the country
• Experience of managing national arts/ creative industry projects
• Active and up-to-date network of diverse arts sector contacts
• Experience of maintaining effective external and internal programme/project governance structures

Desirable:

• Understanding and appreciation of current arts trends and practices in the UK
• Experience of managing international arts projects
• Degree or HE qualification in relevant cultural, heritage, or humanities or project management field or equivalent experience.
• Project Management qualification

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