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 English and School Education

Important Information:

Department: English

Contract Duration: Indefinite

Pay band: 8

Location: Kano, Lagos & Abuja, Nigeria

Closing Date: Applications will close at 22:59 UK time on 3 September 2026

Right to work: You must have the legal right to work in the country at the time of application. Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided.

The Role:

The purpose of this role is to provide expert support and advice to enable the development and delivery of English and School Education programmes and projects in country.

The Head of English and School Education will bring their sectoral experience and knowledge of teacher development, English language teaching and learning, programme delivery and inclusive education practices to support country teams with the design and implementation of in-country strategy and projects.

The postholder play a leading role in business development where required, contributing to technical aspects of proposal writing, organising and supporting proposal writing teams and liaising with the global team to achieve standards and targets.

The role will also support coordination of reporting using our monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks to demonstrate the impact of School Systems and (where relevant) Empowerment project work in country and support internal knowledge sharing and capacity building of country colleagues to ensure delivery is compliant and technically sound.

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:

Strategy and planning

• Contribute to business planning process (aligned to the corporate planning annual timetable). This includes providing inputs for quarterly business reviews, reviewing of progress against global financial and non-financial targets and driving continual improvement to successfully deliver the plan for global and agreed UK-led sector programmes, as part of the global business plan.
• Plan and manage learning and development and capacity building for English and School Education colleagues and others, in relation to the ESE portfolio.
• Contribute to developing effective impact narratives related to the themes within our English and School Education portfolio, aligned to the strategic vision and corporate strategic evidence map.

Leadership and management

• Mentor and manage the ESE team, familiarising them with ESE strategy, policy and practice.
• Directly line manage specific posts, as appropriate.
• As an experienced professional in education, actively contribute to the development of the wider unit or departmental strategy.
• Ensure British Council performance management, mandatory training, HR, and equality, diversity and inclusion standards and procedures are adhered to and applied consistently.

Relationship and stakeholder management

• Proactively build and maintain relationships with specific stakeholders in the UK and local English language teaching and education sectors (especially government partners) and develop professional networks.

Business development

• Identify potential new clients/partners and manage initial scoping and research. Use networking opportunities to develop contacts with business potential in country/regional context.
• Ensure alignment of opportunities with ESE global strategy.
• Apply due diligence requirements to potential partners.

Brand and market positioning

• Design and manage the production of marketing/communications collateral with attention to brand standards.
• Elevate the visibility, reputation and brand of the British Council and the UK with clients, partners and governments globally which will in turn allow the British Council/UK to act as a preferred partner and advisor in English and school education.

Sector/subject expertise

• Ensure evidence-informed principles of English language teaching / teacher development are embedded into project design and development of project-related content and resources.
• Contribute to relevant ESE thematic areas (including English in education; Teaching quality; Life skills for young people; Leadership in education; Crisis and displacement; Girls’ education and Language in foundational learning) through involvement in relevant research projects, conference presentations and publications.
• Contribute to the development of a bank of ESE data for the country and globally, including trends in the field of English in education systems and data on competitor and partner landscapes. Participate in the insight analysis process associated with this and make recommendations from this which informs and supports discussion on country strategy.

Commercial and/or financial management

• Produce business performance reports, including income, cost management, results and impact of portfolio.
• Manage the Income and Expenditure accounts for programmes/individual projects and contribute to business planning exercises.

Programme management

• Design and support robust monitoring and (where appropriate) evaluation plans for ESE projects, working in collaboration with internal and external evaluation advisors and drawing upon their expertise.
• Undertake monitoring reviews of contracts and programmes in the portfolio to check for delivery against targets. Escalate to senior management where delivery issues are arising. In partnership with delivery teams, develop strategic responses to any perceived or actual failings identified.

Content development

• Develop and implement strategy for teacher education content.
• Design teacher development programmes using our global approach, resources and standards.
• Advise teams on ways to incorporate ESE content (including edtech-related) into appropriate models of delivery.

Requirements of the role:

• Postgraduate qualification in related field (e.g. education and/or English language teaching related such as Diploma ELT / TEFL-Q)
• English language teaching qualification
• Experience of managing English language focused teacher education projects
• Experience of delivering externally funded projects or programmes
• Direct experience of client funded contract pursuit
• Experience of engaging with diverse stakeholders including multilateral agencies, donors, government officials, academics

Desirable:

• Experience of managing online teacher education projects

• Project management or equivalent qualification
• Experience of managing online teacher education projects

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