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.

Role Purpose:

Leads the successful delivery of a range of non-formal education projects including Youth Connect and other externally funded projects and programmes as required. Ensures high quality delivery of projects and programmes from start to finish including managing the contract or project plan, managing client or internal stakeholders, successfully achieving reporting and meeting compliance standards.

Role Context:

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 work in Education is organised into three strands:

• Student mobility and internationalisation: We support the Higher Education sector to attract international students to the UK and ensure lifelong engagement with UK alumni through development opportunities.  We also enrich the school experience with international perspectives facilitating policy dialogue and partnerships and supporting the teaching and learning of modern foreign language partnerships.
• Tertiary education partnerships: We facilitate Higher Education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Science Partnerships between the UK and other countries to develop high quality, more inclusive and globally connected education systems and contribute the UK’s knowledge to international education.
• Non-formal education: We empower young leaders and marginalised groups through skills development to contribute to trust building, cohesion and stability in their societies and represented the I communities on a local and international stage.

Accountabilities/Responsibilities:

Relationship and stakeholder management

• Has relationships with delivery partners and stakeholders within country and is able to procure services and contract delivery partners.
• Holds suppliers to account for delivering against contract.
• Build strong internal relationships and networks

Commercial and financial management

• Ensure sound financial planning, working closely with finance teams to ensure British Council and client financial year plans are up to date.
• Ensure accurate and timely monthly (re)forecasting is in place, by running regular reports in the SAP system on actuals, monitoring outstanding purchase orders, reviewing commitments, analysing and commenting on reasons for variances to plan and recommending corrective actions.
• Monitoring monthly finances, including correct expenditure, ensuring the P2P process is being followed and correcting any mis-postings or journals needed.
• Lead on British Council, partner or client reporting (including, with Finance Manager, financial reporting) and ensure reports are delivered on time, to budget and to a high standard.
• Compliance to BC financial policies and procedures.

Project management

• Contributes to development of and delivers on Project Management Plan
• Identifies risks in a project or programme and puts together mitigation strategies with SRO
• Responsible for internal and client, procurement, contracting, compliance and reporting
• Ensures reports from grant recipients, consultants and other external providers are of high quality, complete and comprehensive.
• Manages procurement on a project/programme ensuring compliance with standards and processes.
• Responsible for data management including timely data entry, quality assurance of data, undertaking basic analysis of monitoring data, and developing progress reports to meet funding needs
• Undertaking programme-specific data collection as needed. This includes working with colleagues to identify indicators and tools for data collection, quality assuring all data, and undertaking basic analysis.

Business development

• Supports the development of commercial proposals ensuring mainstreaming of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and a minimum of gender sensitive programming.
• Works with relevant business support teams to ensure proposals are costed and priced appropriately.
• Ensures timely reporting and communication on externally funded contracts/grant funded initiatives, and internal monthly reporting.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

• Actively contributes 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 people’s well-being and mental health.
• Understands the British Council’s approach to equality, diversity and inclusion and how it applies to your role, making time for learning and development relating to EDI and anti-racism.
• Embeds good practice in EDI across all NFE projects and programmes, ensuring design and delivery contribute positively to improved gender equality, disability and social inclusion.

Qualifications and Work Experience:

Qualifications & Education

• Essentials
  • Degree and/or equivalent experience
• Desirable:
  • Project management or equivalent qualification or equivalent work experience

Work experience:

Minimum / Essential Requirements

• Experience of managing projects from start to finish and familiarity with project life-cycles.
• Understanding of procurement, evaluation and reporting requirements of projects.
• Proven experience of managing project finances.
• Experience of managing stakeholders
• Project management qualification desirable.
• More than 2 years working in project or programme management.
• Experience of using technology n project delivery.
• Good understanding and experience of supporting monitoring and evaluation.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience and understanding of the youth skills and/or the international development sectors.

Important Information

• Language requirements: The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required
• British Council Pay Band: 6/G
• Department: Cultural Engagement
• Contract type: Indefinite Contract
• Working location: Kyiv, Ukraine
• Proof of Identity requirements/right to work in country: Candidates should ensure they have natural legal right to live and work in the country where the role is based. Visa sponsorship and relocation assistance are not provided.  
• Closing Date: 12 August 2026

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