Education Manager in Cardiff

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.

We factor all of this in at the beginning of the choices we make, the value we seek to create and the partnerships we build. The British Council plays an important role in showing an imaginative and exciting vision of the United Kingdom and its four nations (and the diversity within them, and commonalities across them) to the world, through our commitment to Working for the Whole of the UK.

This post is located within the Cultural Engagement (CE) team in Wales, 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 insights, 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 (NFE): We empower young leaders and marginalised groups through skills development to contribute to trust building, cohesion and stability in their societies and represented these communities on a local and international stage.

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.

This role contributes to successful delivery of the global Education/Higher Education portfolio and strategy by ensuring strategic alignment and high-quality delivery of projects and programmes in Wales and by contributing to the success of the global Education income generation plan.

Role Purpose: Contributes to strategy, planning and delivery of the Wales Education/Tertiary Education portfolio including delivery of British Council global programmes - student mobility and internationalisation, tertiary education and science partnerships, and non-formal education - and client-funded programmes, ensuring they achieve impact targets. Support business development and income generation, contributing to successful delivery of country and global income targets, with support from Country Director and the global team.

Manage stakeholder relationships and demonstrate expertise on behalf of the British Council and the UK in the sector, positioning the organisation favourably with government representatives, clients, partners, researchers and technical experts. Build market knowledge and insight about the local education context and share this internally and externally. 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, and benefits everyone.

Main Accountabilities:

• Strategy and planning: Contributes to development of the Wales Education/Tertiary Education strategy and annual plan, aligned with the global Education/Tertiary Education strategy and with the Cultural Engagement plan for Wales. Ensure that the Wales Education/Higher Education strategy meets the needs of local stakeholders and partners and aligns with the HMG and Welsh Government priorities. Develop and nurture internal relationships across Cultural Engagement in-country and across the wider organisation to ensure that the Education/Tertiary Education strategy is aligned, understood and achieved. Consider the role of digital products, services and channels in optimising the impact and sustainability of the portfolio, working with country marketing and digital colleagues, and the global team.
• Leadership and management: Develop and own the Wales project/programme management plan for Education/Tertiary Education. Deliver the Education/Tertiary Education programme, ensuring compliance with British Council programme standards across delivery, planning, reporting, evaluation and EDI. Contribute technical expertise to the design of Education/Tertiary Education programmes and contracts, assuring quality and impact and managing issues and risks. Use digital platforms and technological advancements to improve the efficiency, impact and quality of project and/or programme design and delivery. Incorporate specific actions to address EDI priorities in programme delivery, based on analysis of local EDI context. Manage day-to-day aspects of the portfolio ensuring global standards of programme and contract management are achieved. Provide direct line management where applicable, with matrix management support provided to sector programme teams as required. Ensure effective financial management and compliance - manage and deliver to target, budgets, profitability, timelines, and to corporate quality standards in all areas. Act as the Senior Responsible Officer for smaller projects/programmes, relating to the sector specialism, as required. Monitor, review and ensure that the portfolio is achieving agreed impact measures, and that monitoring, evaluation and learning plans (MEL) and reporting is in place. Lead by example and model compliance with British Council policies and processes, Code of Conduct, values and behaviours in all day-to-day activities, line management, and liaison with colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Business development: Contribute to business development and income generation, with support from Country Director and the global business development team. Use networking opportunities to develop contacts with potential funders, clients and partners in the country/multi-country/regional context. Identify specific business development opportunities aligned with the country and global business development plan. Apply due diligence requirements to potential partners. Manage the development of commercial proposals and support the technical writing for evidence-based bids/proposals which are appropriate to the context, ensuring mainstreaming of EDI and alignment with the Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion framework. Work with global business support teams to ensure proposals are costed and priced appropriately. Manage a network of associate advisors, consultants and partners to support business development and delivery of contracts. Participate in contract negotiations with partners and clients (in conjunction with the UK Contract Management team) and ensure the mitigation of risks. Ensure timely reporting and communication on externally funded contracts/grant funded initiatives, and internal monthly reporting.
• Stakeholder management and market positioning: Manage and build mutually beneficial relationships with a set of key stakeholders agreed with the Country Director, to understand the context better and explore partnerships. Demonstrate expertise on behalf of the British Council and the UK in the sector by networking effectively, speaking at events and publishing articles, positioning the organisation favourably with government representatives, clients, partners, researchers and technical experts. Ensure that the British Council’s reputation for quality and as a valued partner remains high and contributes to our organisational mission of building trust between people in the UK and other countries.
• Market knowledge, research and Insight: Build market knowledge and insight about the local education context and share this internally and externally, to support the UK sector’s engagement with Wales and with the region, where relevant. Commission relevant new research to contribute to the British Council’s Tertiary Education research strategy. Use sector expertise to provide insight and content for corporate responses to public consultations, representing the British Council’s perspective and demonstrating our thought leadership in relevant external fora.
• 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.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Actively contribute to an inclusive and anti-racist organisational culture, being aware of their own biases, and taking action to mitigate against these. Ensure that people feel valued and are treated equitably, with support for people’s well-being and mental health. Understand the British Council’s approach to EDI and how it applies to their role, making time for learning and development relating to EDI and anti-racism. Embed good practice in EDI across all projects and programmes, ensuring design and delivery contribute positively to improved gender equality, disability and social inclusion.

Requirements of the role:

• Minimum/essential: Degree and/or equivalent experience. Project management or equivalent qualification. In-depth understanding of Education sectors of Wales and of 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 from MEL 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.
• Desirable: Ability to analyse relevant equality issues and identify opportunities to address these in the portfolio. Knowledge of international mobility trends of Welsh students seeking tertiary educational opportunities. Knowledge of transnational educational trends in Wales, including academic and research partnerships of local public and private educational institutions. Welsh language skills.

Language Requirements: The British Council’s systems and global processes operate in English, and written and verbal proficiency in English is required for this role. Welsh language skills are desirable.

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.