Country Director Wales

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.

Location: Cardiff, UK

Contract Type: Rotational Assignment - 3 years.

Pay Grade: SMPL

Remuneration: £65,000 Negotiable

Closing date: 27 July 2026 at 21:59 UK Time

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

Role Context - About The Team:

• Cultural Engagement Income Category: Accelerate
• English and Exams Income Category: Mature

The country context, outcomes we are working to for Arts and Culture, English for Education Systems and Education for the next three years, and alignment with HMG can be found in the relevant Country Plan.

Role Purpose - The Job:

The new Country Director for Wales will lead our operations in Wales over the next three years, building on the momentum that has been established. As the principal interlocutor with Welsh Government and the Welsh education and culture sectors and leading a small but effective team of education and arts sector specialists, the Country Director will use stakeholder interactions to shape our work, identify new opportunities, partners and beneficiaries and build our impact, relevance, visibility and connections across the nation. The postholder will also lead the Wales team and the wider Wales office through a period of organisational change, as we implement the British Council’s Turnaround Plan to deliver both savings and new growth.

Main Accountabilities:

• UK and country insight and intelligence to identify cultural relations opportunities.
• Has a thorough understanding of the devolved context and priorities, through extensive networks of opinion leaders and formers and other sources and identifies opportunities to increase cultural relations impact.
• Has a sound understanding of the education and arts sectors in Wales, their aims and ambitions for internationalisation and their role in the wider UK dynamic.
• Ensures insight is organisational, shared and accessible to colleagues, rather than retained by the individual and country.
• Uses their insight to influence global strategies.
• Shaping, monitoring & delivering the whole country British Council strategy, narrative and brand - our cultural relations response.
• Develop and deliver a strong medium-term (3 year) strategy and annual/multi-year country plan for Wales, with support of arts and education leads in country and in the global teams.
• Identifying and leveraging partnership and contract opportunities to deliver the strategy.
• Is seen as a strong public face of the British Council in Wales leading and contributing to relevant public debate in ways which strengthen the British Council’s reputation.
• Secures partnership and contract opportunities which align to our strategy and benefit the British Council and UK, through effective market, client and partner insights and networking.
• Builds and maintains strong senior relationships with key agencies, partners and individuals to support the achievement of British Council global and country strategies and plans.
• Managing stakeholders: FCDO, other UK Delegations, devolved administrations, representatives of UK institutions.
• Identify key Wales stakeholders across Welsh Government, the Senedd and leader in the sectors with which we work and maintain proactive, productive contact.
• Lead the Wales team. Overall duty of care.
• Support and champion change within the Wales team and the wider office when needed, and instilling a culture which embraces continuous change.
• To consistently create 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 particularly through periods of significant change.
• Protect trust in the British Council and the UK.
• Risks (safeguarding, fraud, IGRM, safety and security etc) are managed effectively across the operation.
• Compliance with British Council policies and processes is modelled and championed and staff held to account for the same.

Requirements Of The Role:

• Ability to balance diplomatic and cultural relations stakeholder-facing responsibility with commercial priorities.
• Commercial acumen and an understanding of business performance and financial drivers.
• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.

Desirable:

• Recent experience of working in-country and an understanding of the government, education and culture sectors and decision-making processes.

Additional job requirements:

• Rotational Assignment - 3 years.
• UK Nationality required.
• Regular domestic travel, some international travel.
• Attendance at some evening or weekend events.
• This role may require security clearance at SC level.

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.

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.