Erasmus+ Associate People Business Partner

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.

The Department for Education has announced that the British Council is set to take on the role of National Agency for Erasmus+. In December the UK and EU arrived at a political agreement that the UK would rejoin the Erasmus+ scheme in 2027. That agreement has now been legally formalised under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The British Council has a longstanding commitment to supporting international exchange. It was a lead partner in the Erasmus+ UK National Agency from 2014-20, where Erasmus+ made a significant contribution to the UK's cultural relations activities, funding 8,091 projects, engaging 583,757 UK participants, and awarding around €1.1 billion to UK organisations.

Pay Band: Grade 8

Salary: £38,820 gross per annum plus £3,300 per annum London Market Allowance for those in the London area only.

Contract Duration: 12 months Fixed Term Contract

Location: Any British Council UK office

Right to Work Requirements: Current right to work in the UK. The British Council is not able to support or sponsor work visa applications.

Closing Date: Applications will close on 4 August at 22:59 UK Time.

We are operating on the basis that any offer is made pending client confirmation of funds.

Role Purpose: The Erasmus+ Associate People Business Partner will support the successful delivery of the Erasmus+ people strategy, working closely with the Erasmus+ People Business Partner and key stakeholders to implement and embed a workforce of over 150 FTEs. You will also be responsible for partnering with the Erasmus+ leadership team and colleagues across the People Function including Talent Acquisition, Reward, People Solutions Advisory, and Talent, Learning & Performance.

Main Responsibilities:

• Partnering with the Erasmus+ leadership team to deliver workforce and people implementation plans.
• Coordinating cross-functional People teams to ensure seamless delivery of people initiatives and programmes.
• Implementing workforce plans to successfully embed a workforce of 150+ employees and support organisational change.
• Building strong relationships with business leaders and stakeholders to drive effective people solutions.
• Managing the delivery of recruitment activities, including briefing Talent Acquisition, participating in interviews, and supporting onboarding.
• Monitoring implementation progress, tracking milestones, and providing regular updates to key stakeholders.
• Identifying delivery risks and implementing mitigation actions while escalating strategic issues where appropriate.
• Collaborating with specialist People teams, including Reward, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, and People Advisory, to deliver integrated solutions.
• Using people data, insights, and workforce analytics to inform planning, measure progress, and support decision-making.
• Supporting organisational change by coordinating people activities, enabling new ways of working, and ensuring successful programme delivery.

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:

Essential:

• Demonstrable experience of People business partnering to support senior stakeholders.
• Track record of delivering against tight timelines and multiple dependencies.
• Experience managing multiple senior stakeholders simultaneously, balancing competing priorities.
• Strong programme discipline: tracking, dependencies, risk escalation.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Experience working with HR teams such as recruitment, reward, or employee relations.

Desirable:

• Experience in mobilisation, stand-up and/or embedding of new teams/functions.
• Experience in matrix or multi-stakeholder environments (UK-wide or international).
• Exposure to workforce planning and organisational design implementation.
• Experience of HR risk management and governance processes.
• Background in project-based HR delivery.

Specific Requirements:

• University degree or equivalent professional experience.
• CIPD or equivalent OD / Change qualification (desirable).

The British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.

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.