Erasmus + Single Point of Contact(Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland)

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.

Role Purpose:

The Erasmus+ SPOC postholder will serve as the strategic and operational single point of contact between national programme delivery and devolved stakeholders across all six sectors. In this role, you will foster strong and trusted relationships, provide strategic guidance and insight, identify and manage risks, and help ensure that programme objectives are aligned with devolved priorities and delivery environments. This is a highly influential role, requiring strong collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to translate local intelligence into evidence-based recommendations that inform national decision-making.

Main Responsibilities:

• Acting as the primary liaison between the Erasmus+ programme and devolved stakeholders, including government bodies, regional authorities, sector organisations, funders, and delivery partners.
• Building and maintaining strong, trusted relationships across all six Erasmus+ sectors to support effective engagement and collaboration.
• Representing the programme within the devolved nation by leading engagement activities, attending key meetings and events, and providing regional insight to inform strategic decision-making.
• Coordinating and monitoring local programme delivery, ensuring activities align with national plans, agreed milestones, quality standards, and stakeholder expectations.
• Identifying, assessing, and escalating risks, challenges, and opportunities that may impact programme delivery within the devolved nation.
• Gathering and analysing intelligence on regional policies, funding landscapes, sector developments, and stakeholder priorities to support programme planning and delivery.
• Serving as a key point of contact for devolved-government stakeholders, supporting client engagement, briefings, issue management, and relationship building.
• Supporting governance and assurance processes by ensuring regional activities align with national frameworks, controls, and reporting requirements.
• Collaborating with Marketing and Communications teams to tailor messaging, promote programme opportunities, and showcase regional impact and success stories.
• Influencing the development and delivery of Erasmus+ by providing evidence-based recommendations, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and ensuring national priorities reflect devolved contexts and needs.

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:

Essential

• Proven experience engaging and influencing senior stakeholders in government, public sector, or strategic partner environments, including at decision-making level.
• Strong track record of managing risk, issues, and delivery performance, including structured escalation and mitigation.
• Good understanding of policy environments, with the ability to interpret and apply policy within operational delivery contexts.
• Ability to synthesise complex information into clear, concise insights and briefings for senior stakeholders and decision-makers.

Desirable

• Experience working with or delivering Erasmus+ or similar international education, youth, or skills programmes.
• Knowledge of devolved government structures and policy environments in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.
• Experience of grant funding programmes, including lifecycle management (application, award, monitoring, reporting).
• Familiarity with one or more of the six Erasmus+ sectors (e.g. Higher Education, VET, Schools, Youth, Adult Education, Sport).
• Experience of supporting or operating within governance structures, such as boards, advisory groups, or programme committees.
• Understanding of inclusion, widening participation, and access agendas in education or youth contexts.

Specific Requirements

• Degree or demonstrable level of equivalent work experience.

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.

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.