Head of UK-NG Season of Culture at British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. It creates friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. The organisation works with more than 100 countries across arts and culture, English language, education and civil society.

Founded in 1934, the British Council is a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. Each year, it reaches millions of people through face-to-face engagements and hundreds of millions more through online platforms, broadcasts and publications.

The British Council is recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of UK-NG Season of Culture
Location: Abuja or Lagos
Employment Type: Fixed-Term Contract until 31st March, 2029
Pay Band: 8/E

Role Purpose

• Lead the implementation of the UK/Nigeria Season to a high standard and in compliance with British Council policies and procedures.
• Work with colleagues in Nigeria, the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region and the UK to ensure that all strands of activity across Arts and Higher Education are developed and delivered effectively, on time, within budget and with maximum impact.
• Articulate concepts, manage processes and ensure compliance, communication and evaluation of the UK/Nigeria Season.
• Lead business development and manage internal and external stakeholder communications.
• Contribute to regional analysis of business development targets and achievements for Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs).
• Liaise with finance and business development colleagues and help establish systems for the collection and dissemination of data across countries and programmes.

Main Accountabilities

Leadership and Management

• Act as Head of UK/Nigeria Season and lead the delivery of the Season’s activities across Nigeria and the UK, ensuring stakeholder support.
• Work closely with the SRO/Country Director Nigeria, Director Programmes Nigeria, Heads of Arts, Education and English in-country, Regional Arts Director, UK Festival & Season, UK Arts teams and other stakeholders to align activities with the Nigeria Season’s outcomes and priorities.
• Champion Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) within the programme and empower team members to identify opportunities for mainstreaming EDI in programme delivery.

Relationships and Stakeholders

• Identify and manage stakeholders relevant to the delivery of the Season’s priorities.
• Manage relationships with partners, funders, clients and internal stakeholders for the UK/Nigeria Season.
• Hold delivery partners, team members and consultants accountable through effective supply chain management.
• Maximise communication channels and communicate across a variety of platforms about the programme and projects.

Business Development

• Coordinate research into country and regional contexts, including analysis of client and partner trends and opportunities.
• Support the development and management of relationships with strategic clients and partners.
• Apply due diligence requirements to potential partners.
• Manage a network of associate advisers, consultants and partners.
• Embed effective processes, standards and tools to support pipeline and consultant/partner relationship management.
• Manage or support the development of high-quality bids and proposals.
• Participate in contract negotiations with partners and clients and prepare agreements, including non-disclosure, pre-bid, contract, partner and consultant agreements.
• Ensure timely reporting and communication on externally funded contracts and grant-funded initiatives.
• Participate in programme and project reviews and closure activities, ensuring learning is embedded in the development of new business.

Programme Management

• Ensure programmes and projects are delivered according to corporate and, where relevant, client standards of quality and compliance, including safeguarding, EDI, supply chain management, social value and conflict sensitivity.
• Work with the Cultural Engagement team in Nigeria to support the design of results-based and impact-driven programmes and undertake planning and redesign as required.
• Manage all contractual obligations on programmes and projects, including financial obligations.
• Convene risk meetings, update risk registers and mitigate or escalate risks as appropriate.
• Ensure procurement, grants management and due diligence are managed in compliance with corporate standards.
• Manage project and programme reporting, including contributions to financial reporting.
• Develop Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plans and/or results frameworks, including indicators and relevant tools, and report against client and British Council impact targets.
• Act as the point of contact for the regional Marketing and Communications lead to ensure that the UK/Nigeria Season has an effective marketing strategy based on target audiences, programme objectives and country context.
• Use programme monitoring data to support periodic programme reviews, documenting learning and improving performance.
• Manage and monitor the Nigeria Season’s budget in collaboration with the Cultural Engagement and Finance teams in the country and region.

Requirements

Minimum/Essential

• Degree and/or equivalent experience.
• Project management or equivalent qualification.
• Extensive experience leading and managing programmes or large projects.
• Experience in financial planning, monitoring and reporting.
• Experience managing multi-country or large programmes that have met project closure standards and passed audits.
• Experience working with several different funding sources and knowledge of different programme frameworks and compliance rules.
• Experience leading a large, diverse and dispersed project or programme team.
• Experience working within a consortium arrangement or with funding partners or sponsors and managing associated contracts.
• Extensive experience managing complex senior client, stakeholder and partner relationships and reporting requirements.
• Experience identifying, mitigating, monitoring and reporting risks through appropriate channels.

Desirable

• Monitoring and evaluation qualification.
• Project management qualification.
• Experience working within a consortium arrangement or with funding partners or sponsors and managing associated contracts.
• Experience developing MEL frameworks and designing data collection mechanisms.
• Experience presenting and communicating programme success to a range of external audiences.

Additional Job Requirements

• Unsocial and long hours are likely to be required from time to time due to the need to work with teams in Nigeria and the UK.
• The role may involve occasional travel within Nigeria, the region or internationally.

Language Requirements

• British Council systems and global processes operate in English.
• Written and verbal proficiency in English to CEF Level C1 is required.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should apply online through the British Council careers portal.

Application Closing Date: 22nd September, 2026.