Consultant Schools Connect UK

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.Contract type : 1 Year Fixed Term Contract, with possibility of extensionHours: Full-time or part-time at 0.6 FTEPay band : 7Salary: £30,839 plus £3,300 London Market Allowance for those in the London area only.Location : London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast.Closing Date: 8th July 2026Benefits Include, but are not limited to:32 days annual leave, in addition to public holidays3 days volunteering leaveCareer average defined benefit pension schemeRequirements:Please note that candidates must have the pre-existing (permanent) legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Visa Sponsorship and relocation assistance is not provided.Role ContextThis role sits in the Schools Connect team, within Education, Cultural Engagement. The main objective of Schools Connect is to enhance the quality of primary and secondary education through international connections, partnerships and learning. We do this across the UK Schools portfolio through international partnerships and exchange and insight with policy makers and teachers to help make our young people globally competitive and globally aware.You will be responsible for the day-today project management of different work areas of the Schools Connect offer in the International Opportunities for School or Policy workstreams.Role PurposeA Consultant in the Schools team oversees one or a number of small size projects and will be a member of a project team. They will work closely with Senior Consultants to support several areas of work. This includes:Leading on digital and face-to-face meetings and events with internal team members and with external customers and participants for example teachers, head teachersLeading on the annual celebration event in Parliament, involving teachers, headteachers, MPsManaging the day to day running of theInternational School Award programmeManaging monitoring and evaluation (M&E) data collectionYou will be working primarily with schools and teachers in the UK, Policy makers, British Council staff and external assessors.Main AccountabilitiesOperational DeliverySupervises and controls team activities to meet (daily/weekly/monthly) agreed service/programme/product delivery performance targets, schedules and deadlinesManages resources within own nominated team to ensure that work is carried out efficiently and effectively, such as agreeing on priorities and resolving day-to-day operating resource issues, to ensure high quality, consistent and efficient services are deliveredUses digital platforms and technological advancements to improve efficiency, impact and quality of project deliveryIncorporates specific actions to address equality, diversity and inclusion priorities in programme design and deliveryMakes recommendations to senior managers on procedural improvements, resource requirements and other operational initiatives to drive and/or enhance team performance, cost effectiveness, service quality and efficiencyUndertakes regular quality checks and reviews, following agreed corporate or relevant external protocols, to monitor the quality, consistency and effectiveness of service/product/programme delivery. Reports on findings and recommends appropriate remedial actions as required.Identifies and shares examples of process/procedural best practice with appropriate colleagues in the country/region/SBU to drive continuous improvement in the British Council's operational capability, efficiency and cost effectiveness.Market positioningBuild own knowledge of the organisation's portfolio within schools education including geographically, technically and by client supporting quality analysis of current business needs, trends and/or opportunitiesContribute to internal and external communications about BC Schools work and its priority themes e.g. inclusion, core skills.Business DevelopmentSupports the development and management of relationships with strategic clients and partners.Applies due diligence requirements to potential partners.Manages network of associate advisors, consultants and partners.Embeds effective processes, standards and tools to support pipeline and consultant/partner relationship management.Manages or supports the development of high-quality bids/proposals.Participates in contract negotiations with partners and clients, and prepares agreements such as non- disclosure, pre-bid, contract and partner and consultant agreements.Ensures timely reporting and communication on externally funded contracts/grant funded initiatives.Participates in programme and project reviews and closure activities, helping to ensure learning is embedded in the development of new business.Relationship & Stakeholder ManagementTranslates agreed corporate/regional customer service and client management strategies into appropriate local operational policies and procedures.Monitors and reports on the team/unit's achievement of agreed customer satisfaction performance targets.Ensures that customer/partner feedback is regularly gathered, analysed and acted upon to drive continuous improvements in customer experience.Reports on potential business development or extension opportunities to regional and SBU colleagues to enable ongoing commercial success for the British CouncilRisk & complianceUses standardised processes to monitor team/unit compliance with agreed corporate risk management procedures relevant to service delivery (e.g. EDI, safeguarding, anti-racism, security policies, financial protocols, anti-fraud measures, cyber security) to protect the interests of the British Council and its customers at all times. Highlights to senior managers any instances of non-compliance.Ensures team/unit members receive and maintain appropriate induction/training in all relevant risk management procedures.Uses standard corporate protocols to assess a range of risks in to service/product/programme delivery. Makes appropriate contingency plans to manage delivery safely and effectively in challenging or high-risk circumstances.Manages the monthly Control checks (MCC) and annual compliance check (ACC) process for nominated team to ensure risks & issues are captured across the entirety of the project/programme in a consistent and compliant mannerAnalysis & reportingEnsures data collection on project/programme delivery that supports accountability, decision-making and learning including on EDI issuesConducts analysis using a range of standard methodologies and across multiple datasets to provide high quality and evidence-based recommendations on procedural improvements and/or highlight resource requirements needed to enhance operational performancePresents complex information clearly, using an appropriate combination of written, graphical and financial data/analysis, to enable evidence-based operational decision-making and planning.Able to analyse project context and evidence of impact through a diversity lens and incorporate recommendations for increasing equality in reporting.Commercial and/or financial managementDirectly plans and controls specific cost variables (rather than the total budget) to meet established targets, ensuring compliance with all relevant corporate financial systems and processesUsing agreed financial procedures/templates, conducts monthly and year-end analysis and reporting on income and expenditure/profitability and risk/pipeline/actual performance versus plan targets.Leadership & managementSets and oversees delivery of tasks to more junior staff (all working in a related area), holding them to account for achieving agreed performance targets that are aligned to wider regional/SBU priorities and goals. Time horizons are likely to be monthly - quarterlyActively applies coaching, performance feedback and sickness/absence management techniques to maximise staff productivity and motivation in a high volume/pressurised delivery environment.May contribute to the development, delivery or commissioning of externally supplied training support to maintain and improve operational effectiveness of colleagues on a range of service/product/programme delivery-related topicsShares intelligence and ideas to support senior managers in identifying/ developing / implementing new or improved operational plans.Drives integration of measures to support equality issues within teams and programmesInclusive Leadership and Management: Volunteers and contributes to EDI related initiatives, tasks, events, research and publications. Celebrates cultural diversity. Avoids prejudgment in assessing performance and capability of others. Recognises incidents of inappropriate or non-inclusive behaviour. Seeks to involve others in decision making.Requirements of the roleMinimum/essentialKnowledge and interest for the education sectorExperience in using technology effectively in the workplaceDemonstrated knowledge and experience of project management,Experience of line management or task managementConfident user of information technology (Word; Excel; PowerPoint), Microsoft 365 functionality and working knowledge of British Council SAP system (aptitude if recruiting externally)Able to manage delivery of digital events on basic platforms (Microsoft Teams) ensuring all project standards are met, including those for accessibility and safeguardingWell-organised, able to determine project priorities at all stages, to develop and communicate work plans, to track progress towards goals and use data and evidence to assess achievement . click apply for full job details