Education Manager Northern Ireland

As a valued employee of the British Council, you already help us deliver our mission to support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For over 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

You are part of our organisation in over 200 countries and territories and where we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

Role Description /Purpose The British Council is seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial Education Manager to deliver a diverse portfolio of education programmes across Northern Ireland, funded by the British Council, other partners or client-funders. This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished education professional to increase programme participation and internationalisation across the schools, non-formal education, further education and higher education sectors in Northern Ireland.

As Education Manager, you will work within a small, close-knit team in Northern Ireland, led by the Head of Education, Northern Ireland, who reports to the Country Director Northern Ireland. You will manage sector partner and stakeholder relationships, regularly deputise for the Head of Education, and build relationships with peers across the UK and the global education network, collaborating on global programmes.

We are looking for someone with broad knowledge of and experience in Northern Ireland's education sector, including non-formal education areas such as youth and community education, who brings an entrepreneurial approach to giving Northern Ireland's educational organisations more international connections. You will be an assured communicator, using multiple channels to raise Northern Ireland's international profile, and will contribute to strategy, planning and delivery of the country Education/Tertiary Education portfolio, supporting business development and income generation alongside the Country Director and global team.

The role sits within Cultural Engagement (CE), one of two global strategic departments within the British Council, bringing together our work in Arts, Education, English & School Education and research. With a workforce of approximately 1,000 globally and an income in 2024/25 of 200 million, CE delivers impact through research and insights, sector engagement, policy dialogue and a mixed portfolio of commercial and Grant and Partnership Funded work globally.

Our work in Education is organised into three strands: student mobility and internationalisation, tertiary education partnerships, and non-formal education, empowering young leaders and marginalised groups through skills development. We embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) into all aspects of this work so that our people and partners experience a culture that promotes respect, inclusion and diversity in support of mutual benefit.

Over the last 20 years, devolution has brought decision-making and accountability closer to the people of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and this role plays an important part in showing an imaginative and exciting vision of the United Kingdom and its four nations to the world, through our commitment to Working for the Whole of the UK.Role Accountabilities You will contribute to the development of the Northern Ireland Education strategy and annual plan, aligned with the global Education/Tertiary Education strategy and the Cultural Engagement plan for Northern Ireland, and to the wider planning process for Northern Ireland's education portfolio, supporting the international ambitions of the education sector.

You will support the development of internal relationships across the UK Region and Cultural Engagement teams to ensure Northern Ireland's education objectives are aligned, understood and achieved, and will consider the role of digital products, services and channels in optimising the impact and sustainability of the portfolio, working closely with marketing and digital colleagues.

Day to day, you will manage a range of agreed education activities, ensuring global standards of programme and contract management are achieved, and will ensure effective financial management and compliance, delivering to target on budgets, profitability, timelines and quality standards. You will contribute technical expertise to the design of Education/Tertiary Education programmes and contracts, assuring quality and impact and managing issues and risks,…