Head of Education

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 Purpose  Lead the strategy, planning and delivery of the country Education/Tertiary Education portfolio, including student mobility and internationalisation, tertiary education and science partnerships, and non-formal education, ensuring impact and income targets are achieved.
Lead business development and income generation, build strong senior stakeholder relationships, and represent the British Council and UK expertise with government, clients, partners, researchers and technical experts.
Build market knowledge and insight on the local education context, sharing expertise internally and externally, while embedding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) across all areas of work.
Role Accountabilities    Lead the development and delivery of the country Education/Tertiary Education strategy and annual plan, aligned with global and country priorities.

Oversee high-quality programme and project delivery, ensuring compliance with British Council standards across planning, reporting, evaluation, finance, risk and EDI.

Provide technical expertise to programme and contract design, ensuring quality, impact and effective risk management.

Lead business development and income generation, identifying opportunities, developing proposals and supporting bids and contract negotiations.

Build and manage strategic relationships with government, clients, donors, partners, education leaders, academics, researchers, alumni and students.

Represent the British Council and UK sector expertise through networking, conferences, publications and external forums.

Develop market intelligence, research and insight to inform strategy and strengthen UK sector engagement.

Manage portfolio finances, income and expenditure, business performance and reporting.

Lead and support teams, consultants and delivery partners to achieve agreed objectives and maintain strong programme governance.

Champion EDI and embed inclusive practices across Education/Tertiary Education programmes and partnerships.

Experience
· Essential
In-depth understanding of the Education sector in the UK and bilateral priorities.

Experience delivering sizeable externally funded projects or programmes.

Direct experience of client-funded contract pursuit and delivery.

Experience developing and overseeing monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), using insights to strengthen programmes and strategy.

Proven experience building mutually beneficial relationships with diverse stakeholders, including government, donors, multilateral agencies, Education/Higher Education leaders, academics, researchers, alumni and students.

Knowledge and experience of embedding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in programmes.

Desirable
Knowledge of international mobility trends of Mexican students seeking tertiary education opportunities.

Knowledge of transnational education trends in Mexico, including academic and research partnerships with local public and private institutions.

Ability to analyse equality issues and identify opportunities to address them within the portfolio.

Education    Degree and/or equivalent experience.

Project management qualification or equivalent work experience.

Work Mode

Hybrid working – Candidates are expected to work from the office at least 3 days per week.

Language    Excellent written and spoken…