Head of English & Schools Education Programmes Marketing

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.

Head of Marketing, English Programmes

Role Purpose

The Head of Marketing, English Programmes will help drive the global growth, reach, impact, and reputation of the business by:

• Supporting the business to secure new funding (contracts, partnerships, sponsorship) by communicating the impact of our work and positioning the British Council’s unique role, approach, and track record to key government and sector stakeholders

• Devising strategic, insight-led campaigns for engaging professional sectors with our opportunities, paid services, research, case studies, best practices, thought leadership, and guidance

• Promoting the best of UK and international culture, creativity, and education to new and existing audiences around the world, particularly linked to our main programme highlights

• Providing strategic support to colleagues in-country and region to communicate their programmes to local audiences

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:

Subject/Sector Expertise

• Develop the overall marketing strategy for English Programmes, and in-year plans and oversee marketing proposals for sector positioning, programmes, and contracts.

• Ensure a data-driven, audience-led approach, including commissioning market research into key audience segments and competitors.

• Oversee marketing campaigns and activity for global programmes across all channels, ensuring annual plans are in place that are aligned to and deliver on planned business objectives.

• Develop a thought leadership strategy to effectively position the work of English Programmes and the British Council as a leading expert in this area, with a particular focus on international development

• Ensure monitoring and evaluation of marketing performance for English Programmes to review effectiveness against KPIs.

• Champion the capture and sharing of insight and analytics across marketing teams. 

• Provide appropriate input to product/programme development and work with programme teams to embed the value of strategic marketing principles and practice in all contracts and programmes.

• Oversee the scoping, design, and development of marketing proposals for English Programmes contract bids, including the negotiation of marketing budgets and resources.

• Act as a brand champion for English Programmes, ensuring all opportunities to leverage the British Council brand are explored and implemented, strategically reviewing programmes against our wider brand architecture, and owning quality control with the Brand team. 

• Work effectively with Corporate Communications across media relations, internal communications, and events to ensure a collaborative and consistent approach (both proactive and reactive).

• Work with Director Marketing, CE to set up and manage a roster of freelancers and agencies to provide bespoke support on programmes.

Consultancy, analysis, and problem-solving

• Promote the identification and implementation of effective strategies for developing new (or extending existing) markets across the globe.

• Work with Regional Marketing Directors to agree on specialized strategies and plans to support effective marketing delivery in a variety of complex markets.

• Build an in-depth understanding of the operational context, opportunities and challenges, and current and future business needs identifying opportunities for improvement.

• Ensure campaigns are commensurate with project prioritization, scale and scope, and sustainability. Manage internal and external delivery of marketing campaign activity and manage relationships with internal and external suppliers.

• Apply advanced knowledge of marketing and market insight to solve a range of complex business issues within Education globally.

Commercial/financial management

• Support the development of bids/business cases, determining the budget required for related marketing and events activity and resources to deliver.

• Develop a marketing resource model that ensures flexible and cost-effective access to professional skills throughout the marketing lifecycle.

• Agree and monitor resources, costs, and budgets for delivery maximizing ROI across marketing and between contracts.

• Report monthly and at year-end finance and apply learning from this to improve financial planning, management, and performance.
   

Business Development

• Identify and make recommendations for improvements to ways of working that enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing.

• Make marketing recommendations that have a measurable impact on performance (e.g. in terms of efficiency, quality, reliability, risk mitigation, productivity, profitability, or customer satisfaction).

Relationship and stakeholder management

• Proactively build and maintain excellent relationships with internal and external partners and stakeholders, to ensure effective, integrated, and joined-up delivery of collective goals across the matrix.

• Plan how to establish and maintain nominated stakeholder relationships to support the achievement of agreed impact targets.

• Develop peer/personal networks within and outside the British Council to enhance own knowledge and expertise.

• Work with regional marketing colleagues to embed best practices and service delivery.

Leadership and management

• Partner and coordinate with the English Programmes leadership teams to develop and establish long-term business plans and marketing sector strategies.

• Guide and coordinate the English Programmes marketing team, building on and sharing best practices and bringing consistency to common functions across the SBU.  

• Provide formal line and/or professional management to the English Programmes marketing team, setting the vision, direction, and annual marketing plan to ensure business objectives are realized in accordance with the overarching British Council strategy

• Demonstrate effective ROI for marketing spend across the year and ensure external contractual arrangements are fully met along with effective supplier management,

• Using agreed corporate systems and processes, plan and manage the core budget for Education marketing, conducting monthly and year-end reporting on income, expenditure, and risk, and actively applying learning to improve planning, management, and performance.

• Work across Cultural Engagement Marketing, particularly Education and Innovation, and Insight teams, to ensure alignment and to maximize opportunities for knowledge sharing

Role-specific knowledge and experience:

Essential requirements:

• Degree or professional qualification in marketing, communications, or business or demonstrable level of equivalent experience

• Proven experience managing complex global marketing programmes

• Experience leading a team within a large and complex global organization

• Highly experienced in the design and delivery of marketing strategies and plans to support

• Experience in business development and thought leadership strategies programmes/products

• Experience in effectively negotiating budgets and resources with senior stakeholders

• Thorough knowledge of strategic planning and budgeting management.

• Experience in marketing within the ELT sector 

Desirable:

• Postgraduate degree in a relevant field, or demonstrable level of equivalent experience

• Experience in embedding a marketing and audience-led culture within organizations

• Experience in managing change and embedding new ways of working

• Experience working in an international development context

Further Information

• Pay Band – SMP9

• Contract Type – Indefinite Contract

• Locations:

  • India

  • Pakistan

  • Bangladesh

  • Nigeria

  • Ethiopia

  • Kenya

  • South Africa 

• Department/Function - Marketing and Communications 

• Additional information

• Language requirements: Strong written and oral English communication skills.

• The Role holder must have existing rights to live and work in the country the role is based.

• Closing Date – 31 October 2024. Applications will close at 21:59 UK Time / 23:59 East Africa Time

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement

The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment.  We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability.  All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

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; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you have any problems with your application please email askhr@britishcouncil.org

Please note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our ‘ASK HR’ email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.