Procurement Manager

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.

We work with people in over 150 countries and reach over 700 million people.

We connect. We inspire.

Further Information 

• Number of positions: 1
• British Council Pay Band: 7
• Employment Type: Indefinite Contract Local
• Location: Bangladesh
• Salary : 208,062 Monthly Gross Salary
• Deadline to receive applications: 16th November 2026

Role Purpose:

This role is part of the Global Procurement team that supports the procurement activities globally.   The Global Procurement function is split into clusters, and this role will report to a Senior Procurement Manager.   The role will support the implementation of a sourcing plan and delivering procurement projects as required within the cluster.    This role will require effective stakeholder engagement within the cluster or globally whilst support the delivery of improvements and efficiency in procurement projects.

Main Accountabilities:

Consultancy, analysis & problem-solving

• Applies core technical/professional knowledge, recognised best practice approaches and insight from previous experience to resolve non-standard issues which arise in the provision of functional support to a specific organisational unit or area of corporate activity.
• Conducts analysis using a range of standard methodologies and across multiple datasets to provide high quality and evidence-based procedural recommendations/business advice.
• Deploys a range of systems/technologies/approaches relevant to their area of functional expertise to support the provision of high-quality services and advice.
• Presents complex information clearly, tailoring the presentation of findings to meet the differing needs of both technical and non-technical audiences appropriately, as required.

Internal customer focus

• Builds an in-depth understanding of the specific operational context, opportunities and challenges facing their internal customer(s) to ensure the provision of procedural advice and support based on informed business insight.
• Proactively seeks internal customer and other stakeholder feedback to monitor satisfaction with the standard of functional advice and business support provided, enabling improvements to be made where issues are identified.

Service improvement

• Within their area of technical/professional expertise, identifies opportunities for procedural improvements within established policies and determines the most appropriate mechanisms and processes for implementing those changes.  Demonstrates awareness of relevant governance arrangements that relate to making system or procedural changes.
• Makes technical/professional recommendations to resolve specific or localised issues but also offers ideas which contribute to the development of wider solutions to broader business challenges and problems.
• Explains to customers and colleagues the need for compliance with agreed corporate procedures relevant to their area of functional expertise.  Collates compliance data within standard monitoring and reporting systems.
• May participate as part of a team to support implementation of corporate or regional change projects within their area of functional expertise.  (Activities could include providing technical guidance to less experienced colleagues on new systems/procedures/ways of working; developing or delivering staff training and familiarisation activities; participation in project steering or practice groups etc)

Functional expertise

• Provides proactive professional advice and support to internal customers to ensure local or unit-specific business practices within their area of functional expertise are high quality, effective and compliant with relevant corporate policies.
• Completes an annual cycle of formally recognised Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to maintain and deepen their professional expertise.
• Uses a variety of information resources and professional networks to maintain up-to-date knowledge of developments in external policy, practice, and regulation within their professional discipline.
• Likely to be fully qualified within the relevant professional accreditation or chartership for their functional discipline (or the equivalent by experience)

Commercial & financial management

• Using agreed corporate systems and processes, plans and manages the budget for their area of activity/service provision, and conducts monthly and year-end reporting on income and expenditure, profitability, and risk.
• Shows an understanding of value for money/cost effectiveness in the advice, recommendations or service support provided to internal customers.

Relationship & stakeholder management

• Develops good working relationships with appropriate colleagues throughout the British Council and in the relevant functional discipline to know who to engage with to enable effective implementation of procedural changes and improvements
• Builds a network of with external suppliers/providers/contacts to support effective service provision and knowledge exchange

Leadership & management

• Plans and prioritises own work activities to ensure effective delivery of diverse responsibilities and internal customer deliverables over a monthly to quarterly time horizon.
• May be formal line manager to a small team of para-professionals. working within the same (or related) area of functional expertise, responsible for their annual work plans and deliverables
• Shares intelligence and ideas to support senior managers in identifying/ developing new ways in which the functional specialism could positively impact upon the British Council’s operational efficiency and effectiveness

Minimum/essential

• Extensive experience of working in a similar role at a similar level managing procurement projects or procurement teams.
• Good understanding of procurement project delivery, including Supplier Relationship management

• In depth understanding of procurement processes and complex competitive bidding 
• Team management experience along with Stakeholder Engagement 
• Supports process principles in ambiguity, knows team limits, supports colleagues with due diligence, support colleagues with prioritisation, takes responsibility for unanticipated tasks, manages progress, applies Judgment in a commercial context.
• Understands legal and operational risks. 
• Has experience leading and managing effective negotiations. 
• Knows at which stage to involve managers.
• Ability to effectively work on a few standard initiatives at a time. 
• Can effectively use and manage other procurement resources.
• Understands and has used a variety of pricing models and tools.
• Strategic Sourcing – sourcing processes and pricing models
• Procurement Systems –familiarity with all
• Controls-operational within process.
• Business Understanding – good across business
• Creativity – ask questions within business.
• Innovation – seeks diverse thinking.
• Sharing – eager to share personal knowledge.

Desirable 

• Extensive experience with Strategic Sourcing with managing stakeholders’ team or   
• experience in managing procurement teams or categories.

Language

The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required” 

Requirements:
Please note that candidates must have the pre-existing, legal right to work in Bangladesh.

Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided. 
 
British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service.  This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.

Please note that all applications should be submitted in English only.      
It is advisable to apply in advance to avoid any technical issues at the last moment.

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

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and we welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent and we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

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 in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org