Intern- Legal Executive Assistant

Role information 

Role type 

Pay band—N/A 

Duration 

​​Business Delivery​ 

​​Choose an item.​ 

12months 

Role purpose 

The British Council would like to offer students and graduates an experiential learning opportunity to gain real-world experience through an internship programme. The practical experience gained by the intern is expected to complement the theoretical knowledge acquired during their studies. The intern is expected to both learn from and contribute to the workplace during the internship period, thereby increasing their employability skills. An outcome is that students and graduates become more employable and successful because of the skills they acquire. 

Role context 

The British Council in Nigeria works in three strategic business areas; Arts and Culture; English; Education. We are looking to recruit an intern to join our Business Support Services Unit. The intern will be based in Lagos and will provide legal, governance, operational and executive administrative support  to the General Counsel & Company Secretary (who is a member of the Nigeria Senior Leadership Team). The role will provide exposure to legal operations, corporate governance, stakeholder engagement, compliance and strategic business support activities The intern will also be required to support with Support Leadership Team projects and initiatives, working under the supervision of the General Counsel & Company Secretary.  

Main accountabilities 

Under the overall guidance of the General Counsel & Company, the intern duties will include: 

• Providing legal and administrative support to the General Counsel & Company Secretary, including drafting, reviewing, formatting and proofreading legal, governance and business documents. Managing and maintaining document repositories, SharePoint sites, records and filing systems for the Legal Unit and Senior Leadership Team to ensure accurate record keeping and timely access to information. (the SharePoint site is an e-platform for the storage, organization, sharing of information) 

• Supporting the implementation, monitoring and reporting of Senior Leadership Team initiatives, projects and action plans, including coordinating updates from stakeholders and preparing management information reports. For example, organising internal meetings and workshops including logistics planning as delegated by the General Counsel & Company Secretary. 

• Coordinating meetings, workshops and stakeholder engagements, including diary management, scheduling, logistics, preparation of briefing materials, minute taking and follow-up on agreed actions. Supporting high-level stakeholder engagement activities, including coordination of visits, meetings, external partnerships and executive events. Managing correspondence on behalf of the General Counsel & Company Secretary, including responses relating to partnerships, sponsorships, governance matters, stakeholder engagement, events, legal enquiries and strategic relationships. Responding to emails and letters on requests for British Council engagement, sponsorship, partnerships, attendance at events and meetings. Managing correspondence in this regard. 

• Assisting with internal and external audit processes by coordinating information requests, maintaining supporting documentation and tracking actions arising from audits and reviews. 

• Assisting with contract administration, agreement tracking and maintaining records of legal and commercial documentation. 

• Supporting compliance, governance, audit and risk management activities, including coordinating information requests and maintaining supporting documentation. 

• Supporting data protection and information governance activities, including maintaining records and coordinating relevant compliance actions. 

• Preparing correspondence, briefing notes, presentations, reports and meeting materials for internal and external stakeholders. 

• Supporting the British Council's commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) by ensuring inclusive administrative practices and promoting accessibility considerations in meetings, events and communications. 

• Supporting compliance with British Council safeguarding policies and procedures and maintaining awareness of safeguarding requirements relevant to the role. 

Condition of employment  

Proof of Identity requirements/right to work in country 

Candidates are expected to have researched whether they have the right to live and work in the country in which the role is based. Given that our offices have different legal status depending on the work we do in those countries, we recommend that you contact HR in country for additional information on the likelihood of securing a visa. Only at its discretion will the British Council provide support so please check first whether visa support is offered. 

Shortlisting 

Language Requirements  

Assessment stage 

Proficiency in English Language 

Shortlisting and Interview 

Additional job requirements  

Shortlisting 

Person specification 

Qualifications 

Minimum/essential 

Desirable 

Assessment stage 

• A recent graduate (graduated within the last 3 years) with excellent organizational skills and the ability to multitask. 

• Demonstrate strong attention to details and the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion. Have good time management and scheduling skills. 

• Be confident in communicating with senior stakeholders. 

• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills. 

Shortlisting and Interview 

Role specific knowledge and experience 

Minimum/essential 

Desirable 

Assessment stage 

• Have strong written and oral communication skills in English;  

• Be proficient in Microsoft 365 applications including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint. 

• Work experience as a Legal Assistant, a Personal Assistant, an Office Administrator or an Executive Assistant. 

• A legal background (for example, a degree in Law) or an interest in legal work even if you do not have a legal degree. Note – this is not a requirement and applicants without a legal background will be considered. 

• An interest in international relations. 

• Project coordination or project management experience, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders. 

• Experience supporting legal, governance, compliance, risk or executive office functions. 

Shortlisting AND/OR interview 

Role specific skills 

Assessment stage 

Shortlisting AND interview 

British Council core skills 

Assessment stage 

• Communicating and influencing (Level 1) 

• Planning and organising (Level 1) 

• Using technology (Level 1) 

Shortlisting AND /OR interview 

British Council values and behaviours  

Assessment stage 

British council values and behaviours are applicable across our organisation, in all roles and at all levels. They are important because they say what we stand for at the British Council and help us to deliver our strategy. We use them to guide our decision making, as well as guiding how we treat one another and the people we work with. These will be assessed in the selection process. Our values are: 

Open and Committed; Expert and Inclusive; Optimistic and Bold.  

The behaviours for each values pair can be found on our Intranet SharePoint site for internal staff and at our Careers portal for external applicants. 

Shortlisting AND /OR interview 

For Recruiter / Hiring Manager use only 

Background Checks   

Initial and continuing employment with the British Council is subject to an annual background check. The job undertaken defines the nature of check(s) and assessment applied, please identify the one screening category considered relevant for this job: 

Offer 

• Senior Manager (PB9/SMP and all head of function/business area, Director or Country Director jobs at PB7/8). 

No 

• Finance (directly managing expenditure or revenue of or more than £1 million e.g. payroll, procurement, accountancy/controller). 

No 

• Regulated for child safeguarding (The job is considered regulated if the role holder has frequent (minimum of once a week) or intensive (more than 4 days in one month) occurs in a place giving access to children (e.g. School) or is the line manager of others undertaking regulated activity) 

No 

• Standard Screening (If none of the above categories apply then the role is subject to standard screening) 

Yes 

Role Profile completed by  

Date 

Name: Busayo Augusto 

14/08/26