Programme Manager

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

British Council Pay Band 7

Department: Cultural Engagement

Location: Islamabad, Lahore, Pakistan

Contract: Fixed term contract -12 months (extendable on mutual agreement)
Apply by: Sunday, 07 Dec, 8:00 PM local time
Interview window: TBD

The starting salary for this role is PKR 4,007,412 per annum; however, it is negotiable based on the candidate’s skills and experience. The role also offers additional benefits, including a 13th-month salary, annual leave, and medical coverage. 

This role is open to applicants who already have the legal right to work in Pakistan at the time of application, as no relocation or visa sponsorship will be provided.
The British Council supports flexible ways of working, including hybrid arrangements, subject to line management approval and our ability to maintain the required level of service.

Role Context

The Programme Manager for ILMpact is responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of all programme activities in Punjab, aligned with agreed objectives, standards, and compliance requirements. The role oversees day-to-day operations, including planning, implementation, monitoring, budget management, expenditure tracking, and mitigation of financial risks. It also requires managing and supporting programme partners, government counterparts, and implementing agencies by providing technical guidance, building capacity, and ensuring adherence to British Council and ILMpact procedures and quality benchmarks. A core expectation is maintaining high-quality documentation, data management, and reporting for internal and external stakeholders.

This is a critical position within ILMpact, a three-year programme contributing to the GOAL initiative aimed at strengthening inclusive provincial education systems in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. The target population includes girls and marginalised children aged 5 to 16 years, with the service-delivery and long-term technical assistance components working together to support at least 160,000 children to enrol and remain in school. The Programme Manager plays a central role in ensuring activities are delivered on time, within budget, and to high standards while fostering strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving across teams and partners.

Main responsibilities

The Programme Manager oversees end-to-end programme implementation, ensuring all activities align with approved work plans, M&E frameworks, donor guidelines, and British Council standards. This includes leading the development and execution of operational plans, monitoring day-to-day delivery, conducting regular review meetings, and ensuring transparency, accountability, and timely adjustments to plans and budgets. The role provides continuous operational updates to management, ensures integrity in programme execution, and establishes mechanisms to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance.

Financial stewardship is a core component of the role. The Programme Manager manages programme-level budgeting and financial controls, including developing budgets and cash transfer plans, monitoring expenditures, reviewing variances, and ensuring optimal use of funds in line with donor requirements. The role supports partners on budget utilisation, flags financial risks, and ensures timely financial and narrative reporting. Strong partnerships are central to delivery, requiring the Programme Manager to maintain strategic relationships with provincial partners, CSOs, and stakeholders; conduct capacity assessments; provide technical support; carry out mandatory field visits; and ensure partners meet programme quality, operational, and compliance standards.

The role also leads programme monitoring, reporting, documentation, and safeguarding. Responsibilities include overseeing activity monitoring against M&E plans, ensuring accurate data management, preparing monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, maintaining complete documentation for audits and evaluations, and applying safeguarding requirements across all programme activities and partnerships. The Programme Manager ensures partners understand and follow safeguarding protocols, escalates concerns appropriately, and supports a culture of equality, diversity, and inclusion by upholding anti-racist and inclusive practices in all interactions.

Role specific skills

• Strong people management skills with the ability to work inclusively across cultures
• Actively recognises and mitigates bias, using evidence-based decision-making
• Communicates with empathy and adapts messaging creatively to influence others
• Leads small to medium-scale programmes, including planning, implementation and evaluation
• Analyses stakeholder requirements with attention to equality, diversity and inclusion
• Identifies risks early, recommends mitigation measures and supports a risk-aware culture
• Builds and manages effective partnerships, aligning teams to partner needs
• Plans and organises work over weeks and months, considering priorities and dependencies
• Monitors and controls programme budgets, producing accurate financial reports
• Ensures effective use of resources and contributes to financial planning

Role specific knowledge and experience

Minimum/essential

• Experience of managing programmes (education) and familiarity with programme life cycles.
• Proven experience of managing programme finances.
• Experience of managing stakeholders 
• More than 5 years working in programme or programme management. 
• Experience in using technology and programme delivery.
• Good understanding and experience of supporting monitoring and evaluation and procurement.
• Experience in spotting risk in a programme or programme and putting together successful risk mitigation with SRO.
• Understanding of MEL principle.
• Experience of managing financial management.
• Experience of managing teams. 
• Experience of conducting lessons learned reviews/After-action reviews to inform future programme design and management.
• Experience of managing dispersed teams.

Desirable

• Experience/understanding of Girls and Out of School Children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, enrolment, retention, advocacy, communication and capacity-building programming
• Experience and understanding of digital learning tools
• Experience and understanding of girls’ education and empowerment in marginalised areas of Punjab and KP province.

Education

Minimum/essential

• Sixteen years of education qualification in any discipline

Desirable

• Foundation level Programme Management certificate

Language Requirements

• The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required. (C1 Level)

Additional job requirements

• Unsocial/long hours are likely to be required from time to time
• Occasional national and international travel may be required

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 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. 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