Cross Sector Communications & Engagement Senior Consultant

We 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.

The Department for Education has announced that the British Council is set to take on the role of National Agency for Erasmus+.

In December the UK and EU arrived at a political agreement that the UK would rejoin the Erasmus+ scheme in 2027. That agreement has now been legally formalised under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The British Council has a longstanding commitment to supporting international exchange. It was a lead partner in the Erasmus+ UK National Agency from 2014-20, where Erasmus+ made a significant contribution to the UK's cultural relations activities, funding 8,091 projects, engaging 583,757 UK participants, and awarding around €1.1 billion to UK organisations.

Pay Band: Grade 8 / Pay Band E

Salary: £40,179 gross per annum.

Contract Duration: 2 Year Fixed Term Contract with possibility of extension 

Location:  London, Cardiff, Belfast or Edinburgh (Hybrid), with the option to work remotely from anywhere in the UK. 

Right to Work Requirements: Current right to work in the UK. The British Council is not able to support or sponsor work visa applications.

Closing Date: Applications will close on 10 November 2026 at 23:59 UK Time 

We are operating on the basis that any offer is made pending client confirmation of funds.

Role Purpose:

The Erasmus+ Cross Sector Communications & Engagement Senior Consultant will support the development and delivery of stakeholder engagement, communications and digital engagement activities that encourage high-quality participation in Erasmus+ across multiple sectors, including education, training, youth and sport.

Working collaboratively with programme teams, sector specialists, applicants, beneficiaries and external stakeholders, you will lead activities that increase awareness, understanding and engagement with Erasmus+ opportunities.

You will combine stakeholder engagement expertise with communications and digital delivery capabilities, ensuring that National Agency messaging, guidance, events and engagement activities effectively reach and support diverse audiences.

You will play a key role in strengthening programme visibility, building stakeholder communities, promoting inclusion and participation, and ensuring that stakeholder insights inform programme delivery and continuous improvement.

Main Responsibilities:

• Developing and maintaining productive relationships with key stakeholders across education, training, youth and sport sectors, supporting engagement plans aligned with National Agency priorities.

• Acting as a key point of contact for stakeholder groups, representative bodies and strategic partners, facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing across sectors.

• Representing the National Agency at conferences, sector events, webinars and external stakeholder meetings.

• Developing and delivering high-quality communications content that promotes Erasmus+ opportunities, programme priorities and stakeholder engagement.

• Producing stakeholder briefings, promotional materials, guidance resources, case studies and success stories tailored to diverse audiences.

• Contributing to communications campaigns, ensuring messaging is clear, accessible, consistent and audience-focused.

• Supporting the dissemination of programme results, impact and examples of good practice.

• Designing and delivering digital engagement activities, including webinars, virtual events and online learning opportunities.

• Building and maintaining digital stakeholder communities and networks to strengthen programme visibility and participation.

• Monitoring digital engagement performance, using stakeholder insights and data to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Supporting innovation in digital engagement approaches, communications platforms and delivery methods.

• Designing and delivering information sessions, workshops and training activities for Erasmus+ applicants and beneficiaries.

• Developing practical guidance materials and resources to support organisations in understanding programme requirements and delivering high-quality projects.

• Encouraging collaboration, peer learning and capacity building across sectors.

• Gathering and analysing stakeholder feedback, participation trends and programme data to identify emerging opportunities, risks and engagement challenges.

• Producing reports, briefings and recommendations to support decision-making, programme planning and future funding rounds.

• Promoting Erasmus+ priorities including inclusion, diversity, sustainability and digital transformation.

• Supporting initiatives that widen participation among underrepresented organisations and communities.

• Contributing to programme quality assurance, evaluation, monitoring and continuous improvement activities.

• Working collaboratively with communications, assessment, grants management, policy and sector support teams to ensure coordinated programme delivery.

• Managing assigned projects and workstreams to agreed deadlines, quality standards and budgets.

• Supporting governance, reporting and organisational assurance requirements, while sharing effective engagement practices across programme teams.

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:

Essential

• Experience of stakeholder engagement across complex organisational environments.

• Experience developing and delivering communications, engagement or outreach activities.

• Experience creating high-quality communications content for diverse stakeholder audiences.

• Experience designing and facilitating events, workshops, webinars or training activities.

• Experience managing projects and delivering against agreed objectives and deadlines.

• Experience building and maintaining productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

• Strong stakeholder engagement, relationship management and partnership development skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex information clearly and effectively.

• Strong strategic communications, content development and audience-focused storytelling skills.

• Ability to analyse information, identify trends and translate stakeholder insights into practical recommendations.

• Strong organisational and project delivery skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.

Desirable

• Experience of Erasmus+ or other international education and mobility programmes.

• Experience of digital engagement, online communities or communications platforms.

• Experience working within public sector, education, training, youth or international programme environments.

• Experience working with government departments, representative bodies or strategic partners.

• Experience monitoring and evaluating stakeholder engagement activities.

• Qualification in communications, stakeholder engagement, project management or a related discipline.

• Project management qualification or equivalent professional experience.

Specific Requirements

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.

• Written and verbal proficiency in English.

• Ability to work effectively within a hybrid working environment.

• Successful completion of British Council background screening requirements.

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.

#LI-Hybrid

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