E+ Director Grants

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.

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 million to UK organisations.

Job Title: Director Grants Erasmus

Pay Band: LMFG (10)
Contract Duration: 2 Year Fixed Term Contract with possibility of extension  
Location: London, United Kingdom  
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 Wednesday 29 April at 21:59 UK Time

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

Role Purpose

Reporting to the National Agency Director, Director Grants is accountable for the effective and efficient planning, development, implementation, management and delivery of Erasmus+ grant activity.

Director Grants provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and governance for the delivery of Erasmus+ grant programmes. Ensures the effective, compliant and high-quality implementation of the Erasmus+ programme in line with European Commission regulations and National Agency standards and Department of Education specifications. The post is responsible for ensuring the Grant teams and Grant applicants have access to the right resources and services at the right time, delivered efficiently and to the highest standards, when benchmarked against external industry practice.  

The post contributes to the strategic direction of the National Agency as a member of the Erasmus+ leadership team, providing oversight and reporting to the NA Director to ensure delivery targets, compliance requirement and programme outcomes are achieved.

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:

Strategy Development and Leadership

• Set the strategic direction, monitor and evaluate the national delivery of Erasmus+ Programme grants across education, training, youth, sport and schools' sectors, ensuring alignment with programme priorities.
• Lead multi‑year planning, budget allocation, and performance frameworks aligned with European Commission (EC) regulations.

Leadership of Grant Management

• Ensure high levels of professionalism are demonstrated in the team and customer / client needs and perspectives are reflected in the leadership behaviours and focus of the team, empowering and enabling others to be role models for Erasmus+ and the British Council.
• Effectively line manage reports creating a positive, inclusive and customer focused work environment, acting as a role model by applying British Council policies and principles as appropriate and actively managing performance and engagement.

Programme Performance & Impact

• Establish and maintain strong governance, risk management and quality assurance processes to safeguard programme identity and integrity.
• Track delivery metrics, budget performance, and programme impact to ensure objectives are achieved and resources used effectively.

Stakeholder Engagement & Representation

• Represent the organisation at national and European levels, including with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EC Directorates, and sector leading organisations and other National Agencies.
• Build strong relationships with schools, universities, youth organisations, sport organisations, adult education providers, VET providers and government departments.

Requirements of the role

Role Specific Skills:

• Senior leadership experience in grant management, public funding programmes, or EU funded projects.
• Strong financial governance and risk management capability with a proven track record of managing public funds, maintaining audit readiness and ensuring programme integrity.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross government/European partnership working.
• Ability to lead high performing teams through change and complex operational cycles and evolving programme priorities.

Role Specific Knowledge and Experience:

Minimum/essential

• Extensive knowledge of Erasmus+ or large scale international mobility/education programmes.
• Strong financial governance and risk management capability.
• Experience of leading and managing the embedding of standards and/or processes.
• Ability to perform when operating in a high-pressured, high-stakes, strategic context and maintain a systematic and integrated approach

Desirable

• Experience working with education, youth, or cultural engagement sectors.
• Familiarity with UK or EU regulatory environments.
• Multilingual communication skills.
• Experience of working on Erasmus+

Language Requirements

• The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in national languages and additional EU languages an asset.

Education

• Degree or equivalent work experience.

Professional Qualification and Certification

• Association of Project Management (or equivalent) certification at practitioner level is desirable

Requirements:

Please note that candidates must have the pre-existing, legal right to work in the listed locations at the time of application.

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.

#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 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