E+ Senior Compliance 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.

E + Senior Compliance Manager

Important Information: 

Contract Duration: Two years fixed term contract with a possibility of an extension

Pay band: 8

Salary: £38,820

Location: UK - London

Right to Work Requirements: Right to work in the UK at the time of application. The British Council is not able to support or sponsor work visa applications. 

Closing Date:  Applications will close at 23:59 on 29 April 2026 22:59 UK Time

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

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. 

The Role:
 

The Senior Compliance Manager is responsible for ensuring the effective design, implementation, and oversight of compliance frameworks across Erasmus+ (E+). The role safeguards programme integrity by ensuring that all grant-making, fund management, procurement, and delivery partner activities comply with contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, funding standards, and organisational policies.

Working closely with the Head of Compliance & Fraud, the Senior Compliance Manager leads proactive risk identification, monitoring, and assurance activity across the grant lifecycle - from application and assessment to award, delivery, and closure. The role provides expert guidance to programme teams and key stakeholders to promote a strong culture of compliance, ethical practice, and accountability.

The post‑holder will oversee internal controls, conduct compliance reviews, manage escalations, and support investigations into potential non‑compliance or fraud, ensuring issues are resolved promptly and in line with client expectations, E+ protocols and British Council standards. They will analyse compliance trends, produce high‑quality reporting, and deliver recommendations that strengthen governance, reduce risk, and drive continuous improvement across the programme.

The Senior Compliance Manager plays a critical role in protecting programme funds, maintaining stakeholder confidence, and ensuring the programme delivers high-quality, compliant, and auditable outcomes for E+, the client, grantees, and the wider organisation.

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:  

Risk Strategy & Compliance Framework Management

• Support the Head of Compliance in the design and implementation of Erasmus+’ compliance framework. 
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve compliance policies, procedures, and controls across the full grant lifecycle.
• Ensure alignment with client contractual requirements, regulatory obligations, audit standards, and internal governance frameworks.

Conduct assurance, monitoring and compliance reviews

• Plan and deliver compliance audits and deep-dive reviews across delivery partners, internal teams, and grant recipients.
• Identify gaps, risks, and control weaknesses, ensuring corrective and preventative actions are implemented and tracked.

Provide expert compliance advice and guidance across the programme

• Act as the point of expertise for compliance matters, advising E+ colleagues appropriately
• Support grantees with understanding and meeting compliance expectations.

Lead compliance risk identification and mitigation

• Maintain the compliance risk register and work with programme leadership to ensure effective mitigation plans are in place.
• Monitor emerging risks and regulatory changes that may impact the programme.

Manage compliance escalations and support investigations

• Coordinate initial assessment of potential non‑compliance or suspected fraud, undertaking fact‑finding work and contributing to investigations led by the Head of Compliance & Fraud.
• Ensure cases are documented, escalated, and resolved in line with policy and client requirements.

Oversee due diligence for grant applicants and delivery partners

• Ensure robust due diligence processes are followed.
• Review and approve recommendations for grant awards from a compliance perspective.

Produce high‑quality reporting and analysis

• Prepare compliance reports, dashboards, trend analysis, and insights for the Head of Compliance & Fraud, programme governance boards, and the client.
• Provide clear recommendations to strengthen controls, reduce risk, and improve performance.

Drive a strong culture of compliance and ethical conduct

• Deliver training, guidance, and capacity-building activities for E+ staff
• Promote awareness of compliance obligations, fraud indicators, and expected standards of conduct.

Manage relationships with internal stakeholders, delivery partners, and the funder

• Act as a trusted compliance advisor, ensuring open communication and consistent interpretation of requirements.
• Support client-facing meetings and provide assurance on compliance matters.

Contribute to continuous improvement across the programme

• Identify opportunities to streamline processes, strengthen controls, or improve data quality.
• Lead or support improvement projects that enhance governance, risk management, or operational compliance.

Requirements of the role:

• Experience applying compliance expectations across the full grant lifecycle - from assessment through award, delivery, change control, and close‑down.
• Experience contributing to programme planning, governance meetings, and continuous improvement projects.
• Experience conducting compliance investigations or fact‑finding exercises, including evidence gathering and documentation.
• Skilled in analysing compliance trends, audit findings, and programme monitoring data to identify systemic issues.
• Ability to manage multiple compliance priorities across a large programme, often with competing deadlines.
• Strong organisational skills to plan assurance activity, track actions, and manage documentation.
• Degree or work equivalent experience

Desirable:

• Experience of working in public sector organisations, particularly aligned to a central government remit.
• Compliance related qualification or equivalent

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.

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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