Head of Digital Enablement and Delivery

Head of Digital Enablement and Delivery.

Purpose of the Role:

 We are look for our new Head of Digital Enablement and Delivery to join us on a permanent basis.

The role leads an embedded digital enabling function within the British Council’s International Student Mobility (ISM) programme that operates across the programme’s three components – our work with international UK alumni, our work with education agents and counsellors, and the Study UK campaign which promotes the UK as a study destination.

You will work closely with the programme team and with colleagues in the British Council’s Marketing and Digital and Technology teams to ensure that ISM digital delivery enables effective and impactful engagement of the programme’s target audiences.

Specifically, the role will:

• Lead digital development and continuous improvement across ISM participant and engagement platforms and delivery infrastructure, ensuring that digital capabilities enable programme outcomes, drive efficient and insight-informed delivery, and promote an excellent user experience across the international student mobility lifecycle.

• Provide strategic leadership for the programme’s embedded digital enabling function, supporting integrated delivery through effective digital coordination, integration of platforms, operational consistency and data-informed working.

• Lead the application and operational coordination of enterprise and programme-specific digital systems and participant data environments, ensuring effective governance, usability, alignment and continuous improvement across the ISM digital ecosystem.

• Translate audience needs, programme priorities and targets into digital requirements and track the successful delivery of these, ensuring that new digital capabilities are adopted, embedded and sustained within business-as-usual operations.

• Act as product owner for the end-to-end digital experience of programme audiences and participants, ensuring requirements are prioritised and represented within key stakeholders’ workflows and roadmaps.

Accountabilities are, but not limited to:

 Strategy, integration and digital delivery

• Lead the strategic development, adoption and continuous improvement of digital systems, platforms and operational workflows across the ISM programme, working to ensure effective coordination and alignment across multiple stakeholders and delivery teams – including D&T and product owners. 
• Oversee complex digital delivery across the programme to ensure effective, integrated and insight-informed implementation and a seamless participant experience.

Governance and operational coordination

• Act as the programme’s senior interface with D&T, enterprise and digital product owners, and corporate functions, supporting effective governance, alignment and programme-level application of enterprise digital systems.

Reporting, insight and continuous improvement

• Work closely with colleagues across marketing, programme management, and monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) to support coherent approaches to programme reporting, operational performance measurement and participant insight across the ISM environment.
• Promote the effective use of operational data, engagement insight and delivery reporting to support continuous improvement across programme delivery.

Leadership and management

• Lead and develop the new ISM digital enablement and delivery team of four, establishing a cohesive, collaborative and inclusive team culture.
• Lead digital adoption and change activity across the ISM programme, ensuring new digital capabilities, processes and ways of working are effectively embedded and sustained within business-as-usual operations.

Qualifications & Experience:

•  Experience leading complex digital transformation, service improvement or platform optimisation initiatives across multi-stakeholder environments.
• Experience delivering digital transformation through effective stakeholder engagement, change management and adoption strategies.
• Experience of service design, customer journey mapping or user-centred design approaches.
• Experience working with CRM and participant engagement platforms within international or multi-country delivery environments.
• Strong understanding of how digital systems, workflows and data processes support operational delivery, participant experience, programme effectiveness and continuous improvement.
• Experience supporting the implementation, optimisation or governance of digital products and platforms within large or matrixed organisations.
• Ability to translate operational and programme requirements into effective digital processes, systems approaches and user-focused solutions.
• Experience leading teams and managing delivery within complex operational environments.

Important Information:

Department: Education - Cultural Engagement. 

Contract type: Indefinite.  
Pay band: SMP-S

Salary: £65,000 - £80,000 per annum. Plus £3,300 London Market Allowance if you are based in the London area only. 

Benefits for the UK include, but are not limited to:

• Excellent Civil Service pension scheme, employer contribution.
• 32 days annual leave, in addition to public holidays.
• 3 days volunteering leave.

Location of the role: UK ONLY – London, Cardiff, Edinburgh or Belfast. 

Closing Date: Monday 12th October 2026 at 23:59 UK time.

Please note that candidates must have the pre-existing, legal right to work in the countries that are listed, at the time of application.  Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided.
 
Interviews are planned for the end of October – early November 2026.