Programme Manager English Programmes 6

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 Payband 6 Contract Type: 14 months Fixed-Term Contract Location: Beijing, China Closing Date: 30th July 2026 Please note that candidates must have the pre-existing (permanent) legal right to work in China at the time of application. Visa Sponsorship and relocation assistance is not provided. Role Purpose Implementation of programmes with a low level of complexity funded by British Council or by another client or funding mechanism. Leads the successful delivery of a range of programmes or projects from start to finish including managing the contract or project plan, managing client or internal stakeholders, successfully achieving reporting and meeting compliance standards. Or works within a larger programme or multi country programme on a particular component. This role will work with colleagues across the region and in the UK, to help deliver benefits in country from regional and globally led initiatives. Role Context This role sits within the Cultural Engagement (CE) Strategic Business Unit (SBU). CE brings together our portfolio of work in arts, education, English, and research. Our portfolio is delivered through a set of globally led programmes that locates our work and impact within our strategic framework. These programmes deliver our key performance indicators and impact ambitions. All programme management roles deliver activities and projects within this global programme and strategic framework. Our programmes are funded by the British Council’s grant in aid, through partnerships and external clients. This role focuses on delivering the outcomes of our work on English and School Education Programmes in China. The aim of English and School Education Programmes is to support the improvement of English language teaching and learning in formal and non-formal education systems. English Programmes has the following impact areas and global programmes. Main accountabilities Relationship & Stakeholder management * Has relationships with delivery partners and stakeholders within country and is able to procure services and contract delivery partners. * Holds suppliers to account for delivering against contract. * Build strong internal relationships and networks Strategy and planning * Supports the Head of English and School Progreamms to plan and execute marketing plans for English Connects for teachers and teacher educators engagement in China, ensuring they drive and support China strategic objectives for the British Council in a flexible, cost-effective way. * Plan and executes market plans for English Connects, agreeing the programmes, delivery mechanisms, budgets and resources. * Develops and executes innovative and high impact campaigns in different forms of communication, to support a variety of routes to market and maximise impact and share of voice. * Deploys the British Council brand architecture in line with brand management standards. * Manages the day to day running of digital channels, and where appropriate, creates and commissions relevant, high-quality content in support of programme objectives * Ensures that clear and consistent marketing processes are deployed for cluster/country aligned to agreed global marketing processes. * Monitors and reports on agreed marketing KPIs for English programmes . * Manages and grows the British Council’s English teaching social media presence on China-specific platforms including WeChat (微信公众号 and 视频号), Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, and Weibo (微博), including content planning, scheduling, and community engagement. * Creates, commissions, and curates bilingual (English/Chinese) social media content, including short-form video, graphics, and editorial posts aligned with programme objectives and brand guidelines. * Tracks and reports on social media analytics and digital campaign performance, using platform-native tools and data to inform content strategy and demonstrate impact. Commercial and Financial Management * Ensure sound financial planning, working closely with finance teams to ensure British Council and client financial year plans are up to date. * Ensure accurate and timely monthly (re)forecasting is in place, by running regular reports in the SAP system on actuals, monitoring outstanding purchase orders, reviewing commitments, analysing and commenting on reasons for variances to plan and recommending corrective actions. * Monitoring monthly finances, including correct expenditure, ensuring the P2P process is being followed and correcting any mis-postings or journals needed. * Lead on British Council, partner or client reporting (including, with Finance Manager, financial reporting) and ensure reports are delivered on time, to budget and to a high standard. * Compliance to BC financial policies and procedures. Project Management * Contributes to development of, owns and delivers on Project Management Plan * Identifies risks in a project or programme and puts together mitigation strategies with SRO * Responsible for internal and client, procurement, contracting, compliance and reporting * Checks on and reports on compliance * Manages procurement on a project/programme * Responsible for data management including timely data entry, quality assurance of data, undertaking basic analysis of monitoring data, and developing progress reports to meet funding needs * Undertaking programme-specific data collection as needed. This includes working with colleagues to identify indicators and tools for data collection, quality assuring all data, and undertaking basic analysis. Role specific knowledge and experience: Minimum / Essential Requirements * Undergraduate degree or equivalent relevant experience in English Language Teaching, Marketing or digital learning * Experience of managing projects from start to finish and familiarity with project life cycles. * Proven experience of managing project finances and managing documents. * Experience working in project or programme management. * Experience of using technology in project delivery. * Experience in delivery of marketing plans and activities * A keen eye for detail, great measurement, and post campaign analysis skills * Experience in delivering marketing communications campaigns using both physical and digital tools * Demonstrated experience managing social media platforms, including content creation or commissioning, scheduling, community engagement, and performance reporting. Experience with China-specific platforms (e.g. WeChat, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Weibo) is essential. * Digital campaign planning and execution, including the ability to plan, launch, and evaluate digital marketing campaigns across multiple channels. * Fluency in Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written) and English (minimum CEFR B2). Desirable Requirements * Foundation level Project Management certificate * Experience of managing stakeholders * Good understanding and experience of supporting monitoring and evaluation. * Working knowledge of British Council SAP system (or similar ERP software). * Familiarity with social media analytics tools and platform-native data dashboards for China digital platforms. * Experience in the English language teaching (ELT) or education sector in China. Additional job requirements The role may include occasional travel within the territory, region or internationally. Language Requirements * The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required to CEF Level C1 English * Local language native speaker / CEFR C1 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