Programme Manager Chevening - London, United Kingdom - British Council
Description
We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.
We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.
Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.
Programme Manager – Chevening.
Location: London or Manchester Only (UK Only).
Pay band : 7, starting at £30,839 plus £3,300 London Market Allowance if you are based in the London area.
Benefits Include, but are not limited to:
• 32 days annual leave, in addition to public holidays
• 3 days volunteering leave
• Career average defined benefit pension scheme
• An unrivalled opportunity for you to get to use all the experience you've built up working in and/or leading global organisations to support us in building trust across the world.
Department: Chevening & Marshall Team, Cultural Engagement
Contract type : Fixed Term Contract until 29th August 2025.
Closing Date: 8th May 2024 at 23:59 UK Time.
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.
You must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application.
There is no relocation/mobility or sponsorship support.
About The Team
This is a fantastic opportunity to join the Chevening Team, we have two vacancies, on a fixed term basis until August 2025.
The British Council took on responsibility as supplier for these programmes on 1 September 2023. The contract award is for 4 years with a break clause at 2 years.
The services required to be delivered in the contract include: Communications; programme promotion; scholar selection; scholar placing assistance; pre-departure services; support to scholars in the UK; alumni engagement; impact reporting and MEL; financial reporting; partnership development; and ensuring social value.
The Programme Manager (UK) role sits within the UK Programme team, which is responsible for ensuring all scholars have a fulfilling and engaging experience while in the UK.
The British Council delivers a wide range of programmes in international higher education that promote cultural relations and understanding. These include grant-funded programmes supporting international student recruitment to the UK, trans-national education, and alumni engagement. Delivery of the Chevening and Marshall programmes will complement these activities and serve to demonstrate the British Council's value as a partner of UK government and as a partner for the UK's higher education sector. Facilitating the long-lasting and deep relationships between people across the world and the UK will strengthen individual and subsequent institutional connections as well as ties of friendship.
The Role:
As Programme Manager, you will ensure that cohorts of scholarship holders have a fulfilling and engaging experience while in the UK, and that they are provided with an excellent standard of service.
You will supervise a small team of c. 4-6 Programme Officers who are the first point of contact between scholars and the team. The Programme Manager line-manages this team and supports them with delivery. They are the first point of escalation for scholar issues and queries that can not be handled directly by Programme Officers.
The Programme Manager works to ensure scholars stipends are paid accurately and on time, to deliver a successful scholar engagement programme, and to develop relationships with university partners. Working alongside a small number of other Programme Managers, each one will typically focus on managing one or two of these areas.
The role works closely with senior colleagues on continual policy and procedural development, with a view to improving services and the efficiency of their delivery.
Accountabilities /Responsibilities:
• Manage the workloads and monitor the performance of Programme Officers to ensure that a consistent high level of service is provided to all scholars and UK universities to agreed timelines.
• Work closely and report to the Senior Programme Manager (UK0 and to liaise with other members of the Secretariat senior team on internal procedures.
• Liaise with the finance department to ensure the timely payment of scholar payments, invoices and tuition fees. Check the accuracy of payment information and approve the release of stipend payments, allowances and other awards through the finance system.
• Assist with the design and manage aspects of the delivery of the annual orientation, farewell and partnership events.
• Manage and monitor the implementation and evaluation of the wider engagement strategy, with events designed and delivered by Programme Officers UK.
• Update internal policy documentation and manuals as well as external facing documentation (award documents, terms and conditions, pre-departure material) annually or as needed.
• Contribute to and implement Chevening's university partnerships strategy, with a view to increasing the number of Chevening awards offered each year, working under the guidance of the Partnerships team.
• Liaise with partner organisations on policy and operational issues and partnership opportunities, and coordinate the central partnership selection process in conjunction with the international team and UK-based partners.
• Manage the transition between scholars' selection and their arrival in the UK, including their placement at UK universities and the provision of cashcards prior to arrival.
• Monitor and approve travel bookings requested by scholars via the designated travel agency.
• Agree Programme Officer's annual scholar site visit plans and approve associated travel requests, monitoring the annual budget.
• Assist senior colleagues in a range of activities such as preparing client (FCDO) reports and providing information for briefings and presentations.
Requirements of the role:
• Ability to apply Chevening policy appropriately and consistently, and to flag any areas of existing policy that may need reviewing with senior colleagues
• Strong administrative skills, including the ability to manage information accurately on databases and IT systems.
• Knowledge of international higher education students.
• An understanding and demonstrable commitment to embedding the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion into work projects.
Closing Date: Applications will close on 8th May 2024 at 23:59 UK Time.