Arts Programme Manager at British Council

Role Purpose - The Job

• To support the Head of Arts in delivering British Council Nigeria's Arts and Culture portfolio, leading the implementation, governance and compliance of global programmes and the Arts Core Offer in country.
• To manage delivery teams, partners, contracts and budgets across multiple concurrent programmes, ensuring they meet quality, impact, financial and reporting standards aligned to British Council policies and the 2026–2030 strategic horizon.
• To deputize for the Head of Arts as required, contribute to securing partnerships and income, and play a leading role in operational planning for the UK–Nigeria Season of Culture 2028.

Main Accountabilities
Programme planning and delivery

• Lead the implementation and day-to-day management of multiple concurrent arts and culture programmes in Nigeria, ensuring delivery against agreed scope, timelines, budgets, quality standards and impact targets.
• Translate the country arts strategy and global programme frameworks into detailed operational plans, work plans and milestones for the portfolio.
• Play a leadership role on specific components of larger programmes, including the operational ramp-up of the UK–Nigeria Season of Culture 2028.
• Monitor progress against plans, identify variances early, and put in place remedial actions in consultation with the Head of Arts and the regional team.
• Lead programme closure and audit readiness, ensuring lessons learned and after-action reviews are completed and inform future programme design.

Leadership and team management

• Provide motivational leadership to delivery teams and project staff, role-modelling the British Council's values and behaviours and promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Provide formal line management to project managers, project officers and interns within the Arts and Culture team, including objective setting, performance management and professional development.
• Manage dispersed teams across Abuja, Lagos and other Nigerian locations, building a collaborative climate that supports delivery across the portfolio.
• Deputise for the Head of Arts on operational matters, governance forums and external engagements as required.

Partner, stakeholder and relationship management

• Lead relationships at programme level with delivery partners, suppliers, grantees and consortia, holding them to account against contractual obligations and shared outcomes.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal partners and stakeholders across the British Council, including regional and global Arts teams, Cultural Engagement and operational functions.
• Engage proactively with external stakeholders in the Nigerian arts and culture sector, including government ministries, cultural institutions, creative businesses, civil society and HMG counterparts (FCDO, DBT, DCMS).
• Represent the British Council at sector events, working groups and partner meetings, and contribute to thought leadership on the Nigerian creative economy.

Business development and income generation

• Actively contribute to identifying, scoping and securing new partnerships, co-funding and income opportunities aligned to the Nigeria arts strategy and global programmes.
• Support the Head of Arts in leading complex bid development, partnership negotiations and contracting decisions, ensuring alignment with global programme priorities.
• Maintain pipeline data, opportunity tracking and partner intelligence to inform planning, resourcing and investment decisions.

Compliance, risk and safeguarding
 

• Ensure every programme and project is compliant with all internal British Council policies and processes, including safeguarding, EDI, supply chain management, social value, anti-fraud, data protection and conflict sensitivity.
• Lead supply chain management for the portfolio where applicable, including due diligence, procurement and partner onboarding.
• Identify risks across programmes and develop and implement risk mitigation plans with the Senior Responsible Owner.
• Uphold safeguarding standards across all delivery, ensuring partners and suppliers meet British Council requirements.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL)

• Support the design of results-based programmes, including the development of Monitoring & Evaluation plans and results frameworks aligned to global programme theories of change.
• Undertake programme-specific data collection, quality assure all data and conduct basic analysis to inform decision-making and reporting.
• Lead the production of internal and external reports, case studies and impact stories that demonstrate the value of the portfolio to the UK, Nigeria and global stakeholders.
• Embed monitoring, evaluation and impact storytelling into the operating rhythm of the team from programme inception.

Financial management

• Manage and control the agreed portfolio budget, expenditure and income against plans, ensuring accuracy of forecasts and reports.
• Lead monthly finance reviews and contribute to quarterly business reviews, working with the Head of Arts and Finance colleagues.
• Ensure sound financial management across grants, contracts and partner agreements, including the timely release of tranches and reconciliation of partner spend.

Minimum/essential
Requirements Of The Role:

• Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in an Arts, Culture, Humanities, Social Sciences or related subject area, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
• More than three years' experience managing projects or programmes in the arts and culture sector in Nigeria.
• Experience of managing multi-country or large in-country programmes that have met project closure and audit standards.
• Knowledge and/or experience of working with at least two types of funding sources within a structured compliance regime (e.g. grant in aid, partner co-funding, FCDO, trusts and foundations, corporate sponsorship).
• Experience of client management, partner management and contract management.
• Experience of managing a wide range of stakeholders, including government, delivery partners, sector bodies and creative practitioners.
• Experience of identifying risk in a programme and developing successful risk mitigation with the SRO.
• Experience of managing teams, including dispersed teams.
• Understanding of MEL principles, results frameworks and theories of change.
• Experience of conducting lessons learned reviews / after-action reviews to inform future programme design.

Desirable

• A Master's degree in a creative industry, cultural policy or international development related area.
• Foundation level project management qualification (in-house training or evidence of CPD in this area will also be considered).
• More than five years' experience managing projects or programmes in the arts and culture sector.
• Knowledge of the UK creative sector and its enablers of growth and partnership.
• Demonstrable understanding of the funding landscape for the Nigerian arts and culture sector.
• Established credibility in the field of arts and culture in Nigeria.
• Experience supporting bilateral cultural seasons, festivals or large-scale showcase programmes.

Role Specific Skills

• Able to translate strategy into operational plans across a varied arts and culture portfolio.
• Strong project and programme management skills, including planning, budgeting, risk management and reporting.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear reports, briefings and partner-facing documents.
• Strong financial literacy and the ability to manage multi-stream budgets.
• Strong digital literacy, including Microsoft 365, project management tools and basic data analysis.