Arts Project Manager at British Council

Role Context - About The Team

• Supports the delivery of the country Arts portfolio by managing the day-to-day coordination, logistics, procurement, compliance and reporting for assigned projects across creative economy, cultural exchange, capacity-building, grants and client-funded programmes. 
• Works under the direction of the Arts Programme Manager to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget and to British Council quality, safeguarding and impact standards.

Role purpose – The job

• Cultural Engagement (CE) is one of two global strategic departments within the British Council. It brings together our work in Arts, Education, English & School Education and research. With a workforce of approximately 1,000 globally and an income in 2024/25 of £200 million, CE delivers impact through research and insight, sector engagement, policy dialogue and a mixed portfolio of commercial and Grant and Partnership Funded (GPF) work globally.
• Nigeria’s creative industries continue to thrive, supported by the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy and the ‘Destination 2030: Nigeria Everywhere’ initiative. Nollywood is the second largest film industry in the world and Afrobeats is the fifth most popular music genre globally. In February 2025, the British Council and the Federal Ministry entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the creative arts, skills and connections amongst young people in the UK and Nigeria.
• Nigeria is a Top 12 priority country in the region and the British Council’s largest operation in sub-Saharan Africa, with offices in Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja and Lagos. The March 2026 Nigerian State Visit to the UK has elevated the bilateral relationship and created strong political momentum for cultural collaboration. Building on the success of the 2015/16 UK/Nigeria Arts Season, the British Council will host a second UK–Nigeria Season of Culture in 2028.
• Our Arts and Culture programme works across three broad areas: Creative Growth (unlocking inclusive and sustainable economic growth through research, advocacy, sector development and showcase programmes), Art in Action (building connections between UK and international artists and creative organisations), and Arts Core Offer (an inclusive portfolio of artist-led local content shared on our global platform).
• In 2026/27, Nigeria is delivering six interconnected programmes spanning film, visual arts, music, literature and creative hubs research, with each programme also feeding the Season of Culture 2028.
• The post holder will report to the Arts Programme Manager and will hold operational responsibility for project delivery across this portfolio, working closely with in-country delivery partners, suppliers and HMG stakeholders. 
• The role is based in Lagos and is central to ensuring that every project meets British Council quality, compliance and impact standards.

Key Responsibilities
Project coordination and delivery:

• Coordinates the delivery of assigned arts projects, grants and cultural initiatives against agreed plans and milestones.
• Maintains delivery plans, tracks risks and issues, and monitors progress against agreed outcomes.
• Ensures compliance with safeguarding, health and safety, data protection and grant management requirements throughout the project lifecycle.

Procurement and contract management:

• Manages procurement and contracting processes for consultants, creative practitioners, delivery partners and suppliers on assigned projects.
• Ensures value for money and compliance with British Council procurement policies.
• Tracks contract performance and escalates issues to the Arts Programme Manager.

Financial management:

• Tracks project budgets and expenditure, processes procurement-to-payment workflows, and flags financial risks and variances to the Arts Programme Manager.
• Contributes to accurate reporting for internal stakeholders, funders and partners.
• Ensures adherence to British Council financial controls, audit requirements and donor regulations.

Monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting:

• Collates reporting from delivery partners, grant recipients, consultants and suppliers.
• Supports timely monitoring, evaluation, learning and impact reporting to meet organisational and donor requirements. Maintains project documentation and knowledge management systems.

Stakeholder and partner relationships:

• Builds and maintains working relationships with artists, creative practitioners, delivery partners, suppliers and other stakeholders to support programme impact and the UK’s cultural relations objectives.
• Works collaboratively across internal teams and external networks to support high-quality project delivery.

Business development support:

• Supports business development by researching partnership opportunities, drafting sections of funding proposals, preparing budgets and costings, and contributing operational input to strategic planning for the Arts portfolio.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

• Actively promotes inclusive, anti-racist and accessible approaches to programme design and delivery, ensuring meaningful participation of women, young people, persons with disabilities and underrepresented communities. Champions safeguarding, wellbeing, environmental sustainability and inclusive cultural participation across all programmes.

Requirements of the role
Minimum/essential:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum of two years’ experience managing arts, cultural, creative economy or development programmes from inception through completion.
• Demonstrated understanding of project management methodologies and project lifecycles.
• Experience managing programme budgets, financial reporting, forecasting and expenditure.
• Experience managing grants, procurement, contracts, suppliers and delivery partners.
• Experience building and managing relationships with multiple stakeholders, including government, creative sector organisations, donors and international partners.
• Experience managing monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting processes.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, procurement, compliance and risk management requirements.
• Experience using digital technologies and online collaboration tools to deliver programmes.
• Strong communication, planning, organisational and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable:

• Professional Project Management qualification (e.g. APMG PMD Pro, PRINCE2, PMP, Agile).
• Experience working within the arts, creative industries, cultural relations or international development sectors.
• Knowledge of Nigeria’s creative economy and cultural sector.
• Experience developing funding proposals, business cases and partnership agreements.
• Experience managing international cultural exchange programmes and artist mobility initiatives.