MENA Arts Delivery Lead - Egypt

Job Description

The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. We work in two ways ? directly with individuals to transform their lives, and with governments and partners to make a bigger difference for the longer term, creating benefit for millions of people all over the world. We help young people to gain the skills, confidence and connections they are looking for to realise their potential and to participate in strong and inclusive communities. We support them to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications. Our work in arts and culture stimulates creative expression and exchange and nurtures creative enterprise. We connect the best of the UK with the world and the best of the world with the UK. These connections lead to an understanding of each others strengths and of the challenges and values that we share. This builds trust between people in the UK and other nations which endures even when official relations may be strained. We work on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2019-20 we connected with 80 million people directly and with 791 million overall, including online and through our broadcasts and publications.Role PurposeThe Arts Delivery Lead role is responsible for developing an effective and efficient operating environment within the Arts group in MENA that enables the region to deliver its business plan, aligned to the Cultural Engagement global business.They will lead on the development and roll out of processes, standards, and frameworks within the Arts group in MENA, working to standards set by the Global Cultural Engagement Operations Team.They will lead operational improvement activities in the region including those focused on embedding the single assurance framework and global standards, achieving compliance against those standards, embedding good practice in programme and contract management, implementing the mechanisms developed for effective global workforce planning, building the capability needed to deliver the business and supporting continuous improvement?.They will have regular contact with Arts managers and the Global Arts management team and will work with colleagues in the region to improve the operational environment across regional Arts and regional Cultural Engagement.Main AccountabilitiesStrategy & Planning

• Identify operational improvement needs and develop a strategy to deliver impact in priority areas across Arts Group
• Support Regional Teams in preparing quarterly business reviews
• Provide input to Arts Management colleagues in annual and quarterly planning exercises, advising on operational and compliance issues related to programming planning and delivery

Leadership & Management

• Participate in the wider CE Operations network community of practice, supporting the Regional Director Operations in their role as Network lead.
• Deliver the role?s annual priority work plan for activities to ensure defined business objectives are realised in accordance with the overarching BC strategy and that of CE global operations
• Support global initiatives as agreed with regional business director and global CE Director Operations
• Be the project manager for programmes/initiatives as agreed with regional Director Operations / Head of Operations

Relationship & Stakeholder Management

• Work with Arts stakeholders - internal and external ? to develop understanding and capacity in the area of programme and grants management, compliance and act as a point person for advice and support.
• Work with peers and colleagues across the Operations Network, supporting its effectiveness as a vehicle to drive change and implement new ways of working
• Identify challenges/opportunities within corporate services and escalate these so that challenges are addressed, and opportunities maximised to increase productive collaboration and a more streamlined and consistent service provision.

Operations Wider CE network -

• Be a supporter of the CE Operations Network and active member of its associated community of practice, if appropriate - sharing ideas and insight to inform more effective and efficient ways of working and more streamlined provision of services form corporate teams (HR, GIS, Procurement etc)
• Support the regional input on the evaluation of ways of working and the consultation of new organisation wide or CE wide initiatives and or processes including Global Programming and the MCCs ? to help develop fit for purpose solutions

Assurance and global standards

• Support the embedding of a culture of compliance within the region, ensuring that the CE single assurance framework (including MCCs, ACC, deep dives etc), corporate policies and procedures, global standards, operating guidelines, and local regulations are implemented, monitored, and maintained across the regional portfolio.
• As part of the above, support compliance with global standards on business development including pipeline management, adherence to due diligence processes and support to the business development approvals process.
• Analyse and interpret data and insight on the quality of delivery, including MCC reports, using this information to share learning across programmes and projects and drive continuous improvement.
• As part of above to ensure that programme/project risks and issues are systematically identified and reported via agreed systems and support the reporting of regional .
• Coordinate the MCC and ACC reporting and at a regional portfolio level support actions to address systematic issues and drive continuous improvement
• Support the review monthly financial health checks for the contracts, following up on anomalies as appropriate
• Procurement ? support the management the implementation of best practice frameworks that deliver value for money and identify and secure savings for the organisation

Global resource management

• Gather insight and feedback on resourcing and workforce planning issues
• Support the development and implementation of the workforce planning solution for Cultural Engagement in the region, building readiness for change and ensuring new ways of working are embedded and relevant systems data maintained
• Contribute to the capability profiling for the region that will support workforce planning
• Work with HR in improving regional resourcing data
• If relevant, support the regional mechanism on short term assignment /reassignment deployment ? aligned with Global CE and corporate HR processes

Contract management

• Support the planning and allocation of technical input to priority contract opportunities where needed
• Work with the contract management team to build contract management capability in region, including to help identify existing regional capability that could be utilised to support both capacity building and delivery

Internal Information and Knowledge Management

• Support the management of CE regional internal information and knowledge resources and associated internal communications so that they provide maximum value to business development and delivery.

Learning & Continuous Improvement

• Help drive learning and developing capability and support the management training inputs associated with introduction of new ways of working in the transformed operating model and support communities of practice, and mentoring support to project managers, and establish and sustain a culture of sharing of knowledge and expertise.
• Participate in the strengthening of the required SKE capacity and capability building within the region ? including strengthening project management and contract management processes, understanding, quality assurance and oversight and encouragement for colleagues in region to attend professional development opportunities /communities of practice led by sector teams

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

• Actively contributes to an inclusive and anti-racist organisational culture, being aware of your own biases, and taking action to mitigate against these. Ensuring people feel valued and are treated equitably, with support for people?s well-being and mental health.
• Builds an understanding of the British Council?s approach to equality, diversity, and inclusion and how it applies to your role, making time for learning and development relating to EDI and anti-racism.

About You (essential requirements for the role):

• Degree or equivalent professional experience in programme management, business administration or another relevant field
• A demonstrable interest in arts and culture
• A minimum of five years? experience of managing/supporting projects ? including grants management and reporting

Keyskills :