Head of English Education at British Council Abuja

British Council is hiring a Head of English and School Education in Abuja to lead education programmes, teacher development and stakeholder engagement.

Job Details

Job Overview

The British Council is recruiting a Head of English and School Education for a full-time position in Abuja. The role will provide specialist advice and leadership for the development and delivery of English and School Education programmes in Nigeria.

The successful candidate will apply experience in teacher development, English-language teaching, programme delivery and inclusive education to support the design and implementation of country strategies and projects. The position also covers team leadership, stakeholder engagement, business development, financial management, monitoring and evaluation, and the development of teacher-education content.

Applicants must possess a relevant postgraduate qualification and an English-language teaching qualification. They also need experience managing teacher-education projects focused on English-language teaching, delivering externally funded programmes, pursuing client-funded contracts and engaging with stakeholders such as government officials, donors, academics and multilateral agencies.

About the Organization

The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organization for cultural relations. It creates opportunities and builds connections between people in the UK and other countries through its cultural-relations work.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Business Planning

The Head of English and School Education will:

• Contribute to business planning in line with the organization’s annual corporate-planning timetable.
• Provide information and analysis for quarterly business reviews.
• Review progress against agreed financial and non-financial targets.
• Support the delivery of global and UK-led education programmes included in the wider business plan.
• Plan learning, professional development and capacity-building activities for English and School Education colleagues.
• Develop evidence-based narratives demonstrating the impact of the education portfolio.

Leadership and Team Management

The role holder will:

• Lead, mentor and manage the English and School Education team.
• Help team members understand the relevant strategy, policies and professional practices.
• Directly manage assigned positions where required.
• Contribute education expertise to broader departmental and unit strategies.
• Apply British Council requirements relating to performance management, mandatory training and human resources.
• Ensure equality, diversity and inclusion standards are applied consistently.

Stakeholder and Partnership Management

Responsibilities will include:

• Building relationships with stakeholders in the UK and local English-language teaching and education sectors.
• Developing and maintaining professional networks.
• Working closely with government partners and other relevant institutions.
• Engaging with donors, multilateral agencies, academics and other sector stakeholders.
• Identifying potential clients and delivery partners.
• Conducting initial research and scoping for possible partnerships.
• Applying the required due-diligence processes to potential partners.

Business Development

The successful candidate will:

• Support the technical aspects of proposal development.
• Organize and assist proposal-writing teams.
• Work with global colleagues to meet proposal standards and targets.
• Identify business opportunities aligned with the global English and School Education strategy.
• Use relevant networking opportunities to establish contacts with potential business value.
• Contribute directly to the pursuit of client-funded contracts.

Education and Subject Expertise

The postholder will:

• Ensure that project design and content reflect evidence-informed approaches to English-language teaching and teacher development.
• Contribute to thematic areas such as English in education, teaching quality and life skills for young people.
• Support work relating to education leadership, crisis and displacement, girls’ education and language in foundational learning.
• Participate in relevant research, conference presentations and publications.
• Contribute data on English within education systems and on partner and competitor environments.
• Analyse available insights and make recommendations that support country-level strategy.

Programme Monitoring and Evaluation

The role will involve:

• Designing suitable monitoring and evaluation plans for education projects.
• Working with internal and external evaluation specialists.
• Reviewing contracts and programmes to assess delivery against agreed targets.
• Identifying and escalating programme-delivery concerns to senior management.
• Working with delivery teams to develop strategic responses to identified shortcomings.
• Coordinate reporting through the organization’s monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks.
• Help demonstrate the results and impact of School Systems and relevant Empowerment projects.

Financial and Performance Management

The Head of English and School Education will:

• Produce reports covering income, expenditure, results and portfolio impact.
• Manage income and expenditure accounts for programmes and individual projects.
• Contribute financial and performance information to business-planning activities.
• Monitor the financial and operational performance of the education portfolio.

Content Development

Content-related responsibilities include:

• Developing and implementing a strategy for teacher-education content.
• Designing teacher-development programmes using the British Council’s global approaches, standards and resources.
• Advising teams on incorporating English and School Education content into appropriate delivery models.
• Supporting the inclusion of relevant educational technology content where appropriate.
• Promote internal knowledge sharing and strengthen the capacity of country colleagues.

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates must have:

• A postgraduate qualification in a relevant field, such as education or English-language teaching.
• A qualification such as Diploma ELT, TEFL-Q or another relevant postgraduate credential.
• An English-language teaching qualification.
• Experience managing English-language-focused teacher-education projects.
• Experience delivering externally funded projects or programmes.
• Direct experience pursuing client-funded contracts.
• Experience engaging with diverse stakeholders, including multilateral agencies, donors, government officials and academics.

Desirable Experience and Qualifications

The following will be advantageous:

• Experience managing online teacher-education projects.
• A project-management qualification or equivalent credential.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should review the role requirements carefully and submit their application through the British Council’s official careers platform using the Apply button on this page.

Applications should be submitted no later than September 3, 2026.