Head of Tertiary Education, South Africa

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity. Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. We connect. We inspire. Head of Tertiary Education, South Africa Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Contract Type: Indefinite Contract Pay Grade: 8 Closing date: 19 August 2026 at 21:59 UK Time Requirements: You must have the legal right to work in South Africa at the time of application. We are unable to support with visa sponsorship and relocation. Role Purpose - The Job: * Lead on strategy, planning and delivery of the South Africa Tertiary Education portfolio, including Higher Education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), student mobility and internationalisation, skills development, and science partnerships. * Ensure delivery of both client-funded and British Council global programmes that contribute to inclusive economic growth, integrated work-based learning, employability, international collaboration, as well as institutional and systems strengthening. * Lead business development and income generation in Tertiary Education, contributing to the successful delivery of country and global income targets, with support from Country Director and the global team. * Manage senior stakeholder relationships and demonstrate expertise on behalf of the British Council and the UK in the sector, positioning the organisation favourably with government representatives, clients, partners, researchers and technical experts. * Build market knowledge and insight about the South African tertiary education context and share this internally and externally with partners and stakeholders. * Embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) into all aspects of this work so that our people and partners experience a culture that promotes respect, inclusion and diversity, and benefits everyone. Role Context - About The Team: 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 1000 globally and an income in 2024/25 of £200 million, CE delivers impact through research and insights, sector engagement, policy dialogue and a mixed portfolio of commercial and Grant and Partnership Funded (GPF) work globally. CE delivers much of its work through a suite of global programmes/ programmatic frameworks aligned to the British Council’s strategic outcomes. Our work in Tertiary Education is organised into two strands: * Student mobility and internationalisation: We support the Higher Education sector to attract international students to the UK and ensure lifelong engagement with UK alumni through development opportunities. We also enrich the school experience with international perspectives, facilitating policy dialogue and partnerships and supporting the teaching and learning of modern foreign language partnerships. * Tertiary Education Partnerships: We facilitate Higher Education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Science Partnerships between the UK and other countries to develop more inclusive, responsive and globally connected education systems. Our work supports institutional collaboration, skills development, workforce readiness, employability, innovation and economic growth. In South Africa, the British Council works across universities, TVET colleges, skills development agencies, employers, government departments and sector partners to strengthen education-to-employment pathways and improve access to quality post-school education and training opportunities. We embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) into all aspects of this work so that our people and partners experience a culture that promotes respect, inclusion and diversity in support of mutual benefit. This role contributes to the successful delivery of the Global Tertiary Education portfolio and strategy by ensuring strategic alignment and high-quality delivery of projects and programmes in South Africa and contributing to the success of the global Education income generation plan. Main Accountabilities: Strategy and planning * Lead on the development of the country's Tertiary Education strategy and annual plan, aligned with the global strategy and with the Cultural Engagement plan for South Africa. * Ensure that the country's Tertiary Education strategy meets the needs of local stakeholders and partners and aligns with the HMG country plan working with the Country Director and the local British High Commission. * Develop and nurture internal relationships across Cultural Engagement in-country and across the wider organisation to ensure that the Tertiary Education strategy is aligned, understood and achieved. * Consider the role of digital products, services and channels in optimising the impact and sustainability of the portfolio, working with country marketing and digital colleagues, and the global team. * Ensure that strategy development, programme design and partnership development reflect the needs and opportunities of both the Higher Education and TVET sectors and support stronger connections between education, skills development and employment. Leadership and management * Develop and own country project management plans for Tertiary Education. * Deliver the Tertiary Education programme, ensuring compliance with British Council programme standards across delivery, planning, reporting, evaluation and EDI. * Contribute technical expertise to the design of Tertiary Education programmes and contracts, assuring quality and impact and managing issues and risks. * Use digital platforms and technological advancements to improve the efficiency, impact and quality of programme design and delivery. * Incorporate specific actions to address EDI priorities in programme delivery, based on analysis of local EDI context. * Manage day-to-day aspects of the portfolio ensuring global standards of programme and contract management are achieved. * Provide direct line management where applicable, with matrix management support provided to sector programme teams in country as required. * Ensure effective financial management and compliance - manage and deliver to target, budgets, profitability, timelines, and to corporate quality standards in all areas. * Act as the Senior Responsible Officer for smaller projects and programmes, relating to the sector specialism, as required. * Monitor, review and ensure that the portfolio is achieving agreed impact measures, and that monitoring, evaluation and learning plans (MEL) and reporting is in place. * Lead by example and model compliance with British Council policies and processes, Code of Conduct, values and behaviours in all day-to-day activities, line management, and liaison with colleagues and external stakeholders. Business development * Lead on business development and income generation, with support from Country Director and the global business development team. * Identify and pursue funding and partnership opportunities across Higher Education, TVET, workforce development, employability, innovation and skills ecosystems. * Use networking opportunities to develop contacts with potential funders, clients and partners in the country context. * Identify specific business development opportunities aligned with the country and global business development plan. * Develop strategic partnerships with universities, TVET colleges, industry bodies, employers, sector education and training authorities (SETAs), development partners and government stakeholders. * Apply due diligence requirements to potential partners. * Lead the development of commercial proposals and support the technical writing for evidence-based bids/proposals which are appropriate to the context, ensuring mainstreaming of EDI and alignment with the Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion framework. * Work with global business support teams to ensure proposals are costed and priced appropriately. * Manage a network of associate advisors, consultants and partners to support business development and delivery of contracts. * Participate in contract negotiations with partners and clients (in conjunction with the UK Contract Management team) and ensure the mitigation of risks. * Ensure timely reporting and communication on externally funded contracts/grant funded initiatives, and internal monthly reporting. Stakeholder management and market positioning * Manage and build mutually beneficial relationships with a set of key stakeholders agreed with the Country Director, to understand the context better and explore partnerships. * Demonstrate expertise on behalf of the British Council and the UK in the sector by networking effectively, speaking at events and publishing articles, positioning the organisation favourably with government representatives, clients, partners, researchers and technical experts. * Ensure that the British Council’s reputation for quality and as a valued partner remains high and contributes to our organisational mission of building trust between people in the UK and other countries. Market knowledge, research and Insight * Build market knowledge and insight about the Higher Education, TVET and wider post-school education and training landscape in South Africa and share this internally and externally to inform strategy, partnerships and business development. * Commission relevant new research to contribute to the British Council’s Tertiary Education research strategy. * Use sector expertise to provide insight and content for corporate responses to public consultations, representing the British Council’s perspective and demonstrating our thought leadership in relevant external fora. Commercial and/or financial management * Produce business performance reports, including income, cost management, results and impact of portfolio. * Manage the Income and Expenditure accounts for programmes/individual projects and contribute to business planning exercises. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion * Actively contribute to an inclusive and anti-racist organisational culture, being aware of their own biases, and taking action to mitigate against these. Ensure that people feel valued and are treated equitably, with support for people’s well-being and mental health. * Understand the British Council’s approach to EDI and how it applies to their role, making time for learning and development relating to EDI and anti-racism. * Embed good practice in EDI across all projects and programmes, ensuring design and delivery contribute positively to improved gender equality, disability and social inclusion. Requirements Of The Role: Minimum/essential * In-depth understanding of South Africa's Higher Education and TVET sectors and of the UK's tertiary education landscape, including policy priorities, institutional structures and international engagement opportunities. * Experience of delivering sizeable externally funded projects or programmes. * Experience of working within or alongside Higher Education and/or TVET institutions, government departments, skills agencies or sector bodies. * Experience in developing partnerships that strengthen skills development, employability, workforce readiness or education-to-employment pathways. * Direct experience of client-funded contract pursuit and delivery. * Experience of developing and overseeing monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) within projects and incorporating lessons learned from MEL into programmes and strategy. * Experience of building mutually beneficial relationships with diverse stakeholders, including multilateral agencies, donors, government officials, TVET/Higher Education leaders, academics, researchers, TVET practitioners, skills specialists, employers, industry leaders, alumni and students. * Knowledge and experience of embedding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in programmes Desirable: * Knowledge of international mobility trends of South African students seeking tertiary educational opportunities. * Knowledge of South Africa's TVET reform agenda, skills development framework and post-school education and training system. * Knowledge of transnational educational trends in South Africa, including academic and research partnerships with local public and private educational institutions. * Understanding of industry partnerships, apprenticeship models, work-integrated learning and employer engagement approaches. * Knowledge of international practice in vocational education, technical skills development and workforce readiness. * Ability to analyse relevant equality issues and identify opportunities to address these in the portfolio. A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities. Safeguarding Statement The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children. If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org