Senior Education Evaluation alignment and standardisation lead

As a valued employee of the British Council, you already help us deliver our mission to support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For over 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

You are part of our organisation in over 200 countries and territories and where we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

Role Purpose:

Act as the professional point of contact for the Education Sector within the central Evidence, Evaluation and Learning (EEL) Team, driving alignment of sector MEL plans and frameworks with British Council strategic evidence needs and mandatory corporate requirements. The role will champion current evaluation standards, methods and approaches, co-lead evaluation governance and help plan and prioritise annual evaluation activity, working closely with sector-embedded MEL experts and Global Programme managers.

The postholder will also provide high-level MEL guidance across a portfolio of countries and across Education, English & Schools Education and Arts, while line managing two Country MEL Managers and contributing to the wider EEL Team strategy, policy and guidance.

Role Accountabilities:

Sector Alignment and Standardisation

- Lead annual planning of grant-funded global programme evaluation activity, including priorities and resource allocation, alongside MEL colleagues embedded in the Sector.
- Co-lead an evaluation governance committee, ensuring country project evaluations are purposeful, high quality, strategically aligned and represent good value for money.
- Embed corporate reporting requirements into global programme MEL frameworks, including gender, disability, climate, peace, prosperity, value for money and influence.
- Ensure MEL approaches and frameworks for partnership, contract and commercially funded programmes align with British Council strategic evidence needs.
- Advise on current evaluation approaches, including evaluability, methodologies, resourcing, publishing and ethics requirements.
- Support business development by contributing MEL sections to proposals and collating impact evidence for track record sections.
- Co-create Theories of Change, outcomes, indicators, standard surveys and other data collection tools with sector-embedded MEL colleagues.
- Ensure completed evaluation reports are collated and curated, including for IATI publication and evaluation report repositories.
- Provide EEL guidance, policies, resources, templates, standard indicators and tools, and deliver capacity-building training with sector-embedded MEL colleagues.
- Co-develop Requests for Proposals for evaluation commissioning.
- Lead complex internal and external stakeholder relationships with programme leads and partners.

Geographic Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance and Support for a Portfolio of Countries

- Adapt centrally designed monitoring requirements to local contexts, tailoring standard surveys and tools, representing country contexts and incorporating partner needs.
- Design new MEL frameworks and tools for partner- and contract-funded evaluation activity across the portfolio.
- Lead development of Requests for Proposals for country projects and programmes, alongside representatives from relevant sectors.
- Lead annual country-level evaluation strategies and plans, advising on evaluability, strategic alignment, resourcing and value for money.
- Ensure evaluation reports generated across the portfolio, including contract- and partnership-funded programmes, are collated and curated for IATI publication and evaluation repositories.
- Present evaluation findings internally and externally through webinars, events and conferences.
- Build capacity and provide guidance and access to resources that enable country colleagues to undertake low-value evaluative activity, such as focus groups.

Leadership & Management

- Provide inspiring and motivational leadership that role-models British Council values and behaviours, empowers staff to deliver excellence and promotes equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Provide formal line management to a Country MEL Manager and matrix/dotted-line management to other PB8 and PB7 MEL roles.
- Be an active member of the EEL Team, contributing to team strategies, policies and guidance.
- Deputise for the Head of MEL Programmes.

Qualifications:

Essential

- Degree and/or equivalent experience

Desirable

- First degree or Master’s degree in a social science subject.

Experience:

Essential

- Experience designing and delivering independent evaluations within a programme delivery organisation and/or as part of an agency delivering for clients.
- Experience implementing a range of quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches to generating evidence for programmes and applying them appropriately.
- Effective line management experience.
- Operational experience implementing monitoring data collection, assessing data quality and resolving quality challenges.
- Good understanding of MEL standards and requirements of major funders of British Council programmes, particularly FCDO and the EU.
- Experience providing extensive input to the design of MEL strategies for new business proposals.
- Experience procuring and managing evaluation consultations and agencies.

Desirable

- Experience delivering work across different international contexts and working with and through diverse international teams.
- Experience developing results engagement and dissemination strategies.
- Competence in data management/analysis software such as Excel, SPSS or Power Apps.
- Operational experience using digital survey platforms and digital data collection.

Language:

The British Council's systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required.

Important Information:

Location: UK (Open to employees in all UK offices including employees already on homeworking contracts), Pakistan, Mexico

Contract type: Indefinite Contract (IDC)

Pay band: PB9

Starting Annual Gross Salary (UK): £40,179

Starting Annual Gross Salary (Pakistan): PKR 910,3812

Starting Annual Gross Salary (Mexico): MXN 115,322

Background check:  Employment with the British Council is subject to satisfactory background checks, both before appointment and periodically during employment, as required. The nature and level of checks will depend on the role and applicable local laws.

Proof of Identity & Right to Work - Applicants must have the legal right to work in the country where the role is based at the time of application and for the duration of employment. Visa sponsorship, immigration support and relocation assistance are not provided for this role. Applications are welcome from candidates currently based in the recruiting country and other British Council country offices, provided they meet the right-to-work requirement.

Closing Date & Time for Applications:

7 October 2026 11:59 IST (Indian Standard Time)

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  [email protected]