Sector Senior Consultant Higher Education

We 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.

We work with people in over 150 countries and reach over 700 million people.

We connect. We inspire.

The Department for Education has announced that the British Council is set to take on the role of National Agency for Erasmus+.

In December the UK and EU arrived at a political agreement that the UK would rejoin the Erasmus+ scheme in 2027. That agreement has now been legally formalised under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The British Council has a longstanding commitment to supporting international exchange. It was a lead partner in the Erasmus+ UK National Agency from 2014-20, where Erasmus+ made a significant contribution to the UK's cultural relations activities, funding 8,091 projects, engaging 583,757 UK participants, and awarding around €1.1 billion to UK organisations.

Pay Band: Grade 8 / Pay Band E

Salary: £40,179 gross per annum. Plus £3,300 London Market Allowance if you are based in the London area only

Contract Duration: The role is offered for up to two years, with funding currently confirmed for the first six months. Any extension beyond this period will be subject to securing further client funding.

Location: London or Cardiff (Hybrid), with remote working available for candidates based in Manchester.

Right to Work Requirements: Current right to work in the UK. The British Council is not able to support or sponsor work visa applications.

Closing Date: Applications will close on 10 November 2026 at 23:59 UK Time

We are operating on the basis that any offer is made pending client confirmation of funds.

Role Purpose:

The Erasmus+ Sector Support Senior Consultant – Higher Education will support the development and delivery of sector engagement, guidance, training and support activities that encourage high-quality participation in Erasmus+ across the Higher Education sector.

Working closely with applicants, beneficiaries, sector representative organisations, government stakeholders and internal colleagues, you will provide specialist sector expertise, represent the National Agency at events, support operational delivery and contribute to continuous improvement of programme outcomes.

You will play a key role in increasing participation, supporting quality implementation, promoting inclusion and ensuring that the needs of the Higher Education sector are reflected in National Agency activities.

Working collaboratively across programme teams, you will translate complex programme requirements into practical guidance and support for organisations throughout the project lifecycle, helping to strengthen engagement, partnerships and programme impact.

Main Responsibilities:

* Developing and maintaining effective relationships with key stakeholders across the Higher Education sector, supporting sector engagement plans aligned with National Agency priorities.

* Promoting Erasmus+ opportunities, increasing awareness and supporting partnerships that encourage participation and programme impact.

* Building trust, confidence and engagement with Higher Education institutions, sector representative bodies, government stakeholders and strategic partners.

* Representing the National Agency at sector events, conferences, webinars and stakeholder meetings.

* Organising and delivering high-impact online and in-person events, workshops and engagement activities in collaboration with communications and events colleagues.

* Providing specialist advice and guidance to applicants and beneficiaries throughout the Erasmus+ project lifecycle, including Higher Education mobility and partnership activities.

* Designing and delivering information sessions, workshops, webinars and training activities to support high-quality programme participation.

* Developing and maintaining guidance materials, toolkits, case studies and examples of best practice.

* Communicating complex and technical programme information clearly and effectively to diverse stakeholder audiences.

* Supporting organisations to improve the quality, impact and sustainability of their Erasmus+ projects.

* Working closely with grants management and customer experience teams to ensure effective applicant and beneficiary support.

* Gathering and analysing Higher Education sector intelligence, stakeholder feedback and programme data to identify emerging trends, risks and opportunities.

* Translating sector insights and intelligence into meaningful analysis, reports, briefings and recommendations to support decision-making.

* Contributing evidence and insight to programme planning and future funding rounds.

* Promoting Erasmus+ priorities including inclusion, diversity, sustainability and digital transformation.

* Supporting initiatives that widen participation among underrepresented organisations and communities.

* Encouraging dissemination of project outcomes, knowledge sharing and the adoption of good practice.

* Contributing to quality assurance activities, programme monitoring and continuous improvement initiatives.

* Working collaboratively with assessment, grants management, communications, policy and other programme teams to support effective delivery.

* Managing assigned projects and workstreams to agreed deadlines, quality standards and programme requirements, ensuring delivery against key client expectations.

* Supporting governance, reporting and client assurance requirements in a fast-moving and complex programme environment.

* Supporting the Sector Lead in establishing and mobilising sector functions and workstreams.

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:

Essential

* Experience working within the Higher Education sector.

* Experience delivering or supporting Higher Education mobility and/or partnership programmes.

* Experience designing and delivering stakeholder engagement activities.

* Experience building productive relationships with Higher Education institutions, sector stakeholders and internal and external partners, fostering trust, confidence and engagement.

* Experience organising and delivering high-impact online and in-person events, workshops, webinars or training activities.

* Experience developing and delivering training, guidance materials or other resources for stakeholder audiences.

* Experience delivering results for a key client in a fast-moving and complex environment.

* Experience managing projects and delivering against agreed objectives and deadlines.

* Experience working collaboratively within teams and engaging with multiple functions across an organisation.

* Ability to interpret and analyse information, identify trends and translate sector insights into practical recommendations.

* Experience communicating complex or technical information clearly and compellingly to different stakeholder audiences.

* Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking, presentations and stakeholder engagement.

* Strong organisational, planning and project delivery skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities effectively.

Desirable

* Knowledge of or experience working with Erasmus+ (current or previous programmes), Turing and/or Taith.

* Strong knowledge of UK Higher Education policy, practice and the wider sector landscape.

* Established professional networks and relationships across the UK Higher Education sector.

* Experience of grant-funded programmes and meeting donor requirements.

* Experience working with government departments or publi