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 other's 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.
Arts Research Advisor
Pay band: 7
Salary: £26,934 - £30,354 plus London Market Allowance of £3,300 per annum pro rata for London based applicants. 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays, civil service pension scheme and many more.
Location: Cardiff, London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Belfast. (The UK Only).
Department: Research & Insight.
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract until 31st March 2023.
Closing Date: Sunday 25th September 23:59 UK Time.
You must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application.
The Context:
The purpose of the British Council's Research and Insight (R&I) function is to systematically generate useful new knowledge that will achieve impact for our mission and for UK and overseas stakeholders.
We support the British Council to be an organisation guided by evidence, knowledge and insight, one that is confident in its voice as a cultural relations thought leader and a credible partner, and one that is generous in sharing its knowledge and insight in core areas.
As a team, we aim to role model the British Council value of 'expert and inclusive'. The team is currently based across in locations across the UK and South Asia. We support a community of practice of more than 200 members across the global network.
We have two core outcomes:
1. Research to ensure the British Council is a trusted and valued provider of knowledge and soft power insight for the UK and overseas stakeholders in English, Education and Arts
2. Well evidenced analysis and understanding of how the totality of our work across the sectors generates soft power effects for the UK within priority countries
These are supported by a centre of excellence approach providing professional advice and capability, including stakeholder management, technical support and knowledge exchange. We work closely with other knowledge intensive functions, including Evidence, Evaluation and Learning; and Market Research, Analytics and Insight.
The Opportunity.
Role Purpose:
Please note that this role is until 31st March 2023.
The postholder will support the Arts Research and Insight function, in maintaining the standards of arts research, insight evidence across our arts global programmes including our new What Works Approach for Cultural Heritage Protection funded by DCMS supported by our new Arts Research and Evidence Panel. The postholder will play a key role in supporting the development and delivery of our new Arts Evidence Strategy.
As with other members of the function, the postholder will have an understanding of research management processes and methodologies and will give advice and guidance across the British Council, contributing to building a culture of valuing research and insight. They will also offer support, as required, to the development and delivery of the Arts global programmes contributing to the British Council's impact areas. They will also undertake projects and assignments on behalf of the Head of Arts Research and Insight and support the contracting and commissioning of new research and the establishment of research partnerships as required.
They will be expected to work across the whole team as required, for example around finance (particularly at year-end) and communications.
The postholder will also support the communication and dissemination of research findings, both internally and externally to the British Council. The postholder will support external stakeholder engagement and the giving of research advice and guidance across the British Council.
The postholder will be expected to work on projects and tasks across the team, and will be expected to support administrative and financial tasks on occasion.
The postholder will be expected to develop areas of specialist expertise over time as part of their professional development.
Responsibilities:
Leadership & management
• Plans and prioritises own work activities to ensure effective delivery of diverse responsibilities and internal customer deliverables over a monthly to quarterly time horizon
• Shares intelligence and ideas to support senior managers in identifying/ developing new ways in which the functional specialism could positively impact upon the British Council's operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Functional expertise
• Completes an annual cycle of learning and development to maintain and deepen their professional expertise
• Uses a variety of information resources and professional networks to maintain up-to-date knowledge of developments in external policy, practice and regulation within their professional discipline
Internal customer focus
• Proactively seeks internal customer and other stakeholder feedback to monitor satisfaction with the standard of functional advice and business support provided with regard to research, enabling improvements to be made where issues are identified.
Service improvement
• Within their area of technical/professional expertise, identifies opportunities for improvements within established policies and determines the most appropriate mechanisms and processes for implementing those changes. Demonstrates awareness of relevant governance arrangements that relate to making system or procedural changes
Relationship & stakeholder management
• Develops good working relationships with appropriate colleagues throughout the British Council and in the relevant functional discipline to know who to engage with to enable effective implementation of procedural changes and improvements.
Commercial & financial management
• Using agreed corporate systems and processes, supports the Head of Arts Research and Insight to plan and manage the budget for their area of activity
Consultancy, analysis & problem-solving
• Applies core technical/professional knowledge, recognised best practice approaches and insight from previous experience to resolve non-standard issues which arise in relation to research across the British Council and to enable informed business-planning, decision-making and/or the development of new or improved policies and practice.
Requirements of the role:
Closing Date: Applications will close at 23:59 on Sunday 25th September 2022 UK Time.
Additional Information:
Interviews will be held around the middle of October 2022.
You must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application
A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.
Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion(EDI) Statement
The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.
The British Council iscommitted 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; these will include qualification checks, reference checks..... click apply for full job details
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 other's 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.
Arts Research Advisor
Pay band: 7
Salary: £26,934 - £30,354 plus London Market Allowance of £3,300 per annum pro rata for London based applicants. 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays, civil service pension scheme and many more.
Location: Cardiff, London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Belfast. (The UK Only).
Department: Research & Insight.
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract until 31st March 2023.
Closing Date: Sunday 25th September 23:59 UK Time.
You must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application.
The Context:
The purpose of the British Council's Research and Insight (R&I) function is to systematically generate useful new knowledge that will achieve impact for our mission and for UK and overseas stakeholders.
We support the British Council to be an organisation guided by evidence, knowledge and insight, one that is confident in its voice as a cultural relations thought leader and a credible partner, and one that is generous in sharing its knowledge and insight in core areas.
As a team, we aim to role model the British Council value of 'expert and inclusive'. The team is currently based across in locations across the UK and South Asia. We support a community of practice of more than 200 members across the global network.
We have two core outcomes:
1. Research to ensure the British Council is a trusted and valued provider of knowledge and soft power insight for the UK and overseas stakeholders in English, Education and Arts
2. Well evidenced analysis and understanding of how the totality of our work across the sectors generates soft power effects for the UK within priority countries
These are supported by a centre of excellence approach providing professional advice and capability, including stakeholder management, technical support and knowledge exchange. We work closely with other knowledge intensive functions, including Evidence, Evaluation and Learning; and Market Research, Analytics and Insight.
The Opportunity.
Role Purpose:
Please note that this role is until 31st March 2023.
The postholder will support the Arts Research and Insight function, in maintaining the standards of arts research, insight evidence across our arts global programmes including our new What Works Approach for Cultural Heritage Protection funded by DCMS supported by our new Arts Research and Evidence Panel. The postholder will play a key role in supporting the development and delivery of our new Arts Evidence Strategy.
As with other members of the function, the postholder will have an understanding of research management processes and methodologies and will give advice and guidance across the British Council, contributing to building a culture of valuing research and insight. They will also offer support, as required, to the development and delivery of the Arts global programmes contributing to the British Council's impact areas. They will also undertake projects and assignments on behalf of the Head of Arts Research and Insight and support the contracting and commissioning of new research and the establishment of research partnerships as required.
They will be expected to work across the whole team as required, for example around finance (particularly at year-end) and communications.
The postholder will also support the communication and dissemination of research findings, both internally and externally to the British Council. The postholder will support external stakeholder engagement and the giving of research advice and guidance across the British Council.
The postholder will be expected to work on projects and tasks across the team, and will be expected to support administrative and financial tasks on occasion.
The postholder will be expected to develop areas of specialist expertise over time as part of their professional development.
Responsibilities:
Leadership & management
• Plans and prioritises own work activities to ensure effective delivery of diverse responsibilities and internal customer deliverables over a monthly to quarterly time horizon
• Shares intelligence and ideas to support senior managers in identifying/ developing new ways in which the functional specialism could positively impact upon the British Council's operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Functional expertise
• Completes an annual cycle of learning and development to maintain and deepen their professional expertise
• Uses a variety of information resources and professional networks to maintain up-to-date knowledge of developments in external policy, practice and regulation within their professional discipline
Internal customer focus
• Proactively seeks internal customer and other stakeholder feedback to monitor satisfaction with the standard of functional advice and business support provided with regard to research, enabling improvements to be made where issues are identified.
Service improvement
• Within their area of technical/professional expertise, identifies opportunities for improvements within established policies and determines the most appropriate mechanisms and processes for implementing those changes. Demonstrates awareness of relevant governance arrangements that relate to making system or procedural changes
Relationship & stakeholder management
• Develops good working relationships with appropriate colleagues throughout the British Council and in the relevant functional discipline to know who to engage with to enable effective implementation of procedural changes and improvements.
Commercial & financial management
• Using agreed corporate systems and processes, supports the Head of Arts Research and Insight to plan and manage the budget for their area of activity
Consultancy, analysis & problem-solving
• Applies core technical/professional knowledge, recognised best practice approaches and insight from previous experience to resolve non-standard issues which arise in relation to research across the British Council and to enable informed business-planning, decision-making and/or the development of new or improved policies and practice.
Requirements of the role:
- An understanding of one or more of the British Council's offers in the Arts, and of international relations
- Experience of translating research findings for varied audiences
- Basic understanding of a range of research methodologies
- Knowledge of good research practice and process
Closing Date: Applications will close at 23:59 on Sunday 25th September 2022 UK Time.
Additional Information:
Interviews will be held around the middle of October 2022.
You must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application
A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.
Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion(EDI) Statement
The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.
The British Council iscommitted 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; these will include qualification checks, reference checks..... click apply for full job details
About British Council