Programme Director

Digital Programme Director 

London (Stratford) | Hybrid 

About the role 

British Council is seeking an experienced Digital Programme Director to lead E3, a £25m, 18-month digital programme that will bring together its adult English learning products, to create a unified global digital platform for adult English learning products and assessment tools. 

This new role is primarily a hands-on delivery role for platform development project. A unique opportunity to use agentic AI systems to drive delivery and embed AI in the British Council’s product suite and future ways of working. 

Reporting as the senior delivery lead, you will be accountable for end-to-end programme delivery, ensuring complex workstreams, suppliers and stakeholders remain aligned to a clear, controlled and achievable plan. You will lead the transition from mobilisation into full build and drive delivery of one of the organisation's most strategically important digital initiatives. 

Key responsibilities 

• Lead the programme from mobilisation through build, release and transition into the future operating model. 

• Hands-on operational delivery of a large-scale digital platform development programme across multiple delivery workstreams. 

• Own the integrated delivery plan, milestones, dependencies, releases and critical path. 

• Manage the programme budget (£25m), forecasting and financial reporting. 

• Establish and lead programme governance, reporting and decision-making processes. 

• Oversee programme risks, issues, dependencies and escalations. 

• Drive supplier performance and ensure delivery against contractual commitments. 

• Embed AI-assisted and agentic delivery practices to accelerate execution and improve decision-making. 

• Build alignment across Product, Technology, Commercial, Procurement and senior leadership stakeholders. 

What we're looking for 

Essential 

• Significant director-level experience in operational delivery of complex digital development programmes. 

• Proven track record delivering global, multi-supplier programmes (£20m+). 

• Strong programme controls, governance, commercial and budget management expertise. 

• Experience managing complex stakeholder groups, including executive and board-level audiences. 

• Ability to bring structure, pace and clarity to highly complex environments. 

• Experience applying innovative delivery approaches beyond traditional Agile methods. 

• Exposure to AI-assisted or agentic delivery models. 

Desirable 

• Experience in EdTech, digital learning platforms or consumer-facing digital products but - relevant experience in other fields is welcome. 

• Experience consolidating multiple products or platforms into a single digital ecosystem. 

• International programme delivery experience within complex matrix organisations. 

Success in the role 

You will deliver a credible, integrated programme plan; ensure suppliers are effectively mobilised and managed; provide clear visibility of risks, budget and delivery confidence; and enable teams to deliver at pace while maintaining strong control of scope, quality, budget and risk. 

Assignment details 

• Full-time fixed-term/day-rate assignment. 

• Approximate duration: 18 months. 

• London-based hybrid working. 

• Dedicated programme leadership commitment required throughout delivery and post-launch stabilisation. 

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]

Base salary: up to £100k

Benefits: Civil Service Pension (up to 27%), annual leave of 39 days p/a including bank holidays, medical cover.