Jobs
British Council Job in Lagos for an Examinations Projects Manager
The British Council is the world's leading cultural relations
organization and creates opportunities for people in the UK and
worldwide to understand each other, to work together and learn from one
another. We see this as crucial to building secure, more prosperous and
sustainable futures for us all.
We build trust and understanding between
different countries and cultures and develop strong international links
that are of benefit to people in Britain and the rest of the world.
We are recruiting to fill the below position:
Job Title: Examinations Projects Manager
Directorate or Region: SSA
Location: Lagos
Reports to: Head of Operations
Department: English & Exams
Pay Band: Country Appointed PB6
Start Date: 1st August, 2015
Purpose of Job
- This post is responsible for the identification of, planning and
implementation of required projects to support efficient and secure
examination delivery.
- These projects promote excellent customer service at every part of the value chain and customer journey.
- This post also reviews and improves existing examination
delivery and associated processes and systems, and designs efficiencies
to these in line with customer feedback and corporate developments.
Context and Environment: (e.g. dept description, region description, organogram)
- Nigeria, a tier 1 country, has the largest project, programme
and exams operations in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We operate from 4 main
office locations. Individually, the Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt
Exams offices alone are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd largest exams businesses by
income in SSA respectively.
- We have a number of challenges namely: team capacity, quality of
delivery, security risks and infrastructure restraints which we are
addressing through organisational change, capacity increases and
technological solutions. The Global New Operating Model for Exams
(GNOME) and Global Financial Change projects are critical to our
business plans
- We are a global leader in a cross-SBU project on school quality
and engagement in Nigeria, and we are developing a second cross-SBU
project on skills and employability - again, a first for the British
Council global network.
- There are currently 36 members in the exams team, 5 of whom are
in the Port Harcourt office. We operate a hub-and-spoke system in
Nigeria with the main support functions, Business Support Services (BSS)
and customer services, located in Lagos.
- The Exams business in Nigeria has grown significantly in recent
years. We doubled our income and volumes between 2011 and 2013. In
2014/15 we delivered 90,000 examinations, this financial year the target
is 100,000 exams on a turnover of £8.5m, and by 2016 we expect to
double on 2013 figures to 120,000 exams.
- An investment in over 15 new posts in the exams team in Nigeria,
of which this is one, will support our doubling ambition and address
the issues highlighted below.
The following are particularly important in the way we work:
- We are completely compliant in all aspects of examination
delivery. Ee are entrepreneurial in seeking and exploiting new
opportunities;
- We are clear and confident about our offer to partners and
customers: access to UK excellence; our reputation as a trusted partner
and provider; our ability to work across sectors; our access to
international networks;
- We put our values - people, creativity, mutuality,
professionalism, integrity - at the heart of our work. We are committed
to equal opportunity and to the celebration and promotion of diversity
and inclusion.
- We focus on delivering excellence to the customer in order to achieve maximum impact;
- We work with and through partners to ensure that our work is relevant and to increase impact and sustainability;
- We are forward-thinking in our use of new technologies to communicate with our audiences and to deliver services;
Accountabilities and Responsibilities
(including people management and finance)
- Reliability: to develop, standardise and automate processes to
support examination delivery and CS teams in delivering examinations
securely and according to board requirements.
- Quality: to support delivery of a high standard of customer
service to our clients and candidates by improving processes. This is
measured by our own QCA, examination board, IELTS partner and Customer
Management Framework standards.
- Business growth: to assist with providing capacity for scaling up our operation in Nigeria.
- Financial control, monitoring and reporting: to support the efficient and accurate monitoring and reporting of income and costs.
- Impact: to achieve impact for the UK and the BC through providing support to access to quality UK qualifications.
- Line manage up to 6 officers.
Main Duties
Project Planning and Delivery:
- To implement a portfolio of examination delivery and customer
service projects within the GNOME, global operating model and country
improvement programmes. This is achieved with the support of internal
examination mangers and officers, UK project managers and/or external
delivery partners to meet agreed project targets.
- To be the dedicated point of contact for Examinations-related projects managed.
- To manage relationships with project partners, and representing the projects to other external stakeholders
- To ensure that all project activity reflects key equal opportunities and diversity issues
- Project planning, monitoring and evaluation, using the following tools:
- Project plans and initiation documents
- Project logic models
- Gant charts to reflect planned activity
- Scorecard instruments (audience forecasts and actuals, quality of service questionnaires)
Examination Delivery Improvement:
- To identify areas of examination delivery for review and to
develop; this is achieved via internal and external customer feedback,
industry and corporate benchmarking.
- To agree and deliver project plans with CEM, Head of Operations, Head of Marketing and other examination managers.
- To identify areas for increased efficiency and security in
examination delivery and prepare plans to implement these. Oversee
implementation of these plans across Nigeria.
- To assist with responding to and implementing appropriately
recommendations from exam boards, partners and QCA reviewers. To pursue
points of excellence.
Line Management:
- To Line manage up to 6 members of exams staff.
Continuing professional development:
- To ensure that elective and mandatory training is undertaken.
- To identify training needs for team, and assist in delivering this training.
Key Relationships:
- Internal: Country Exams Manager, Head of Operations, ACEM,
Regional Exams Managers, Deputy Country Director, Country Director,
Regional Sales Managers, Schools Manager, IELTS Administrators Lagos and
Abuja, GFS Schools and ELT project managers, Exams Finance Officer,
Finance Manager Lagos.
- External: Regional examinations team; GNOME implementation
teams; Procurement Manager SSA and UK; other global process renewal and
customer service refresh teams.
Process ownership and development:
- Responsible for GNOME process implementation such as back office
staff scheduling programmes (BOSS) and online registration systems
(ORS).
- Responsible for IKM, EFT, EDI, H&S implementation, monitoring and evaluation in the Examinations Team.
- Responsible for planning and delivering process upgrades in
other parts of examination delivery and customer service. This includes
reviewing possible hub and spoke operating models.
- Responsible for reviewing and codifying processes into Standard Operating Procedures.
- Assist with computer based testing implementation in Nigeria.
Finance:
- To ensure that FABS processes are followed by the team.
- To review and improve financial processes (over the counter income, registrations) as required.
- Budget Management
- To identify areas for improving value for money through better
administrative processes and vendor market testing and adherence to
procurement regulations.
General Management:
- To contribute to Nigeria Exams team objectives by attending and contributing to staff meetings.
- To substitute for management team members.
- To assist with the recruitment, training and monitoring of venue staff.
- To ensure training of venue staff is appropriate and takes into account feedback from partners and quality checks.
- Assist with general staff recruitment and training.
- To support implementation of the Customer Management Framework in Nigeria.
- To carry out management spot checks as required.
Other important features or requirements of the job:
(e.g. travel, unsocial/evening hours, restrictions on employment etc)
- Local travel to visit/inspect examination venues. Occasional
travel to Lagos/Abuja/Kano and global destinations for training
(receiving and giving). Overnight stays and weekend working may be
required. Examinations take place on Saturdays, and early starts are
sometimes required. Examination deadlines are absolute, so out of hours
late working may be required to meet deadlines.
Person Specification
Behaviours:
- Connecting with others (more demanding): Making regular opportunities to understand others better.
- Working together (more demanding): Establishing a genuinely common goal with others.
- Making it happen (more demanding):
Shaping the future (essential)
- Look for ways in which we can do things better.
- Being Accountable (more demanding)
- Creating Shared Purpose (essential)
Assessment stage:
- These behaviours will be needed to successfully carry out the role, but will not be assessed for recruitment purposes
Skills and Knowledge:
Managing Projects Level 3:
- Analyses requirements with the sponsor/stakeholders, defining
the specification, planning, revising, implementing and evaluating on
medium-to-large scale and/or high risk projects. (Essential)
- Knowledge of the education and qualification systems in the UK and Nigeria (Desirable)
Communication skills Level 2:
- Displays good listening, writing and speaking skills, setting
out logical arguments clearly and adapting language and form of
communication to meet the needs of different people/audiences.
- English Language proficiency to IELTS band 8.0 in all areas (or equivalent).
Planning and Organising Level 2:
- Organises own work over weeks and months, or plans ahead for
others, taking account of priorities and the impact on other people.
Manages Risk - level 2:
- Has track record of identifying and highlighting risks and suggesting mitigating actions
Experience:
- Monitoring and reviewing service to quality standards and implementing improvements. (Essential)
- Training teams of people.(Essential)
- Experience of managing medium scale process change projects. (Essential)
- Three year's work experience as an operations manager. (Desirable)
Qualifications
- Education to 1st degree level or equivalent. (Essential)
- A qualification in project management. (Essential)
- A post graduate degree in business. (Desirable)
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online
Click here to download job details MS Word
Click here to download BC Core Skills (pdf)
Click here to download BC Behaviours (pdf)
Application Deadline 10th July, 2015.
