(Offre en anglais) British Council recrutes Head Society and Arts Programmes عودة إلى الفرص

Job Title: Head Society and Arts Programmes

Region: MENA

Country: Tunisia

Location of post: Tunis

Pay Band: F

Reports to: Country  Director (Programmes and Partnerships)

Duration of job: 3 years

Purpose of job

 To play a leading role in achieving the British Council’s mission of building trust and creating opportunity in Tunisia, through an exciting and relevant programme of project activity and partnerships in Society and Arts. The post will manage all project business development and delivery in Society and Arts, working closely with the Country Director, Deputy Director, Head Education Programmes and the Head of English Programmes.  The post will form part of the Tunisia Operations Leadership Team.

Political Context and environment

British Council in MENA is facing a time of unprecedented challenge and opportunity. The landscape of the region has continued to evolve dramatically, following change in Tunisia in January 2011, leading to further change in Egypt and Libya. In response, we are continuing to implement a range of cultural relations initiatives that draw on people’s concerns about dignity, participation and employment, especially amongst young people. We have put listening and learning at the heart of our work and have intensified our efforts across North Africa to understand what people want from us and what they most value from the UK.

Within this environment we see Society and the Arts as pivotal sectors to help build on the changes already being made. We are not alone here – indeed there are many other organisations actively working to support the development of a strong civil society. Therefore, an important focus of the post is to develop a clear narrative for the British Council’s specific (if not unique) contribution in Society and Arts, and to identify organisations with which we can partner to increase the scale and systemic impact of our programmes.

Cultural Relations context

 Young people were at the heart of the Tunisian revolution and will be at the heart of a stable transition.   Since independence, but most markedly in the 23 years prior to the uprisings in 2011, voices of opposition were suppressed. There is still a limited understanding of democratic processes and institutions and work is needed to support the development of a culture of open and respectful discussion and debate.

The British Council in Tunisia will work towards the following outcomes

Through work with Government:   An education system which provides young people with the skills required for the world of work and to contribute fully as citizens to the development of Tunisia.

Through work with other agencies and directly with young people:    Young people have the skills required for the world of work and to contribute fully as citizens to the development of Tunisia.

As indicated above, this post has a key role in helping develop the British Council’s programme and partnerships particularly with local partners. Generating income from partners – either through Full Cost Recovery contracts or through sponsorship/co-funding of programmes (ideally in cash, but also off-books) is an essential indicator of success.

Key challenges/opportunities for the post include

•  Achieving a high level of systemic impact for our programmes: through clear focus; through delivering programmes at scale; through effective communications of the impact being achieved by our programmes – ie to audiences, partners and stakeholders; through effective use of digital and media channels to increase audience reach and profile; and through effective partnership building and relationships management
• Generating significant income, both in cash and in kind, through partnerships with host government, international donors, corporate sponsors/partners, and foundations in order to significantly increase the scale and systemic impact of our programmes
• Managing a broad and expanding portfolio of activity
• Dealing with a very high level of uncertainty in the external environment
• Dealing with Tunisian government partners where bureaucracy remains a challenge
• Co-ordinating staff time across the strategic business areas
• Helping to develop the programmes team to respond to the level of challenge they are now experiencing.

Accountabilities, responsibilities and main duties include

• Co-ordination with other programme areas
• Operational management of programmes in Society and Arts.
• Planning, forecasting,  monitoring for Society and Arts programmes
• Core programme budget (grant funded expenditure) of c £200K
• Supporting the development of partnerships that extend reach, income and impact within Tunisia – initial cash income target of £200K and in-kind target of £200K.
• Supporting the development of FCR and co-funding proposals (eg through intelligence, relationship management, local knowledge and advice)
• Overall responsibility for maintaining relations with key government ministries at international director and chef de cabinet level.
• Ensuring we communicate our successes clearly in UK and in Tunisia (both through scorecard but also through other communication channels – both internal and external).

Key relationships include

• Relevant donor organisations – eg EU, World Bank, African Development Bank, International Governments and Foundations (including UK)
• Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Women and Families, Ministry of Youth and Sport, Ministry of Education
• Relevant NGOs or civil society and think tanks
• Youth organisations / youth leaders in the UK and Tunisia
• Leaders and influencers in arts and creative industries
• British Embassy in Tunisia
• European Union National Institutes for Culture [EUNIC]
• Regional sector leads and regional and UK project managers

 Other important features or requirements of the job

• Evening work and weekend commitments will be a requirement for this post.
• Travel to other centres in Tunisia will be essential. Travel within the region and to UK as required.

Person Specification