Examinations Projects Manager at British Council Nigeria

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.
• 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.
• 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.

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 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;
• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

Application Closing Date
10th July, 2015.

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)