Exams Change Implementation Manager (Lagos/ Abuja) 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 below:

Job Title Exams Change Implementation Manager

Locations: Lagos/ Abuja
Role Type: Business Delivery
Pay Band: PB 7
Duration: Fixed Term (12 months)
Reports to: Country Exams Manager

Role purpose

• To provide professional leadership and coordination of the implementation of the Exams change programme.

Details
In line with British Council Nigeria strategy and corporate requirements within the Exams Transformation Programme, and in agreement with Country Exams Manager:

• To support the business to deliver the people and technology system changes
• To lead on overall planning and reporting, stakeholder management, communication alignment and review and benefits tracking.
• To lead on the detailed planning, process/systems set-up, and implementation of all aspects of the change programme
• To manage the programme timelines and key milestones against the agreed project plan - To liaise with key internal and external stakeholders, ensuring coordination of inputs and outputs, and buy-in where required
• To liaise with internal teams and on the implications of change, to agree aims and coordinate planning to achieve those aims
• To ensure awareness internally of the implications for change programmes on our operations; to coordinate particularly closely with HR, Regional Exams colleagues, Finance and HR teams, and with relevant business teams
• To ensure expected change programme support (from global and regional teams) is provided to standard and on time
• To mitigate risk and to facilitate compliance in all aspects of the change programme
• All to achieve new staff model by March 2019, and completion of transitional arrangements and review by September 2019.

Main Accountabilities
The post-holder will (across operations in Nigeria):

• Develop and implement a detailed programme plan to ensure smooth transition for specified businesses to the new operating model
• Identify key stakeholders for each project/strand/work stream of the programme and ensure that detailed plans are developed and implemented; projects/strands will include Project Management (including identifying risks/challenges and developing mitigation plans to ensure a smooth and seamless transition), HR and Finance (in close consultation with HR, Finance colleagues and Regional Colleagues), Premises (in close collaboration with outsourced consultants and relevant business teams), SAP, Tax, Governance and Legal, Branding, Communications
• Collaborate closely with relevant teams to balance the requirements of the various businesses which will operate under the new model
• To ensure that the entity’s operations are supported by robust systems and processes and that relevant, staff are trained as appropriate. This will involve:
  • Enabling processes to ensure compliance with local legal requirements, and internal British Council processes
  • Management of changes to systems (SAP), processes and people
  • Impact analysis on operational processes and revision of those processes as appropriate
  • Ensure development and delivery of communications plan covering the changes with particular focus on HR strand
  • Management of cut-over and go-live stabilisation to the agreed position as per the implementation plan (including relevant knowledge transition)
  • Set up new systems and compliance frameworks as required
  • Review of entity resource requirements for post go-live
• Liaise closely with relevant business to ensure the selection and set up of appropriate premises, resource and facilities requirements for the new model and ensure accurate financial modelling is completed in line with agreed timescales
• Sign-off of stabilisation process (3 months after go-live)
• Hand-over of management of BAU requirements to deputed managers in the entity
• Monitor and complete project closure procedures, including approval of go-live report and due diligence file as agreed with Exams Change stakeholders as appropriate
• Ensure smooth running of the new organisational structure once set up
• Management of project budgets and project related procurement activities in line with corporate standards and policies
• Ensure a “lessons learnt” review is conducted with stakeholders and documented at the end of the process.

Quality Assurance, Operation and Risk Management:

• Ensure full compliance of the new structure with British Council and exam awarding body regulations surrounding security of confidential materials
• Ensure all exam board and British Council Quality Standards are met

Customer Service and Stakeholder Suppor:

• Regularly review customer journeys and implement best practice in:
  • Registration systems
  • Enquiry-handling
  • Information provision and communications to candidates
  • Test day procedures

Other:

• Execute other tasks as assigned by line manager.

Key Relationships
Internal:

• Country Exams Manager Nigeria, West Africa HR Manager, Compliance Manager Nigeria, Head of Finance, Country Director Nigeria
• Regional Operations Manager, Regional Exams Director, Regional Compliance Manager
• Country Director Nigeria, Country Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Directors, Nigeria and Regional Procurement colleagues
• Exams team Nigeria, Exams Product and Venues Staff managers
• Global exams transformation change team
• Shared Services Centre India and SAP specialists
• Role equivalents across the British Council network

External:

• Exams Boards

Person Specification
Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in any numerate course of study. - Minimum / essential
• APM, PRINCE 2 or equivalent project management qualification - Desirable
• Legal and finance specialism - Desirable
• Shortlisting - Assessment Stage

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:

• At least 3 years operational experience and/or project management experience - Minimum / essential
• Evidence of managing a project to agreed timescales, budgets and standards - Minimum / essential
• Evidence of strong stakeholder management and communications - Minimum / essential
• Experience a managing people and technology change projects. - Minimum / essential
• Track record in managing projects with multiple stakeholders and drawing onexternal advice. - Minimum / essential
• Education or examinations management - Desirable
• Knowledge of UK qualifications and/or processes involved in administering - Desirable
• Experience working in an international environment - Desirable
• Excellent working knowledge of SAP (highly desirable) - Desirable
• Shortlisting and Interview - Assessment Stage

Language requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken English - Minimum / essential
• Shortlisted candidates will need to demonstrate that they meet the required standard through the IELTS test which will be administered as part of the recruitment and selection exercise - Minimum / essential
• Shortlisting and interview - Assessment Stage.

Starting Salary
NGN 9,178,045.00

Application Closing Date
23rd July, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Click here to download Job Details (docx)

Click here to download BC Behaviour (pdf)

Click here to download BC Core Skills (pdf)