Account Manager at British Council Nigeria (3 Openings)

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with - changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.
 
We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Account Manager

Location: Lagos (2) & Port Harcourt  (1)
Pay Band: 6
Contract type: Indefinite
Department: English and Exams
Region: Sub Saharan Africa
Slot: 3 Openings
 
Role Purpose

• The purpose of this role is to build relationships, identify needs and enhance opportunities with key accounts to meet business related targets.
• The role is also required proactively resolve issues, add value and ensure delivery on expectations. On a daily basis the role executes the country key account strategy and plan.

SBU Overview

• The English and Examinations Strategic Business Unit (E&E) is one of three strategic business units in the British Council (the others being Arts and Education & Society) all of which have the remit to build trust for the people of the UK by building relationships through aspects of our language and culture. E&E achieves this by enabling people across the world to access the life-changing education and work opportunities that are created by learning English or gaining valuable UK qualifications.
• Promoting the English language also provides a medium for communication, helping break down barriers of misunderstanding or mistrust between cultures. The British Council’s 2020 vision for English & Examinations is to be the world authority in high quality English language teaching, learning and assessment, as well as the International distributor of choice for UK professional and school qualifications.
• The Examinations business makes a significant contribution to British Council financial sustainability, and as such, it is essential that the business evolves in order to maintain its position in a fast-changing operating context. There is a need to standardise and automate activities across the globe to deliver efficiencies, and there is also a requirement to develop new digital products and services to meet changing customer demands and competitive pressures. In a cost and resource-constrained environment, balancing the on-going requirements and allocation of funds will be critical, as will the integration and planning of the implementation of the different changes across a global network of 110+ countries charged with the on-going delivery of impact and income whilst changing key elements of the supporting operational platform.

Main Opportunities/Challenges for this Role

• Understand and foresee country conditions to spot and act on opportunities
• Providing timely feedback on commercial planning scenario's that have changed
• Achieving sales/ account targets and ensure customer satisfaction

Main Accountabilities
Commercial planning:

• Carries out routine monitoring and standard reporting on commercial data involving sales, profitability and/or co-funding and sponsorship opportunities using an agreed set of corporate processes, techniques and report templates.

Market & customer intelligence:

• Ensures product/sector knowledge is up to date and forward thinking
• Provides account /country specific input into market intelligence activities, innovation and business development/marketing plan/targets
• As required, uses a range of standard processes and techniques to carry out routine research and analysis of actual or potential customer/audience trends – e.g. customer segmentation, demographic profiling, competitor tracking and measurement of market share.

Winning business:

• Value adds account extension, cross sell and retention
• Raises performance issues, why and how being resolved
• Monitors capacity and drives up/pull forward B2B2C sales to fill capacity
• Practices Relationship Management, development and reviews (including mapping and delivering F2F touchpoints, annual and quarterly reviews for big accounts)
• Builds and develops networks around existing clients to cultivate segments
• Under direction from the Head of BD, supports the development of high-quality bids, tenders and proposals by preparing or collating written content/diagrams/financial data/case studies/project plans for the Country/Region

Account & stakeholder management:

• Manages and delivers in year Account Plan
• Develops out of year Account Plan
• Links with B2B support from Operations team to set and review quality of delivery to support account relationship.
• Links with Marketing for targeted events, campaigns and collateral to support retention and value add
• Undertakes contract review and refresh
• Works to defined Account Relationship standards and frameworks.
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date records and data in order to support effective and coordinated account management across the organisation.
• Conducts research, into business activities, challenges and key personnel in target customer, partner or sponsor organisations to support the exams business in developing new business and cultural relations opportunities for the BC.
• In accordance with an agreed account management plan, coordinates and organises contact between stakeholders in key client/partner/sponsor organisations and the exams business – e.g. meetings, conference slots, sending targeted marketing or thought leadership materials etc.
• Serve as first point of contact in compliance incidence with awarding bodies
• Handles certificate validation for schools
• Communicates registration timelines with partners

Analysis & Reporting:

• Using standard procedures and templates, regularly records, analyses and reports on operational activity levels and performance data, to support senior managers in making timely and effective business decisions that respond to operational needs
• Contributes data as required, to enable the development and distribution of high quality, customer and market-focused marketing collateral
• Holds financial management responsibility. For example, handles aged debt reporting. Serve as point of escalation for financial issues with partners

Leadership & management:

• Prioritises own work activities, from long terms plans into day to day activities.
• Builds relationships and uses influence to work with others internally to grow the business

Key Relationships
Internal:

• Exams Operational Teams
• Country/Regional Commercial Managers
• Director Exams, Country Director and Senior Leadership Team
• Customer Services
• Finance
• Exams Regional Management Team
• Other Nigeria SBUs
• Country/Regional/Global Marketing
• Global Exams teams

External:

• (B2B) partners
• Agencies
• Receiving organisations (RO’s)
• Schools, universities, education agents, as well as the government and corporate sectors

Person Specification
Qualifications

• University degree in any subject or qualification in a relevant field

Assessment stage - Shortlisting

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience
Minimum / essential:

• Experience of managing relationships with account clients
• Proven experience of building relationships, identifying needs and enhancing opportunities with key accounts to meet business related targets.
• Designing and implementing business development or marketing plans in an education sector context.
• Experience of working with UK exam

Desirable:

• Familiarity with school exams (CIE/Edexcel)

Assessment stage - Shortlisting

Role Requirements
Threshold requirements:

• Passport requirements/ Right to work in country: All applicants should have a pre-existing legal status to live and work in Nigeria. British Council will not facilitate/sponsor visa applications and work permits.

Assessment stage - Shortlisting

• Direct contact or managing staff working with children?: IF YES. Appropriate police check boards

British Council Core Skills
Communicating and influencing (level 2) - Relates communications to circumstances:

• 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.

Managing projects (level 2) - Analyses project data:

• Examines project data and performance, reporting on progress and recommending corrective action as needed.

Finance and resource management (level 2):

• Uses corporate financial systems and processes appropriately as part of the job and on behalf of a team.

Commercial and business Development (level 1 / 2):
(Level 1) Reviews data:

• Applies a range of standard analytical techniques to support business development – e.g. pricing tools, revenue tracking, monitoring sales prospects, audience figures or profit margin.

OR (Level 2) Analyses trends:

• Researches markets and conducts cost/benefit analyses to identify new opportunities or recommend improvements to current initiatives

Account and partnership management (level 1 / 2):
(level 1) Supports account management:

• Able to research business issues and contacts in stakeholder and potential partner organisations to support account management and business development.

OR (level 2) Works with stakeholders and partners:

• Communicates regularly with diverse stakeholders, customers and/or partners to build mutual understanding and trust.

Assessment stage - Shortlisting AND Interview

British Council Behaviours
Connecting with others (Essential):

• Making regular opportunities to understand others better

Working together (More demanding):

• Ensuring that others benefit as well as me

Creating shared purpose (Essential):

• Communicating an engaging picture of how we can work together

Making it happen (More demanding):

• Challenging myself and others to deliver and measure better results

Assessment stage - Interview

Application Closing Date
16th June, 2019 (23:59 UK time)

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

Click here to download Job Details (Pdf)

Click here to download BC Behaviour (pdf)

Click here to download BC Core Skills (pdf)

Note: Candidate should indicate on the supporting statement of their application which location they are interested in.