People Project Manager

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

People Project Manager

Location:  London, Cardiff, Edinburgh or Belfast. Applicants currently employed by the British Council on an existing UK homeworking contract, and other applicants who are not within reasonable commuting distance of these locations, may be considered for a homeworking contract subject to business need.
Contract Type: Two (2) Year Fixed Term Contract

Pay Grade: 8

Remuneration: £38,820 - £46,203 Annual Gross Depending on Experience

Closing date: 25 August 2026 at 21:59 UK Time

Requirements: You must have the legal right to work in UK at the time of application.  We are unable to support with visa sponsorship and relocation.

Role Context - About The Team:

The British Council is embarking on a significant commercial and digital growth agenda to achieve continued impact with a reduced footprint. This entails significant change and restructuring programmes across all areas of the business.

The business aligned People Partnering team sits within the Talent & Organisational Development Directorate (T&OD), which exists to bring focus to the design and development of organisation, and the development and growth of our people, partnering with leadership teams to embed new operating models and build the diversity, future skills, capabilities & ways of working needed so that we continue to renew and strengthen our global impact.

The scale of business change currently underway presents a need to scale up our people business partnering capacity for the next six months, to effectively implement global change programmes including significant restructures.  

Role Purpose - The Job:

The People Project Manager will work in partnership with the People Business Partners, business leaders and the Director of People Partnering to lead the people aspects of major transformation and organisational change activity within allocated business workstreams.

They will project manage the delivery of People activity, coordinating inputs from specialist teams including Advisory, Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, Reward, People Insight and Talent, Learning and Performance. They will ensure that people implications are fully considered in business decisions, that organisational change is implemented effectively and responsibly, and that leaders are supported to deliver sustainable outcomes for colleagues and the organisation.

They will support the People Partners to translate business requirements into practical people solutions, overseeing implementation activity, identifying and mitigating people risks, and supporting the embedding of new operating models, structures and ways of working. They will also ensure alignment between workstream activity, the wider People Function and be a key point of contact into the People function’s Strategy, Planning and Insight team, ensuring that plans feed into the overall People Function workstream plan.

Main Accountabilities:

• Lead the people workstream for major organisational transformation and change programmes, translating business objectives into clear plans, priorities, milestones and deliverables.
• Develop and manage end-to-end people project plans, ensuring successful delivery of restructuring, consultation, organisational design and change implementation activities.
• Coordinate and align contributions from specialist People teams, including Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, Reward, Talent Development and People Insights, to deliver integrated people solutions.
• Provide expert advice and support to business leaders on organisational change, workforce planning and complex people decisions, balancing business, operational and employee needs.
• Identify, assess and mitigate people-related risks, ensuring compliance with organisational policies, governance requirements and employee relations frameworks.
• Establish effective governance, reporting and stakeholder engagement processes, providing clear visibility of progress, risks, dependencies and decision points.
• Use workforce data, organisational insights and feedback to inform recommendations, measure impact and support evidence-based decision-making throughout change programmes.
• Drive implementation readiness and ensure change activities are delivered to agreed quality standards, timelines and intended outcomes.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders across the business and People function to facilitate collaboration, alignment and successful delivery of transformation initiatives.
• Monitor change adoption and organisational outcomes, addressing barriers and supporting the successful embedding of new structures, operating models and ways of working.
• Ensure employee experience, wellbeing, inclusion and engagement considerations are embedded throughout all transformation and change activities.
• Provide consultancy, analysis and problem-solving expertise to support the planning, delivery and long-term success of global change and transformation programmes.

Requirements Of The Role:

Minimum/essential

• Experience in delivering projects or initiatives within a People function environment.
• Experience of working within a People generalist role, supporting business leaders through organisational change
• Experience working across multiple People disciplines, including talent, reward, employee relations and organisational development.
• Proficient in using data and excel based applications

Desirable:

• Experience of modern project management methodologies
• Experience of working within a global environment or large-scale transformation programmes

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email [email protected]