Interim People Business Partner Global Change Programme (46435) presso British Council

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.

British Council Pay Band 9

Department: People Functions
Location: UK offices in (London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, and anyone on pre-existing homeworking contracts in the UK)

Contract: Fixed Term Contract, Duration 12 months
Apply by: Monday, 27th Oct 2025 23:59 UK time 
Interview window: To be decided

The salary for this role starts at £55,699 per annum, this is negotiable based on skills, and expertise. In addition, there will be an annual LMA of £3,300 for London based candidates.

Benefits:

• 32 days annual leave, in addition to public holidays
• 3 days volunteering leave
• Career average defined benefit pension scheme

This role is open for applications from employees who are currently located and have the right to work in the UK The successful candidate will remain in their current location/entity

You must have the legal right to work in UK at the time of application as there is no relocation or sponsorship support.  

British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service.  This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview. 

Role Purpose

The Interim People Business Partner – Global Change Programme will partner with senior leaders and project teams to design and deliver people implementation plans for major global change initiatives. This six-month fixed-term role focuses on supporting organisational redesign, talent planning, and the embedding of new ways of working. The role involves diagnosing the people and organisational implications of change, coordinating implementation, and coaching leaders to effectively manage talent and lead through transformation.

Operating as an individual contributor, the role requires strong collaboration across teams such as Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, People Insight, and Learning & Performance. As the British Council undertakes significant commercial and digital transformation, this position will play a key role in enabling successful change, strengthening leadership capability, and ensuring that people and organisational strategies are effectively aligned to support the organisation’s evolving global impact.

Main Responsibilities

The Interim People Business Partner – Global Change Programme will work closely with senior leaders and programme teams to design and implement people plans that align with business strategy and drive successful global change initiatives. The role involves partnering as an equal with leadership, coordinating across People function teams, and using data and insights to inform workforce and organisational design. A key focus will be enabling the right skills, structures, and talent strategies to support transformation, while coaching and equipping leaders to deliver their accountabilities effectively and embed new ways of working.

This role requires strong relationship management, commercial awareness, and strategic problem-solving skills to influence and support senior stakeholders. The postholder will collaborate across the People function to ensure business insight shapes people plans, foster continuous improvement in delivery models, and contribute to budget prioritisation for maximum impact. By combining consultancy, analysis, and leadership, the role will help implement workforce plans that strengthen organisational capability and deliver sustainable change.

Role specific skills and Proficiency Levels

• Data Literacy: Translates people data into actionable insights (Developing)
• Business Acumen: Interprets external business trends and applies insights to organisational context (Developing)
• Customer Understanding: Applies user-centric principles to address customer needs (Developing)
• Strategy Co-Creation: Aligns HR priorities with business strategy (Developing)
• People Advocacy: Shapes an inclusive, high-performance culture that prioritises wellbeing (Developing/Exemplary)
• Change Navigation: Builds capacity and structures to enable change and resilience (Developing)
• Execution Excellence: Implements adaptive plans and collaborates effectively to achieve results (Developing)

Role specific knowledge and experience

Minimum/essential

• Experience of business transformation and aligning people plans to enable change, including talent and organisational design & development.
• Experience implementing significant projects or programmes to tight deadlines.
• Experience as a member of a business leadership team, in a line or professional services partnering role.

Desirable Experience

• Experience of strategic business and workforce planning
• Experience within a centre of excellence in learning & / or organisational development, talent management, employee engagement or change
• Experience within a global organisation
• Experience in strategic organisation re-design projects
• Experience in an external or internal consulting role

Qualifications

• Essential: University degree or equivalent professional experience
• Desirable: CIPD or equivalent OD / Change qualification.

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]