Job Description

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.

We are looking for a

Programme Financ? Analyst

to join our

Global Change Programme

team and play a key role in supporting benefits realisation and performance tracking. This role focuses on the financial aspects of programme delivery, ensuring robust, consistent, and data-driven reporting on both financial and non-financial targets. You will work closely with Finance, the PMO, and workstream leads to provide accurate reporting, reconcile data with financial records, and maintain transparent visibility of progress.


The British Council's Global Change Programme aims to deliver a 50 million annual improvement in financial performance by 2030 through a wide range of organisational and business model changes. With 30 initiatives currently underway, your contribution will be vital to ensuring integrated planning, managing interdependencies, and identifying critical risks. You will support the Benefits & Targets Tracking team by maintaining financial trackers, conducting variance analysis, and producing high-quality management information and insights for senior stakeholders.


This is a delivery-focused role requiring strong financial acumen, attention to detail, and the ability to work collaboratively across a complex programme environment. You will be responsible for preparing monthly reports and dashboards, validating inputs from workstream leads, and ensuring alignment with business case assumptions. You will also help improve reporting tools and methods, support strategic decision-making through scenario modelling, and maintain data structures that enable consistent reporting.


If you are passionate about using data to drive performance and want to be part of a transformative programme with global impact, we'd love to hear from you.

Knowledge & Experience:

Minimum / Essential:

Professional background in financial analysis or management accounting. Strong Microsoft Excel skills including advanced formulas, pivot tables, and data reconciliation. Experience handling both financial and non-financial performance metrics. Ability to identify, explain, and communicate variances against targets or projections. Understanding of benefits management principles and alignment with business case development. Ability to present insights clearly to senior and non-financial stakeholders. Ability to work with large datasets and manage data integrity across multiple sources. Familiarity with data visualisation tools such as Power BI (desirable but not essential). Experience working in or supporting large-scale programme or transformation delivery. Comfortable working within a matrixed, cross-functional delivery environment.
Desirable

Experience in regulated or public sector environments. Prior involvement in benefits tracking or finance support within business transformation programmes.

Qualification and Certification:

Minimum / Essential:

Part-qualified or fully qualified accountant with one of the following professional accounting bodies:
o ACCA - Association of Chartered Certified Accountants


o CIMA - Chartered Institute of Management Accountants


o ACA - Associate Chartered Accountant (via ICAEW or ICAS)


o CIPFA - Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (particularly relevant for public sector settings)


Desirable

Project or programme finance certifications (if available), such as:
o PMI-BA (Business Analysis) or PfMP (Portfolio Management Professional)


o PRINCE2 Foundation/Practitioner (to understand project delivery context)


o APM qualifications (Association for Project Management)


Power BI / Data Analytics certification (e.g. Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate)

Important information

:

Location:

London, UK

Pay-Grade: 7/F - (30,839 - 33,995) Plus London allowance of 3,300

Contract:

Fixed term - 2 years

Requirement:

Candidates must have the pre-existing right to work in the listed location.


Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided.

Closing date for applications: Sunday, 14 September 2025; 21:59 UK Summer Time

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 askhr@britishcouncil.org