Role Profile
Job Description
Job Title
Assistant Director, Partnerships (Corporates), India
Directorate or Region
South Asia
Department/Country
India
Location of post
Mumbai
Pay Band
8
Reports to
Director West India
Duration of job
Fixed term: 3 years
Purpose of job:
This is a new and exciting opportunity to lead the development of private sector (corporate) partnerships
to support the British Council’s ambitions for scale and impact across all of our work in India, particularly
in the Arts and creative industries but also in Education, Skills and English. Although primarily leading on
securing sponsorship for our work in the Arts, the post-holder will also lead on developing partnerships
with corporates through their CSR agendas across all sectors of our work. S/he will develop and manage
a small number of agreed corporate accounts for partnerships and sponsorship whilst helping build
capability and confidence amongst teams in India for working with the private sector. The post will be a
key member of the India partnerships team based in Mumbai but will need to work with and support
sector specialists and project managers across India to engage potential partners in our work.
Context and environment:

The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international not-for-profit organisation for cultural
relations and educational opportunities. For 80 years, we have created international opportunities and
trust between people of the UK and other countries worldwide. We call this Cultural Relations. With
some 7500 members of staff in over 100 countries, we work primarily with young people through the
Arts, English, Education and Society. Our values – integrity, professionalism, creativity, valuing
people and mutuality - are embedded in all our work as is our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policy.

South Asia Region is of high priority for the UK and comprises India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iran (non-represented) and Nepal. Programme priority areas are English,
where there is a need to develop a stronger product offer for teachers and learners; Higher Education
(with large opportunities in market intelligence and knowledge transfer) and the Arts.

India: The UK has challenging ambitions for its engagement with India in Education, English and the
Arts and British Council India’s role is to help create the conditions which will lead to their
achievement. Corporate partnerships in the UK and India are a key element in helping us achieving
the scale and impact we aspire to. Our priorities in the different sectors are:
Arts: The UK’s ambition in the arts is for strengthened collaboration and exchange between cultural
institutions, leaders and professionals; to engage new audiences in the UK’s creativity and ideas
leading to an enhanced appreciation of the UK’s cultural assets. The overarching programme for the
Arts in India is called Re-imagine, a new five-year initiative (2013 – 2018) launched to develop
stronger cultural ties between the two countries. Re-imagine comprises 5 strands: Showcasing;
Creative Collaborations; Skills Development; Arts Education and Research and Insight.
Education: The UK’s ambition in higher education is to attract the best students from India and send
UK students to India to strengthen future links. The aim is to significantly increase the institutional
partnerships, in research, teaching and innovation, and support India’s reform agenda, including TNE
and MOOC provision. In Skills and VET, the UK’s ambition is to play a critical role in helping to skill
500m people. The UK schools sector’s ambitions are to build cultural links and share best practice.
English: The UK’s ambition is for all learners and English language trainers and teachers in India to
have access to English language training, teaching, learning, and testing solutions and professional
development opportunities from the UK. We aim to significantly increase the number of UK-India
institutional level partnerships and research collaborations (particularly in the fields of language of
instruction, English skills for employability and CPD) which will support the Indian government in
achieving its reform agenda.

The British Council in India operates through centres in New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.
In partnership with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, we run five more centres in Ahmedabad,
Bangalore, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Pune. India also hosts the British Council Management
Services office in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, which provides finance and IT services for the global network.
Accountabilities, responsibilities and main duties:
Development of corporate partnership and sponsorship relations to support British Council work
(50%)
 Working closely with Director Partnerships South Asia, Director West India and other colleagues as
appropriate, identify, develop and nurture corporate relations for partnerships in support of our work
 Manage a small number of corporate accounts in India and work closely with external clients to
understand current and future business needs, their strategic plans and objectives and
commission/communicate relevant market intelligence, insight and research to the appropriate
colleagues
 Deliver agreed sponsorship, income and non-financial targets and communicate regular updates on
progress and pipeline
 Act as internal expert on CSR and sponsorship strategies and processes, identifying and pursuing
appropriate opportunities
 Proactively create, own and deliver sponsorship development and partnership strategies and action
plans, based on medium to long term British Council India business and activity plans which match
British Council and partner assets and needs and clearly define benefits, KPIs and legacy impact for
both.
 Lead and manage innovative and persuasive proposals responding rapidly to opportunities and
drawing on colleagues across the Council as necessary to provide content – data, track-record,
budget, stories etc. –convening pursuit teams that deliver bid-winning solutions. Manage
bidding/tendering processes.
 Develop and maintain diverse professional networks that help the British Council understand best
practice in client and partnership relations and act as an ‘internal consultant’ for partnership strategies
and co-creation, supporting capacity building within teams
 Manage finances and risk related to the post – including input to FCCF (monthly financial report) and
ERMF (quarterly risk report). Follow agreed partnership processes taking account of due diligence,
contracts, IP and respecting code of conduct
Contribute to the development of a sponsorship and CSR strategy for our work in the Arts and
Creative Industries (50%)
 With Director Arts, Director Partnerships South Asia and Director West India, identify the areas of the
Re-imagine India Arts programme that can be developed with corporate partners through sponsorship
and CSR funds that match the assets and objectives of the British Council and the partners.
 Work with colleagues and Director Arts in particular to raise sponsorship and CSR funds to agreed
targets in order to amplify the impact of our work whilst benefitting partners
 Exploit opportunities for the Arts to collaborate with other sectors (English, Exams, Education, Skills,
Social Enterprise, Women and Girl Empowerment etc.) to provide more market/customer focused
solutions for partners
 Contribute to the development of new business models and income-generation opportunities in the
Arts by developing value propositions that meet client and partner expectations; being outcomesfocused and ensuring robust evaluation frameworks.
Staff Management:
 Direct: To be decided
 Indirect: Staff and teams from across India and UK
Budget:
 Responsible for assigned Business Development Budget.
Key relationships: (include internal and external)
External
• Corporate sector with UK and India business interests, Trusts and Foundations, and other key external
project partners and potential partners
• Innovators and influencers in the fields of arts and culture, and creative industries including in NGOs,
think tanks and educational institutions
• British High Commission, Chambers of Commerce and other UK-India trade bodies and groupings
Internal:
 Director West India, Director Partnerships South Asia and other colleagues with fundraising
responsibilities, particularly in the partnerships team
 Country Director / Director Operations India
 Global Partnerships team in the UK
 Director Arts and India Executive Team Champion for Arts
 Area Directors and Head Programmes
 Business support colleagues (marketing, digital, etc.)
Other important features or requirements of the job


The role is fixed term 3 year contract
There will be some travel within India and possibly the UK.
Please specify any passport/visa
and/or nationality requirement.
Please indicate if any security or
legal checks are required
for this role.
Post holder will need valid work permit to work in India.
Reference Checks as per British Council India HR policy
Person Specification
Essential
Desirable
Assessment stage
Making it happen (Most
Demanding)
Pushing for successful outcomes
even in difficult situations
I deliver excellent results, achieve
challenging goals and develop
myself and others. I do this by
setting clear and demanding
objectives to deliver what is
required. I stay focused on
measurable outcomes, while
building longer-term capability. I
demonstrate standards of
excellence and deliver value for
money. I measure progress and
adapt plans when necessary.
Interview only
Being accountable (Most
Demanding)
Remaining positive even when
faced with significant difficulties or
challenges
Behaviours
I show accountability and
commitment to the British Council
and I demonstrate resilience and
determination. I hold myself and
others responsible for delivering
goals in line with the shared purpose
of the British Council. I give and
accept constructive feedback to
maximise high performance and
manage under-performance.
Creating shared purpose (Most
Demanding)
Making complex ideas clear and
understandable
I gain the active support of other
people so they are fully engaged
and motivated to contribute
effectively. I do this by
communicating our purpose in a
way that others can understand and
that achieves shared clarity. I help
them understand the part they play,
so that our aims are clear to all.
These behaviours
will be needed to
successfully carry
out the role, but will
not be assessed for
recruitment purposes
Connecting with others (Most
Demanding)
Adjusting behaviour to respond to
how other people think and behave
in different cultures or environments
I find common ground and build
relationships and connections to
support British Council goals. I do
this by building trust with others, by
paying attention to their concerns
and needs, and showing that I
understand their interests. I achieve
understanding and trust in a
culturally sensitive way – whatever
my role.
Shaping the future (More
Demanding)
Noticing trends and innovations and
to take practical advantage of the
opportunities they present
I achieve better business, innovation
and growth by using my
professionalism, knowledge and
expertise to create a clear focus on
what I want to achieve. I spot
opportunities, plan appropriately and
create innovative solutions that
recognise ambiguity and deliver
business benefit.
Working together (More
Demanding)
Creating an environment where
different groups share a purpose
and resources for mutual benefit
Knowing that we will achieve more
with other people than we can do
separately, by sharing goals and
resources to add more value, I work
towards common goals with others. I
do this by agreeing effective and
respectful ways of sharing success.
I generate mutual support, shared
benefits and promote
interdependence.
Core skills
Planning and Organising (level 3)
Develops annual plans
Develops and reviews the
implementation of annual plans for a
work group or function, taking
account of business and customer
requirements and reconciling
competing demands.
Shortlisting and
Interview for three
skills marked with
asterisk
Communicating and Influencing
(level 5) *
Influences at the highest level
Influences and manages
relationships at the highest levels to
build mutual understanding, shapes
perceptions of the British Council
and creates positive change over
the medium term
Written/presentation
Test
Developing Business (level 4) *
Leads business development
Able to plan and deliver business
development activities for a major
and/or new market category which is
significant for the Council.
Managing Accounts and
Partnerships (level 4) *
Plans and leads on accounts and
partnerships
Develops and leads on the delivery
of account management and
development plans across a range
of stakeholders/customers/partners
to deliver medium term business
and/or reputational gains for both
parties.
Minimum of 5 years experience in
corporate relationship management
Experience
Track record of building long term,
sustainable partnerships with the
private sector, especially B2C, and
existing senior level relationships in
the market.
Demonstrable experience in
successfully raising sponsorship
income from marketing budgets of
corporates and an understanding of
their buying behavior
Understanding of the economic and
Professional
networks; experience
of matrix management
and working in
geographically
dispersed teams
Experience in public
or private sector
organisations
Track record of
successfully
contracting in
business environment
Understanding of UK
corporates in India
Shortlisting and
Interview
political operating landscape in India
including the new CSR guidelines.
Demonstrable experience of building
engagement platforms through cocreation largely from CSR funding.
Qualifications
Postgraduate qualification,
preferably in management
Project / programme
management
qualification
Submitted by
Director West India
Date
Shortlisting
18 February 2015