Director of FP&A CoE at British Council — Unknown | Handmework

Overview

Full description from the employer source. Apply via the official link when ready.

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: Director of FP&A CoE

Job ID: 49831
Location: Nigeria
BDepartment: Finance
Contract: Indefinite Contract

The Role

The Director of FP&A Centre of Excellence (CoE) is responsible for leading the British Council’s global finance capability to deliver standardised, technology-enabled financial planning, forecasting, reporting, and insight generation across Regions, Strategic Business Units (SBUs), and Central Functions.
The role oversees three core pillars: Process Excellence (standardisation, governance, and continuous improvement of FP&A processes), Product & Technology Enablement (leadership of the Anaplan platform, analytics, automation, and AI/ML forecasting capabilities), and Core Delivery & Service Operations (management of central FP&A teams supporting English & Exams, Cultural Engagement, Central Services, and Staff Costs). The position also drives adoption of a globally consistent FP&A Target Operating Model, ensuring scalable, accurate, and insight-driven financial decision support.
Operating within the FP&A Centre of Excellence, the role requires a strategic, forward-looking finance leader with experience delivering global FP&A services in a complex international organisation. The Director partners closely with the Global Finance Director, Director of FP&A, Group FP&A, regional finance teams, and Business Decision Support (BDS) leaders to strengthen financial performance, embed data-driven decision-making, improve forecasting accuracy, and support organisational priorities.
The role combines leadership of finance transformation, technology adoption, service excellence, and capability building to enhance the British Council’s commercial and operational decision-making worldwide.

Main Responsibilities

The role provides end-to-end leadership of the FP&A Centre of Excellence (CoE), acting as the global owner of planning, forecasting, reporting, and analytics frameworks. It is responsible for managing centralised FP&A delivery teams across English & Exams, Cultural Engagement, Central Services, and Staff Costs, ensuring consistent, high-quality management information, financial models, planning tools, and decision-support services through defined KPIs, SLAs, and governance standards.
The position also leads process standardisation, continuous improvement, automation, and governance of planning assumptions and analytics quality, while serving as the product owner for the Anaplan platform and related digital FP&A capabilities, including predictive analytics and scenario modelling.
In addition, it builds strong partnerships across Finance, Data, Compliance, and Business Decision Support (BDS) leadership, acts as the escalation point for CoE service issues, and develops a high-performing, multi-disciplinary global team with strong digital FP&A, systems, and analytics capabilities.

Role specific skills:

Building relationships at all levels of the organisation
Excellent analytical and data skills along with strong planning and organisational skills are required.
Flexibility, independence, and initiative to perform successfully in a global and rapidly changing environment.
Ability to operate effectively and prioritise in a busy global facing role

Role Specific Knowledge and Experience
Education:

Higher - Degree qualified

Professional Qualification and Certification:

CCAB qualified accountant with proven experience of successfully managing and delivering similar roles.

Minimum/essential:

Experience leading a global FP&A Centre of Excellence or shared service model.
Proven leadership across process, systems, analytics and operational finance teams.
Experience owning an enterprise planning platform (Anaplan strongly preferred).
Strong understanding of predictive analytics, automation and digital FP&A.
Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive organizational adoption of new ways of working.
Managing and developing teams.

Desirable:

Expertise in FP&A process design, standardization and governance.
Strong data literacy and ability to translate between business, finance and technology domains.
Development and optimisation of SAP accounting and planning tool applications.

Language Requirements:

The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required”.

Application Closing Date
13th September, 2026.

Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Responsibilities

Lead the global FP&A Centre of Excellence
Oversee planning, forecasting, reporting and analytics frameworks
Manage centralised FP&A delivery teams across English & Exams, Cultural Engageme
Lead process standardisation, continuous improvement and automation
Own the Anaplan platform and related digital FP&A capabilities

Requirements

EssentialNice to have below

Higher degree qualification
CCAB qualified accountant with experience managing and delivering similar roles
Experience leading a global FP&A Centre of Excellence or shared service model
Leadership experience across process, systems, analytics and operational finance
Experience owning an enterprise planning platform; Anaplan strongly preferred
Strong understanding of predictive analytics, automation and digital FP&A
Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive adoption of new ways of worki
Experience managing and developing teams
Written and verbal proficiency in English

Key skills

Financial planning and analysisFinancial forecastingFinancial reportingData analysisFinancial modellingProcess standardisationFinance transformationStakeholder managementTeam leadershipPredictive analyticsAutomationScenario modelling

Nice to have

Expertise in FP&A process design, standardization and governance
Strong data literacy across business, finance and technology domains
Development and optimisation of SAP accounting and planning tool applications

Director of FP&A CoE

Overview

Responsibilities

Requirements

Key skills

Nice to have

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