Head of Market

Role Purpose:

We are looking for a strategic and commercially minded leader to join the British Council’s English and Examinations Strategic Business Unit (E&E SBU), where you will be responsible for setting market-specific plans that drive the delivery of our products and services. This role plays a vital part in identifying and converting revenue opportunities to support significant growth and sustainability targets, while ensuring an exceptional customer experience that reflects our global brand and service standards. You will own the market P&L and work across functions to align market plans with organisational strategy, fostering collaboration to achieve business goals.

The E&E SBU is one of two global strategic business units within the British Council, alongside Cultural Engagement. Together, these units support our mission to build trust in the UK by sharing our education systems, governance, and culture with the world. Through E&E, we help people access life-changing opportunities by learning English or gaining internationally recognised UK qualifications and skills. Our work also promotes global communication and understanding by fostering knowledge of the English language.

With an annual income of over £700 million, E&E is a commercially run business that plays a critical role in the financial sustainability of the British Council. Our vision is to be the world authority in high-quality English language teaching, learning, and assessment, and the international distributor of choice for professional and school qualifications. To achieve this, our Proposition, Network, and Functional units work together to deliver the global E&E strategy. Proposition defines our integrated learning and assessment offerings, Network translates global strategy into market-relevant plans and manages profitability, and Functions ensure efficient and effective delivery of global strategies.

This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of our market strategy, drive commercial success, and contribute to the British Council’s global impact.

Role Accountabilities:

In this role, you will provide inspiring and motivational leadership that reflects the British Council’s values and behaviours, empowering teams to deliver excellence while fostering a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion. You will influence and coach cross-functional teams across the matrix to ensure effective delivery of the market plan, maintaining alignment with global brand and product standards while driving local success. As the representative of the English and Examinations Market within the country, you will work closely with enabling functions to secure support for the business plan and ensure it aligns with broader organisational priorities and resources.

You will take full accountability for the market’s profit and loss, overseeing financial performance and implementing corrective actions where necessary to achieve desired outcomes. Monitoring the performance of academic and teaching staff will be key to maintaining quality standards and ensuring optimal resource allocation. Collaboration with global functions—including Proposition, Marketing, Global Sales, Professional Services, and Cultural Engagement—will be essential to ensure all enablers are in place for successful market delivery. You will lead and coach teams across markets and functions, driving high performance and embedding a culture of transparency, compliance, and continuous improvement. Where required, you may also act as a legal representative or serve on the board of directors for local entities.

Strategically, you will lead the development of the joint English and Examinations business plan for the country, ensuring it reflects both global strategies and local customer needs. You will identify new opportunities for growth, leveraging market insights and global direction to shape innovative approaches. Regular evaluation of market performance against strategic goals will be essential, with proactive risk assessment and corrective planning to ensure success. You will execute country-level plans that align with market category propositions and revenue targets, integrating new opportunities and products into the strategy while maintaining a strong focus on customer experience and satisfaction.

Relationship management will be a core part of your responsibilities. You will collaborate with proposition teams to align global strategies with market plans and explore new growth opportunities. Working with customer management teams, you will ensure services meet agreed standards and performance KPIs. Coordination with global operations will support smooth service delivery, while marketing teams will rely on your input to tailor initiatives to local needs. You will also support negotiations with government bodies and high-stakes partners to enhance market presence and secure investment, and work with professional services teams to address operational and resourcing needs.

Commercially, you will own and manage the market’s financial performance, ensuring revenue targets are met and aligned with global goals. You will identify necessary investments, manage resources effectively, and continuously optimise costs to maximise profitability. Collaboration with sales teams will ensure alignment with business plans and accountability for achieving sales targets.

Finally, you will regularly assess market performance using data-driven analysis, providing insights and recommendations to senior leadership. You will resolve strategic, operational, or product-related issues through structured problem-solving, and proactively manage risks to revenue and delivery. Working across internal teams, you will remove barriers to execution and ensure the successful delivery of market plans.

Please ensure your CV clearly demonstrates the following core and role competencies:

• Managing People
• Finance & Recourse Management
• Commercial & business development
• Experience of managing external senior stakeholders
• Understanding customer needs and ensuring delivery of services to a high standard

Role specific skills

• Expertise in market analysis, revenue forecasting, and performance tracking, with a data-driven approach to decision-making and problem-solving.

Knowledge & Experience:

Minimum / Essential:

• Strong leadership and people management skills, with experience in leading cross-functional teams and matrix organizations.
• Proven experience in a commercial leadership role, with experience delivering business growth and managing P&L for a medium/large market.
• Solid financial acumen, with the ability to manage P&L, make investment decisions, and drive profitability while ensuring cost control.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and build relationships across internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders and government agencies.
• Strong track record in customer experience management, driving customer satisfaction and retention through effective service delivery.

Desirable

• Experience working in international or global markets, particularly in education.
• Knowledge of global / local market dynamics, customer needs, and competitive landscapes in relevant sectors.
• Relevant degree in business, marketing, or a related field

Important information: Candidates must have legal rights to live and work in Pakistan!

Location: Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore or Islamabad

Contract Type: Indefinite contract

Grade: Senior Manager

Closing date for applications: Sunday, 26 April 2026