Person Specification s18
Role Profile
Job Title / Newton Programme Manager, PhilippinesRegion / East Asia / Department/Country / Philippines
Location of post / Manila / Pay Band / 7 / F
Reports to / Head of Education, Philippines / Duration of job / Initially 12 months with the option to extend
Purpose of job:
To lead the planning, stakeholder engagement, and initial implementation and monitoring of the British Council Newton Fund programmes in the Philippines.
Context and environment:
In December 2013 the UK Government announced the establishment of a new £375 million five-year Emerging Powers Research and Innovation Fund, to promote scientific capacity building in emerging economies on a match-funding basis. The Fund forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment and its primary purpose is to use science and innovation to promote the economic development and welfare of partner countries. The Philippines has been included within the list of countries to benefit from the Fund.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) which manages the fund for the UK government, has appointed the British Council as one of the main delivery partners of the Fund, and approved six programmes under the British Council offer:
· PhD Programme (including scholarships, placements and PhD partnerships, to be managed in partnership with Research Councils UK (RCUK))
· Researcher Links – workshops and travel grants (as part of an overarching researcher mobility strand with the Academies)
· Institutional Links – higher value awards to stimulate partnerships at the group, department or institutional level (as part of the overarching Research and Innovation Collaboration programme with RCUK and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB))
· Professional Development and Engagement (including skills training for researchers, support for research governance and management, and community engagement in research)
· STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education
· Technical Training and Employability
In the Philippines we will be running the PhD Programme, Researcher Links and Professional Development and Engagement in the first year, with the potential option to include other areas subsequently dependent on demand.
The British Council Newton Team consists of a central Programme Management Team (based in the UK) and country officers based in each of the Newton Fund countries.
Accountabilities, responsibilities and main duties:
To lead the partner discussions, planning and initial implementation and monitoring of the British Council Newton Fund programme in the Philippines. This will include:
Programme Scoping / Planning
· Consult with Country Newton Team (Science & Innovation Network (SIN) / British Embassy) to confirm national priorities identified under the Fund, and agree approach to potential match funders.
· Consult with country stakeholders on British Council programmes and identify potential match funders
· Negotiate partner commitments to the match-funding obligations on a programme level.
· Discuss programme requirements with partner funders, and negotiate details of the programmes within the framework set out by the central British Council Newton Programme manager (e.g. agree national priorities for calls, any country specific eligibility requirements for calls; agree in-country selection process, etc.)
· Work with British Council Newton Programme Team to produce a country plan for British Council Newton activity
· Work with SIN / British Embassy to ensure British Council relationships and activity is complementary to other activity within the Newton Fund
· Support other Newton Fund delivery partners to build relationships with key in-country stakeholders
Programme Implementation
· Work with SIN and national partners to publicise the opportunities available under the Fund in country (including those offered by other delivery partners).
· Participate in relevant fora / events in the Philippines, e.g. donors’ meetings, sector conferences, to promote awareness of the Fund and to ensure its coherence with other initiatives.
· Continue to explore / maximise opportunities for the leveraging of national co-funding for the programme, e.g. with corporates. For example, corporate sponsorship of individual workshops
· Support UK and national stakeholders to engage with British Council programmes
· Agree necessary MOUs / operational alliance agreements with partner funders
· Attend regular progress meetings with the British Council Newton Programme Team (by teleconference, with an initial face to face kick off meeting in September 2014)
· Manage country specific elements of the British Council Newton programme (with support from British Council Newton Programme Team). This could include: drafting terms of reference for consultancy/training opportunities; establishing country selection panels; drafting country specific calls for activity under the professional development, STEM Education and Technical Training strands, etc.
· Negotiate and issue contracts (based on the global template) to beneficiaries in the Philippines.
· Oversee organisation of events and meetings under the programme (e.g. workshops, roundtable discussions, delegation visits to the UK, etc.)
· Maintain financial oversight and responsibility for the country Newton budget and ensure that plans on SAP are robust and up to date.
· Line management of Pay Band 6 Newton Delivery Officer
Programme Monitoring
· Monitor the progress of the country programme for the Philippines, including the progress of individual activities, and raise any issues of concern with the British Council Newton Programme Team
· Monitor and gather assurance for the fulfilment of match-funding obligations, in line with commitments agreed for each activity, and for the programme in the Philippines overall.
· Ensure that any matched funding (on-books, off books partnership, or off books in-kind contribution) is recorded appropriately on SAP ahead of corporate deadlines
· Contribute to programme reports and reviews as required by the British Council Newton Programme Team.
· Contribute to the effective marketing and communications of the Fund’s achievements, in collaboration with the British Council Newton Programme Team and SIN / British Embassy in the Philippines.
· Organise relevant review meetings with national stakeholders in the Philippines.
Key external relationships:
· SIN / BIS / UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) / British Embassy
· Department of Science & Technology (DOST) and associated agencies
· Other Newton Delivery partners (RCUK, Academies, TSB where relevant)
· Science and innovation stakeholders in the Philippines
· Research universities in the Philippines
· Science / education media in the Philippines
· Relevant corporates
Key internal relationships
· Country Director, Philippines
· Head of Education, Philippines
· Director Science
· Newton Programme Manager
Other important features or requirements of the job
Some national and international travel. Some evening and weekend working remunerated with overtime payments or TOIL.
Please specify any passport/visa and/or nationality requirement. / Must be able to work in the Philippines
Please indicate if any security or legal checks are required for this role. / Criminal Records Bureau checks or local equivalent
Person Specification
Essential / Desirable / Assessment stageBehaviours / Creating shared purpose Creating energy and clarity so that people want to work purposefully together (more demanding)
Connecting with others Actively appreciating the needs and concerns of myself and others (more demanding)
Working together Ensuring that others benefit as well as me (more demanding)
Being accountable Putting the needs of the team or British Council ahead of my own (more demanding)
Making it happen Challenging myself and others to deliver and measure better results (more demanding)
Shaping the future Exploring ways in which we can add more value (more demanding) / The following behaviours will be tested at interview:
Shaping the future
Making it happen
Skills and Knowledge / Business management and development (level 2)
Project and contract management (level 2)
Communications (level 2) / Financial planning and management (level 2)
Marketing and customer service (level 2) / Short-listing and interview
Experience / Experience of working with governmental and non-governmental organisations / Experience of working with science / research organisations / Short-listing and interview
Qualifications / Relevant university degree or equivalent experience / Science qualification / Short-listing
Submitted by / Nick Thomas / Date / 24 June 2014
1 of 4 Resourcing team November 2010