HEAD OF ARTS, NIGERIA AT BRITISH COUNCIL | HEAD OF ARTS JOBS IN LAGOS

About Company:

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.

Job Description:

The British Council is seeking a visionary Director, Arts to set, enable, and deliver the strategic direction for our Nigeria Arts programme. This is a high-profile leadership role that sits at the intersection of cultural diplomacy, international development, and the creative economy.

You will be the primary architect of our arts vision in Nigeria, fostering a robust exchange between the UK and Nigeria's vibrant creative sectors. Your mission is to provide thought leadership, drive enterprise development, and secure external income to extend the impact of our cultural work. If you are an experienced leader with deep roots in the Nigerian and UK creative ecosystems, we invite you to lead our most ambitious arts portfolio in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Requirements:

1. Strategic & Thematic Leadership

• Programme Vision: Own and deliver the country-wide strategy for arts and creative industries, creating operational plans that align with global British Council objectives.

• Creative Economy Specialism: Support policy development and creative economy leadership through co-creation and co-delivery models between UK and Nigerian stakeholders.

• Thought Leadership: Act as the primary representative for Nigeria Arts, providing expert insights to the regional and global leadership teams.

2. Business Development & Stakeholder Diplomacy

• External Income Generation: Identify and secure new opportunities for external funding and co-investment to scale the impact of our projects.

• Relationship Brokerage: Build and maintain high-level relationships with key players in the Nigerian creative sector, the private sector, and UK-based cultural organizations.

• Partnership Management: Oversee the commissioning and management of high-value consultants and partner organizations to ensure world-class project delivery.

3. Operational Management & Governance

• Financial Stewardship: Take full accountability for financial and non-financial targets, managing the arts budget with precision and transparency.

• Risk & Governance: Manage the governance framework of the Nigeria Arts portfolio, providing monthly and annual assurances to the Country Director and Director Programmes.

• People Leadership: Line-manage and mentor a high-performing team of country colleagues, fostering a culture of excellence and inclusive leadership.

Qualifications and Skills:

Professional Profile

• Education: Degree or Higher Education qualification in a relevant Arts, Cultural, Heritage, or Humanities field.

• Experience: * Proven experience managing large teams or leading a creative organization.

  • Significant experience in Resource Mobilization and raising funding for arts/creative economy projects.

  • Expertise in commissioning and managing complex partnerships.

• Language: Written and spoken English at Proficiency Level.

• Sector IQ: In-depth knowledge of both the UK and Nigerian creative sectors, with a specific focus on Creative Economy policy.

Desirable Assets

• Experience delivering arts programmes in more than one country in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• An innovative approach to using digital and social media to engage global audiences.

• Experience navigating both large-scale institutional and medium-sized creative organizations.

Salary

Application Closing Date: 18th February, 2026

Application Instructions:

Click the button below to apply.

Note: We request that applications be submitted in English