GBS Operations Head

British Council

Department:

Location:

Contract:

Apply by:

Interview window:

salary

This role is open to applicants who already have the legal right to work in India at the time of application. Relocation and visa sponsorship are not available. The British Council supports flexible working, including hybrid arrangements, subject to line manager approval and operational requirements.

Role Context

The Global Business Services (GBS) Operations Head will oversee the delivery of Professional Services operations managed by GBS, ensuring effective, efficient, and compliant service delivery across Finance, HR, D&T, and Procurement. This role will be responsible for operational performance, governance, escalation management, and driving continuous improvement and transformation initiatives. Reporting to the GBS Head (and temporarily to the GBS Office and Capabilities Head), the position will play a key role in modernising the British Council’s Professional Services portfolio and strengthening relationships with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) in alignment with industry best practices.

GBS will act as the central governance and management body, accountable for operational delivery, contract management, and performance reporting, while coordinating closely with Professional Services SROs and corporate functions such as Procurement and Legal. Together, they will ensure robust governance, supplier relationship management, compliance with Public Procurement Regulations, and implementation of approved change and transformation initiatives to drive service excellence and efficiency across the organisation.

Main responsibilities

The Global Business Services (GBS) Operations Head will be responsible for formulating and executing the operations delivery strategy in partnership with functional leadership, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and industry best practices. The role will provide strategic and operational leadership across all in-scope Professional Services workstreams, overseeing performance delivery, quality management, and continuous improvement. It will include leading and developing a high-performing operations team, managing cross-functional delivery plans, and ensuring fulfilment of all service commitments (SLAs/KPIs) through effective governance, troubleshooting, and escalation management.

This role will also focus on building and maintaining strong relationships with internal stakeholders and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to ensure seamless coordination and service excellence. The position will be accountable for transparent performance reporting, risk management, and compliance with regulatory and audit requirements, while promoting a culture of accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence within GBS.

Role-Specific Skills

• Ability to set-up up strategic and tactical goals for performance and growth
• Ability to influence a diverse cross-functional senior leadership team
• Financial planning, decision making and problem-solving skills
• Analytical and strategic mindset
• Ability and passion to build and empower effective teams
• Outstanding communication and negotiation skills
• Analytical mindset and problem-solving aptitude

Role specific knowledge and experience

Minimum/essential

• Proven experience leading operations in a large organisation preferably in a leadership role
• Understanding of operations delivery in business functions such as HR, Finance, D&T (IT) and Procurement. In depth experience in running the operations in at least one area is a must
• Prior experience of managing a large managed services contract in an operations role with a partner/vendor organisation
• Broad knowledge of the delivery functions in scope for GBS and their interfaces with the business / customers of professional services

Education and Professional Qualification

Certification in lean/ six-sigma will be considered an advantage

Language Requirements

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