View Vacancy - AUH - Executive Assistant (EO)

The British Embassy Abu Dhabi has a vacancy for an Executive Assistant on a fixed-term contract for three (3) years.

This is a busy and challenging role at the heart of HMG’s work in the UAE. It requires excellent communication, collaboration, customer and delivery focus; strong organisation, discretion, and the ability to problem-solve; and the ability to help shape and structure longer-term improvements.

The successful candidate will oversee and deliver provision of Executive Assistant support to His Majesty’s Ambassador (HMA) and the Deputy Head of Mission (DHM) in Abu Dhabi and to the Deputy Consul General (DCG) in Dubai, providing them with a high-level service to enable them to fulfil their roles as effectively as possible both inside and outside the Embassy. 

The jobholder will act as the key interface with a range of key partners and stakeholders. Internally, this includes the office of His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) and Consul General, as well as a wide range of HMG teams. Externally, this includes the most senior Emirati government and other contacts, Diplomatic Missions, businesses and the British community locally, as well as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other UK government departments in London.

The Executive Support function will sit at the heart of a newly-expanded Central Team, akin to a Private Office and Secretariat. This team will provide and coordinate enhanced strategic support to the UAE Senior Leadership Team (SLT) across a variety of issues: Post strategy and leadership; governance and oversight of delivery; coordination of external engagement and hospitality; corporate culture and change management. All are critical to further embedding our vision of ‘one mission, two posts’ in the UAE.

The jobholder and the Executive Support function as a whole—responsible as it is for planning and organising how our senior leadership use their time and for helping to make connections between teams and to join up processes across our platform—will make an important contribution to the design and successful implementation of the new approach.

Duties and responsibilities:

- Delivery of Executive Support function

• Strategic diary management and forward planning, working hand-in-glove with HMTC’s Private Office, Political Section, Corporate Services (CS), Residence and other teams on the platform to plan and organise internal and external meetings;
• Build, maintain, and use relationships with the offices of senior external stakeholders (Government Ministers and officials; Ambassadors; C-suite level business contacts), representing the Embassy and HMG appropriately in your interactions;
• Internal dissemination of forward diary commitments for HMA, DHM and DCG, with coordination and collation of objectives, attendees and any required briefing from Embassy teams;
• Management and improvement of central Contacts database;
• Contribute to improving key cross-cutting processes and systems, e.g. external engagement, events and hospitality and visits, to the benefit of all HMG teams;
• Administration and management of HMA’s/ DHM’s office, with support to DCG as well as wider Chancery where required;
• Oversee management of correspondence, organisation of travel and accommodation;
• Oversee recording of gift register entries in line with FCDO policy;
• Monitor and keep a record of representational and entertainment expenditure, providing forecasts as required;
• Line management of one (1) Administrative Officer (AO).

- Set up of new network Central Team

• Working with the new head of team, help to develop and implement the purpose, objectives and ways of working of new central team;
• Ensure Executive Support function, as part of new team, helps to ensure further join-up and coherence of our network’s external outreach and internal delivery;
• Role model and help embed clear, collaborative and agile ways of working.

- Wider corporate activity

• Help provide secretariat support, including invitations, agendas, and minutes for internal committees and governance meetings;
• Participate in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any response to a crisis affecting UK citizens.

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required.

Key behaviours required:

• Making Effective Decisions - Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.
• Communicating and Influencing - Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
• Working Together - Forming effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds; sharing information, resources, and support.
• Delivering at Pace - Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

Eligibility:

• The successful applicant will be required to obtain the necessary security clearance. Higher clearances can be granted only to certain nationalities. For this reason, candidates must be of UK, US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or EU nationality in order to gain the level of clearance required for this role.
• Applications will only be considered from those who are currently residing in the UAE and with a current and valid UAE residence visa. Applicants will be asked to provide evidence of their UAE residence visa/ Emirates ID as part of their application.
• Applicants must be available in a full time capacity.
• Applicants must be able to obtain a valid UAE police clearance certificate.

• Previous experience as a Personal Assistant or Executive Assistant to a senior leader in a large organisation or with a government body.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Able to maintain a range of contacts to build effective working relationships, and work closely with senior staff and their contacts.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills. Ability to work quickly and reliably with limited supervision, and able to prioritise a heavy workload and meet deadlines without compromising the quality of the work.
• Initiative to solve problems, raise matters of concern, and understand competing priorities. Ability to work rigorously and independently and make judgement calls on when to use own initiative to deal directly with enquiries and seek guidance where necessary.
• Demonstrates courtesy and consideration in dealing with stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely.
• Strong IT skills, including proficiency in MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).