View Vacancy - SRR - Government Relations Manager (EO)

The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Government Relations Manager, job grade Executive Officer (EO), for a fixed-term contract of two (2) years.

This is a busy and challenging role enabling His Majesty’s Government’s (HMG) work in KSA. It requires excellent communication, collaboration, and customer focus as well as organisation, discretion, sensitivity, and the ability to problem-solve as well as to help shape longer-term improvements.

The jobholder will oversee and deliver on behalf of all Embassy staff all documentary elements required to effectively work and live in KSA. Whilst inheriting a range of tasks, there will be emphasis on improvement and refinement.

This role is designed to bring together all work strands relating to managing all Embassy staff into one team that will oversee the full life cycle of staff working at the Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah. This will include all staff services encompassing Diplomatic and KSA IDs; business travel; vehicle/ driving licences; on-boarding/ off-boarding; and guidance to UK Based (UKB) staff on local policies and process.

To do this effectively, the jobholder will need to work with a range of partners within the Embassy, as well a number of external partners, including but not exclusively the MOI, MFA, and DQ authorities, and our like-minded embassies. Given the breadth and variation of the role, a strong sense of organisation will be required to build and manage processes, which compete for time. In order to effectively achieve this, the jobholder will have a small team who will require management and leadership to build a cohesive team that is forward looking, proactive and transparent.

Whilst the role is based in Riyadh, the jobholder will be required to visit the British Consulate General in Jeddah based on operational requirements. 

Duties and responsibilities:

The jobholder will lead a team in delivering facilitation services and providing guidance and advice to Embassy and partner organisation staff members. They will ensure progress is made against objectives and key tasks delivered. This role has a high focus on continuous improvement.

Specific responsibilities include

• Smoothly on-board all new starters as quickly as possible, keeping new starters and mangers/ department informed of process.
• Provide ongoing support to staff on the platform, ensuring they have relevant documentation, access to guidance, and relevant support to ensure smooth running of the business.
• Oversight of Government Relations Office (GRO) functions, providing timely updates on work streams and delivery against SLAs.
• Management and leadership of team to deliver against objectives. Ensure there is a clear vision and direction for the team (composed of two people). Role model and help embed clear, collaborative, and agile ways of working.
• Maintain effective records and use data smartly and in accordance with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) to remove double handling and better utilise resource.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with key partners, helping to deliver key objectives.
• Oversee and ensure key guidance and documentation is updated and readily available to all staff.
• Assist the Visits Teams with protocol elements of VVIP and VIP visits.
• Respond to exceptional cases in a measured and control way, without impacting on core operations.
• Provide relevant advice to the Deputy Head of Mission (DHM), Director of Corporate Services, and Deputy Director of Corporate Services, as necessary.
• Work with Corporate Services (CS) management to help develop and implement the purpose, objectives, and ways of working of the team. 

The above list is not exhaustive, and the jobholder will be required to be flexible as specific responsibilities could change in the future and this would be at the discretion of the line manager. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs. The jobholder may also take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any other response to a crisis. 

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.
• Changing and Improving - Seek out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement. Review ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback.
• Delivering at Pace - Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive. 

Eligibility:

The position is available to Saudi nationals and to current holders of valid Saudi residence permits or transferable iqama. The successful candidate will be required to transfer their sponsorship to the British Embassy/ Consulate General.

• Experience of working with Saudi administration and good knowledge of the Saudi visa system, ideally from previous experience working as Protocol/ Government Relations Officer/ Manager, preferably in a major multinational company or in another embassy/ foreign diplomatic mission or equivalent.
• Excellent communication skills in Arabic and English, both verbal and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication (will be evaluated at interview).
• Holds a clean and valid Saudi driving license.
• Experience of managing a small team. Ability to drive delivery of outcomes and overcome obstacles, especially when working with and through others.
• Resourcefulness in solving problems and demonstrates good judgement. Ability to respond quickly and flexibly to meet multiple and changing priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a strong customer focus. Able to maintain a range of contacts to build effective working relationships and work well with staff and teams within the Network.
• Demonstrates courtesy and consideration in dealing with all stakeholders. Able to show discretion in handling any sensitive matters, with the trust of all involved.
• A confident communicator with excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to influence and engage at all levels internally and with external stakeholders.
• Flexible, resilient, decisive, and calm under pressure, with a proven track record of delivering results to a high standard within tight deadlines whilst maintaining attention to detail.
• Strong IT computer skills and in using MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams), particularly Excel which will be used for recording data and producing reports.