View Vacancy - AUH - UKVI Regional Secretariat B3(L)
The British Embassy Abu Dhabi has a vacancy for a Regional Secretariat under UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
The Secretariat role is an important role in UKVI’s Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, Pakistan, and Turkey (MENACAPT) region, drafting submissions and briefings whilst also providing support to the Senior Management Team and working closely with Private Offices in the UK. Given the nature of the role, it requires a self-starter with an ability to write effectively and deliver at pace.
Key tasks include:
- Co-ordinating and drafting urgent submissions/ advice on behalf of the Director/ Regional Managers;
- Responding to media queries and requests for briefing, including liaising with operational areas including overseas posts where necessary;
- Building knowledge of specific areas within UKVI, being the first point of contact for both the Director/ Regional Managers and business areas on these;
- Understanding the Director’s/ Regional Manager’s priorities in these areas and ensuring progress is driven and monitored in line with these;
- Developing and maintaining core briefings and documentation for your portfolio area;
- Being a central point of contact for V&C for colleagues within UKVI, across other Home Office commands, (e.g., Immigration Enforcement and Border Force), corporate areas, and Other Government Departments;
- Providing Secretariat support to the UKVI RMT and related meetings – including, but not limited to, minutes, decisions, tracking of progress;
- Corporate responsibilities such as the UKVI Business Continuity Plan;
- Regional travel each quarter.
Key competencies required:
- Seeing the Big Picture - Having an in-depth understanding and knowledge of how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives and the wider public needs. Focusing your contribution on activities which will meet the organisation’s goals and deliver the greatest value.
- Leading and Communicating - Leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction, and enthusiasm, and managing and engaging with people with honesty and integrity. Managing and engaging with people with honesty and integrity, and upholding the reputation of the organisation.
- Delivering at Pace - Focusing on delivering timely performance with energy and taking responsibility and accountability for quality outcomes. Working to agreed goals and activities and dealing with challenges in a responsive and constructive way.
- Experience of writing briefings/ submissions for senior officials
- Experience of UK visa decision making within the last 12 months
- Good awareness of political sensitivities, and ability to see the bigger picture when considering individual issues
- Cross functional relationship building is paramount, as the role involves working with, and influencing, individuals not directly under their control
- Highly organised with excellent attention to detail
- Ability to multi-task, manage a varied workload, prioritise effectively and react quickly and calmly to changing circumstances
- Ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision, identifying key issues and taking action quickly
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. Able to tailor approach to different audiences and comfortable working directly with senior colleagues
- Strong interpersonal, time management and problem solving skills
- Comfortable with collaborating and coordinating with different teams and grades to drive required decisions
The Embassy aims to offer an attractive working environment and remuneration package for this role, including: 25 days of annual leave per annum, on-site parking and on-site swimming pool, gymnasium, and sports facilities.
Salary is at AED 13,743 per month.
There are no other allowances payable as part of this package. No accommodation and relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position.
Conditioned working hours are 38 hours per week. Standard working hours are from 07:30 to 15:06, including a lunch break of 36 minutes, from Sunday to Thursday.
The role will require regional travel within the MENACAPT area – Amman, Istanbul, Riyadh and Islamabad. This will involve being away from home for 3-4 days at a time.
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 British, American, Australian, Canadian, or New Zealand nationality in order to gain the level of clearance required for this role.
How to apply:
Interested candidates must attach the following documents along with their online application form:
- A covering letter (maximum of 400 words) as to why you believe you would be suitable for the role.
- An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Your application must also include examples of when you have demonstrated the competencies outlined above in the cover letter or in the Motivation section of the application form. Applications that do not include this information will not be considered.
Closing date for applications is at 11:55 PM (UAE local time) on 26 February 2019.
Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered.
Process:
The recruitment process, including security clearance, is expected to take around two months.
Due to the large number of applications we receive, only those shortlisted for the next stage of the recruitment process will be contacted. Those contacted for an interview will be required to do a presentation, details of which will be provided closer to the date of the interview.
The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.
The British Embassy Abu Dhabi is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce, and valuing difference.
This opportunity is closed to applications.