View Vacancy - AUH - Cultural Affairs Officer (EO)

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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles)
Chancery

The British Embassy Abu Dhabi has a vacancy for a Cultural Affairs Officer on a fixed-term contract for two (2) years.

The jobholder will work closely with wider Embassy teams in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the British Council, VisitBritain, Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), and Department for Education (DfE) to develop and drive forward the Embassy’s soft power agenda. They will help to manage events and drive forward engagement on priority soft power issues, in particular focussing on the Embassy’s cultural agenda.

Whilst the role is based in Abu Dhabi, the jobholder will be required to visit the Embassy in Dubai, subject to COVID-19 restrictions and to operational needs. 

 

Duties and responsibilities:

As Cultural Affairs Officer, you will be responsible for delivering the Embassy’s Soft Power Strategy, in line with the Country Business Plan objectives. You will need to build strong relationships with external stakeholders to promote the UK and all it has to offer in areas of culture, media, sport, education, tourism, values, heritage, and language. You will need to provide insight into the UAE and how UK and UAE objectives align, writing reports and spotting opportunities for collaboration.

You will identify opportunities and develop an innovative and varied programme of events that promote the bilateral relationship and the UK (e.g., heavy involvement in the Queen’s Birthday Party, which takes place annually). Often working to tight deadlines, you will source appropriate venues and suppliers to deliver top quality events, ensuring value for money, seeking feedback, and always improving events.

You will deliver a range of off-site and on-site events (e.g., at the Ambassador’s Residence), working closely with the Executive Office, Chancery, wider Embassy teams, as well as the Residence and Estates Teams to ensure events run smoothly and Her Majesty’s Ambassador (HMA) and Deputy Head of Mission (DHM) are supported. This will require flexible working and some evening work.

You will also maintain a database of relevant cultural contacts and event venues and manage the soft power events budget, ensuring full compliance with financial reporting responsibilities and procurement rules.

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any other response to a crisis affecting UK citizens. 

 

Key behaviours required:

  • Seeing the Big Picture - Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider Civil Service priorities and ensure work is in the national interest.
  • Making Effective Decisions - Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.
  • Working Together - Forming effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds; sharing information, resources, and support.
  • Managing a Quality Service - Delivering service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
  • Communicating and Influencing - Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
  • Delivering at Pace - Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

The ideal candidate will have

  • Previous relevant experience in events management planning and delivery, along with an awareness of soft power issues, a good knowledge of the UAE and the ability to implement soft power themes through events. Previous relevant experience in events management, planning, and delivery in the Middle East will be highly regarded.
  • Excellent interpersonal, organisational, customer handling, and communication skills.
  • Ability to work autonomously and have strong planning and self-management skills.
  • Excellent organisational skills, with proven ability to plan and prioritise tasks.
  • Experience of working in a team.
  • Customer-focused approach and confidence to interact effectively with a range of stakeholders, including governmental.
  • Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely.
  • Ability to anticipate and solve problems, pay close attention to detail, be able to think strategically to spot opportunities and plan large-scale events.
  • Strong IT skills, including proficiency in MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
  • Holds at least a bachelor’s degree.
  • Arabic language skills (both written and spoken).
  • Project management experience would be useful for planning large-scale events.
  • Experience in resource or budget management will be an advantage.
Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
6 July 2022
Executive Officer (EO)
Fixed Term, Full-time
38
24 months
Middle East & North Africa
United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi
British Embassy
1
AED
14,059
29 August 2022

The Embassy aims to offer an attractive working environment and remuneration package for this role, including: 25 days of leave per annum; on-site swimming pool, gym, and sports facilities (subject to COVID-19 restrictions).

Salary is at AED 14,059 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.

Effective 01 January 2022, the Embassy will be open from Monday to Friday, from 07:30 to 18:00. Conditioned working hours are 38 hours per week (including breaks), and specific working hours for this role will be confirmed at a later time.

The successful candidate should be flexible in their approach to hours worked as these will also be dictated by operational needs and may involve working out of hours, especially during events and visits. Flexible working arrangements may be considered based on operational requirements and agreement with the line manager, and in line with FCDO and Embassy policies.

Whilst the role is based in Abu Dhabi, the jobholder will be required to visit the Embassy in Dubai, subject to COVID-19 restrictions and to operational needs.

The successful candidate will be required to transfer their visa under the Embassy's sponsorship.

How to apply:

Interested candidates must attach 1) an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) and 2) a covering letter to their online application form.

Your application must also include examples of when you have demonstrated the required behaviours in the Behaviours Questions section of the online application form.

Closing date for applications is at 11:55 PM UAE local time on 06 July 2022.

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 step of the recruitment process will be contacted. Assessments and/ or interviews will be done remotely if the existing situation determines this to be the right course of action.

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 an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.