View Vacancy - Regional Inclusion Advisor

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)
RCSH (Regional Corporate Service Hubs)

The British Embassy in Muscat has a vacancy for a Regional Inclusion Advisor (RIA), job Grade 7 (G7).

The role is also open in Abu Dhabi. Applicants should only apply once to their preferred job location.

This role is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to one of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) top priorities – to promote inclusion and positive/ pro-social behaviours, and prevent and reduce bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

The purpose of the role is to

  • Create safe spaces for leaders and teams to raise issues, identify gaps, and change;
  • Provide subject matter expertise in the areas of inclusion, dignity and respect at work, workplace conflict management and resolution, inclusive leadership, and the prevention and reduction of anti-social behaviours (bullying, harassment, discrimination);
  • Engage with professional networks to stay abreast of research and evidence to contribute to innovative inclusion practices;
  • Draw on qualitative and quantitative data to identify needs, shape interventions to track progress.

The jobholder will support the overseas network to enhance performance and improve employee experience through leading, promoting, and building a diverse and inclusive workplace culture where people can be at their best and contribute fully.

This role has a primarily regional focus in Middle East and North Africa (MENA), but the jobholder will also provide input at global level drawing on themes, trends, needs, and learning in the region. The role will provide subject matter expertise that supports the development of global inclusion models, frameworks and resources.

The role facilitates the delivery of the FCDO Inclusion Framework. The successful candidate will engage strategically and influence leaders and stakeholders to improve employee experience in the FCDO through the promotion of inclusion and reduction and prevention of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

The jobholder will be line managed by the Dignity and Respect Team Leader in the Inclusion Unit, and they will work closely with the London-based HR Business Partner team, the Regional HR Hub Head, and the International Academy (IA). This role is part of a distributed team working globally and flexibility is essential to connect with the team and support posts across the region. Some regional travel may be required to build relationships with staff and leadership in posts in the regional network.

 

Duties and responsibilities:

Regional responsibilities

- Implementation

  • Organisational development and culture: working with leaders and groups and provide strategic consultancy support to Posts/ Missions to work towards sustainable change. Facilitate process work with Posts and support the delivery of inclusion and people plans and strategies with Posts and teams in the region. Where appropriate, deliver workshops, training, and facilitate learning and development on inclusion, bullying, harassment, and discrimination and related topics. Emphasise outcome-focused delivery.
  • Stakeholder management and coaching: working as a strategic partner/ coach, develop and advise leaders and managers on inclusive leadership. Strengthen the capability of Managers and leaders throughout the region to address barriers to inclusion and drive a culture of inclusion, dignity, and respect.
  • Conflict resolution and employee relations: support a culture of conflict competence and informal resolution of issues, e.g., through promoting informal resolution options such as mediation, conflict coaching, and dialogue. Where strategic and appropriate, support the delivery of conflict resolution interventions in Posts. Deliver professional advice to leaders and managers in Posts, and work with HR teams to ensure fairness in decision-making in accordance with FCDO practice; in partnership with HR teams, anticipate and advise on potential employee relations issues business appropriate employee relations strategies for individual posts.
  • Inclusion thought-leadership: provide good practice advice, guidance, materials and resources to teams and posts and regional colleagues on inclusion, bullying, harassment and discrimination, employee experience, healthy work relationships, conflict and related topics.

- Design and development

  • Based on diagnostic findings, provide consultative advice to stakeholders regarding options, working collaboratively with the post and other teams on appropriate interventions, including the means by which impact will be assessed.
  • Develop and co-own Organisational Development processes along with Post Heads, leaders and other stakeholders, to support culture change.

- Analysis

  • Participatory diagnosis and assessment – use participatory methodologies (such as focus groups) to facilitate collective understanding and ownership of plans, strategies and interventions.
  • Collect and analyse relevant data, refer to internal and external research, evidence, and good practice in assessment.
  • Identify culturally relevant options to build on strengths and identify gaps, with reference to FCDO strategy and the Inclusion Framework.

- Monitoring and evaluation: Undertake ongoing review of impact against KPIs, e.g., a reduction of negative outcomes associated with bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Apply results of monitoring and evaluation process to revised delivery options.

Global responsibilities

- Design and development

  • Provide advice and input as required on global interventions to promote inclusion in the network, and prevent and reduce bullying, harassment, and discrimination.
  • Advise on and support the design of global inclusion models, toolkits, and frameworks in response to global needs, drawing on an internal and external evidence base such as internal data.

- Analysis

  • Provide advice on the collection of global inclusion and people-related data for monitoring and evaluation, particularly on conflict, bullying, harassment, and discrimination.
  • Support analysis of quantitative and qualitative regional and global data, such as people survey data and leavers’ data.
  • Share relevant regional themes, trends, learning and needs with Inclusion Unit and other global HR teams as needed.

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:

The candidate will need to demonstrate the following competencies and the values of who we are during the interview:

  • Leadership - Show pride and passion for public service. Create and engage others in delivering a shared vision. Value difference, diversity and inclusion, ensuring fairness and opportunity for all.
  • Changing and Improving - Seeking out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement. Reviewing ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback.
  • 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.

Our Values:

Wherever we work in the world, we share a set of values that guides our decision-making, sets standards for our behaviour and helps us deliver the UK's national interest internationally.

These values are underpinned by the UK Civil Service values (Integrity, Honesty, Objectivity, Impartiality) and complemented by values all One HMG colleagues bring from their own department, service or administration.

The role suits someone who can understand the culture and context, through careful and considered participatory analysis, analyse the situation, and advise on actions. Experience of managing a diverse and dispersed group of stakeholders and working with multicultural and multilingual teams and groups are required. Strong intercultural/ cultural awareness and conflict resolution skills are also necessary for this role.

A proven track record in employee relations, organisational development, and leadership development is essential, along with the strategic decision-making skills, sound judgement, and an ability to work autonomously.

The successful candidate must be able to work at pace and be highly proactive to maximise impact. Establishing a knowledge of good practice from within the FCDO, the Civil Service, and in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) field more broadly will be important from the outset to provide professional advice to senior colleagues and influence organisational change.

The role also needs highly developed interpersonal skills to be able to build rapport, establish trust, and confidence with others, including senior members of staff, and advantage relationships in order to address problems before they escalate. The scope of action required will include advising on solutions to implement for specific complex casework (e.g., investigation, mediation, organisational development, etc.) ensuring there is coherence across actions. The jobholder must have excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken, to be able to communicate effectively with people at all organisational levels and come up with suitable solutions.

Degree-level education in Human Resources, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), Learning and Development, Organisational Development, or related field is also essential for this role.

The successful candidate will also have strong IT skills and proficiency in using MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook) and web-based applications.

Professional certification in HR (CIPD or equivalent) is highly desirable. Previous experience of working in and/ or knowledge of the cultural landscape in the GCC/ MENA region is advantageous but not required.
Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Leadership
9 December 2022
Grade 7 (G7)
Fixed Term, Full-time
38
36 months
Middle East & North Africa
Oman
Muscat
British Embassy
1
OMR
1,790.789
20 February 2023

Eligibility:

  1. The successful candidate must hold or must be able to secure a local work permit in Muscat.
  2. The British Embassy provides visa Sponsorship. The successful candidate will be required to transfer their visa under the Embassy's sponsorship. 

 

Working Conditions and Remuneration:

The Embassy offers an attractive working environment and remuneration package for the role, including a non-negotiable salary of 1,790.789 Omani Riyals per month inclusive of all allowances; and use of on-site recreational facilities including a swimming pool and social club. There are no other allowances payable as part of this package. No accommodation and relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position.

This position is for a full-time employment, on a permanent contract subject to a 3-month probationary period.

Conditioned working hours are 35 hours per week. Standard working hours are 0730 to 1430 Sunday to Thursday. However, the successful candidate may sometimes be required to work outside normal working hours.

This role can be based in either Muscat or Abu Dhabi but will cover the entire MENA region, and will involve travel within the region and to the UK for business purposes. The successful candidate must be able to secure visas for these countries.

Holiday entitlement is 30 days per year (pro-rated) following successful completion of a 3-month probation period. Holidays that have already been booked will be honoured. There are also national holidays determined annually by the Embassy, which usually total 14 days per year.

Employment in the advertised position is dependent on the potential employee having or acquiring valid UK security clearance. Security clearances can take several weeks to process. Inability to obtain a clearance will preclude employment. Loss of a security clearance at any time will lead to termination of employment.

How to apply:

Interested candidates must include in their application form 1) an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) and 2) a covering letter/ motivation essay stating how you meet the requirements of the role and specific examples of how you meet the key behaviours required (Leadership, Changing and Improving, Seeing the Big Picture).

Applications that do not include this information will not be considered.

Closing date of receiving applications is on 09 December 2022 by 23:55 (Muscat local time).

Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered. Telephone applications and enquiries will not be accepted. 

 

Process:

The recruitment process, including security clearance, is expected to take around two months.

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 and reference checks. 

The successful applicant's employment will only be confirmed after the completion of any security clearance/checks. The checks can take several weeks to complete and the applicant will only be employed if the UK security clearance is granted. 

 

The British Embassy Muscat is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference.  Staffs recruited locally by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of service according to local Muscat Employment Law.

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.