View Vacancy - AUH - Head of Communications (HEO)

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. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles)
Communications, Press and Media

The British Embassy in Abu Dhabi has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Head of Communications, job grade Higher Executive Officer (HEO), to head the British Embassy’s Communications Team. This is for a fixed-term contract of three (3) years. 

The jobholder will develop and deliver the Embassy’s strategic communications strategy, working across all Embassy teams. The jobholder will lead the British Embassy’s engagement with Emirati and international print, radio, television, and social media to promote the policies of the Government of the United Kingdom in the UAE, and to support the work of the UK’s diplomatic network in the UAE.

The FCDO is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We do not discriminate on any basis, including categories protected by law. In keeping with the FCDO’s commitment to disability inclusion in the workplace, hiring managers must incorporate the principles set out in the FCDO Disability Confident scheme job applications in the CBS recruitment process.  Our CBS are recruited by Missions in-country in line with local employment laws.

Duties and responsibilities

  1. Leadership of the UK in UAE’s approach to external communications [20%]: You will develop and oversee delivery of a wide-ranging communications strategy, incorporating all aspects of the UK’s objectives in the UAE. Shaping public messaging and providing real time advice on a daily basis on how to best convey UK policy to local audiences in the UAE.
  2. Leading a high-performing team of two to deliver communications activity across our posts in Abu Dhabi and Dubai [20%]: Delivering campaigns with local and international partners. This will include campaigns on all areas of UK priorities in the UAE. This could include everything from women’s empowerment to youth engagement, from consular communications campaigns around major events, to encouraging Emiratis to study in the UK
  3. Ensuring the provision of quality communications support [20%]: Particularly to His Majesty’s Ambassador and for visits to the UAE by UK ministers, royalty, and other VIPs, and similarly support communications around visits to the UK by high profile UAE stakeholders.
  4. Providing high quality communications advice, analysis, and insight [20%] across the embassy, building understanding of growing narratives and ensuring wider awareness of key issues.
  5. Building a strong network of UAE based media contacts [10%]: To facilitate the delivery of the communications strategy and approach.
  6. Support the Embassy’s response to any crises and other tasks as required [10%] through delivery of communications advice and contributions to wider team working, including through building the capacity of wider crisis communications teams members. Undertake other tasks as required by the Embassy.

Resources Managed

  • 1 x Social media and Digital Officer (EO)
  • 1 x Media Officer (EO)

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:

  • Communicating and Influencing: Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity, and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses, and opinions of others.
  • 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.
  • Managing a Quality Service: Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise, and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
  • 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.

Eligibility:

Applicants must be able to obtain an appropriate level of UK Security Clearance and be able to obtain a valid UAE police clearance certificate. 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 and maintain the level of clearance required. 

  • At least five (5) years of professional communications experience, ideally in government or for a communications agency delivering impactful and wide-scale communications.
  • Top-level communications skills. Native speaker or mother tongue level of communication skills in English. Confidence to express ideas clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication.  Be able to produce high quality communications materials for the British Embassy, including drafting speeches, press release and articles.
  • Credibility and personal impact to engage with senior stakeholders. Ability to act as the leading contact for UAE-based media, cultivating strong relationships with media partners.
  • Personal initiative, drive and ability to work both independently and as a part of a team.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and a team player with willingness to work across boundaries. Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with contacts and colleagues.
  • Strong attention to detail. Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines, without compromising the quality of the work.
  • Flexibility and resilience to deliver results under pressure. Creative thinking skills.
  • Ability to build the capabilities of the team for media analysis and reporting and stakeholder management.
  • Holds at least a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
  • Strong IT skills and literacy in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook).
  • An established network of media and/or cultural contacts in the UAE.
  • Knowledge of media and social media landscape in the UAE.
  • Arabic language skills (ideally Modern Standard Arabic).
  • Familiarity with the UK media based in the UAE and Emirati media in the UK.
  • Experience of working in an international context.
Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Leadership, Managing a Quality Service
16 June 2025
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Full-time, Fixed Term
40
36 months
Middle East & North Africa
United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi
British Embassy
1
AED
25,646
monthly
1 August 2025

Working hours and remuneration: 

The Embassy aims to offer an attractive working environment and remuneration package for this role, which includes 25 days of leave per annum (calculated pro-rata). 

The salary for this role is AED 25,646 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. 

This role is for a full-time employment, on a fixed term contract basis for three (3) years, subject to six (6) months’ probationary period. The contract may be extended, subject to satisfactory performance and on on-going business requirement. 

The Embassy is open from Monday to Friday from 0700 to 1800 hrs.  The Employee’s normal weekly working hours are forty (40) Monday to Friday (inclusive). This is inclusive of one-hour paid rest break for each five (5) hours worked; the timing of the rest break shall be approved by the Employee’s Line Manager and in accordance with operational requirements. 

The jobholder will be required to be flexible in their approach to hours worked as these will be dictated by operational needs and will involve occasionally working out of hours (evening and/ or weekends) to respond to high paced and evolving news stories.  Flexible working arrangements may be considered based on operational requirements and agreement with the line manager, and in line with FCDO and Embassy policies.

The Embassy has an active Learning and Development Committee, and the whole of Post is committed to providing the time and resources for staff to develop personally and professionally. The 70/20/10 learning and development model is applied in a flexible manner, with extensive informal and formal opportunities readily available.  

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



 

How to apply: 

Interested candidates must ensure that the following is fully completed:   

  1. Fully completed online application form which must include:
  2. Fully completed education details and employment history
  3. Fully completed experience, professional skills and behaviour-based sections in the online application form. Please refrain from the use of AI based tools when completing your application, this is to ensure a fair competition for all candidates and helps maintain the integrity process. If the use of AI is identified, your application will be rejected. 

Please note: It is mandatory that all applicants complete the online application form including the employment and educational details, technical, skills and experience sections and the behaviour-based questions. Applications that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered whilst shortlisting for the next stage. 

Closing date for applications is at 23:55 UAE local time on 16th June 2025. 

Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered. 

Internal candidates (i.e., those employed by the British Embassies in Abu Dhabi & Dubai) applying for this position are advised to inform their current line managers upon submission of their application. 

Process: 

The recruitment process, including security clearance, is expected to take around two to three months. The security clearance process includes checks available in country and with UK, dependant on the security level required for the role and the candidate's profile and UK footprint. You may experience some delay in the progress of this recruitment campaign, and we are working hard to minimise any disruption. 

Due to the large number of applications, we receive, only those shortlisted for the next step of the recruitment process will be contacted. 

The start date mentioned in the job advert is tentative and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures before employment can begin. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances. 

Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’.  If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate. 

The FCDO operates an agile approach to delivery. To facilitate an agile workforce, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.  The British Embassy UAE is 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.