View Vacancy - Deputy Head of Corporate Services (13/21 KRT)

Main purpose of job:

The main purpose of the job is to provide strategic direction to Corporate Services; leading an efficient, cost effective, and professional team to deliver quality services across the 1HMG platform.

As a leader in corporate delivery, the jobholder will require excellent management, interpersonal and communication skills, tact, discretion, and an ability to deliver consistently across a broad range of responsibilities. The jobholder will be required to show an understanding for and sensitivity in handling Embassy and host government requirements.

In particular, we are looking for a skilled manager able to bring the best out of their staff and able to organise the work and team to ensure delivery whilst adhering to Embassy protocol and standards.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

Strategic Planning and Leadership 20%

• Support of the corporate agenda including the country business plan and risk management.
• Act as trusted advisor to local leadership and partners on the platform ‘horizon scanning’ locally to enable proactive resource and activity planning.
• Engage, analyse, and report on developments in Corporate Services policy, highlighting opportunities to the Director of Corporate Services (DCS) and Senior Management Team.
• Inform and steer Corporate Services communications across the Network. Lead and deliver Corporate Services communication strategy.
• Maintain relationships with key stakeholders internally, within regional and global hubs and with external partners (at other diplomatic missions, government departments and suppliers) to maintain informed and current corporate knowledge.
• Ensure local policies are reviewed and aligned to global and local requirement and adopted by all partners on the platform.
• Lead and monitor the delivery of services against the local corporate services charter, MoU’s and corporate services improvement plan.
• Lead and monitor the delivery of services against the local corporate services charter.

People 30%

•  Alongside the DCServices and DHM, contribute to the overall employer proposition, including terms and conditions of service and pay and benefits for Country Based Staff (CBS), ensuring compliance with local labour law and full alignment across the platform.
• Provide guidance and act as an escalation point on sensitive staff matters for diplomatic and CBS, including management issues and dispute resolution, engaging with specialist HR functions where necessary.
• Champion and embed a collaborative and inclusive culture.

Delivery 35%

• Oversee all corporate delivery across a range of areas including HR, Procurement, estates protocol, technical works, working closely with the regional HR, finance and procurement hubs.
• Direct the management of the estate, ensuring that UK and local standards are met through planned and reactive maintenance and in compliance with corporate procedures, including local and UK health and safety regulations and policy.
• Act as the ‘intelligent client’, identifying requirements, appropriate service level agreements and key performance indicators to manage and monitor supplier contracts in line with procurement policies.
• Oversee the local delegated budget in accordance with corporate policies to ensure on-budget expenditure and value for money.
• First direct liaison for staff associations and committees.
• Lead and manage CS reports to deliver quality customer service to internal stakeholders.
• Manage the Learning and Development budget in collaboration with local L&D committee
• Instil a continuous improvement mentality within the team, leading on corporate projects and the change management required to deliver them.
• Managing the full re-tender of the staff and families Medical Insurance Scheme

Resilience 10%

• Respond to operational crisis, providing leadership and flexing team prioritisation as required.
• Ensure cross training within corporate services roles to provide resilience within the teams and across the region.
• Ensure wellbeing and engagement are maintained within the corporate services team, seeking regular feedback and embedding the values of resilience and respect.
• Ensure wellbeing and engagement are maintained within the corporate services team, seeking regular feedback and embedding the values of resilience and respect.

Other 5%

• Cover for the DCS as and when required
• Ad-hoc tasks as and when required requested by the Head of Corporate Services.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• Day-to-day and direct line management of 6 members of staff.
• Escalation point and advisor for complex cases.
• Effectively allocating work, prioritisation, and performance management of the team.
• Training development, coaching and mentoring of the team and staff
• Oversight of platform budget of circ 6 million.

• Minimum 5 years of middle management experience working for international organisation, preferably with direct involvement in HR and or Estates, Finance policy and implementation
• At least a bachelor’s degree in HR, management, finance, or a related field
• Minimum 5 years experience in managing cross functional teams
• High levels of discretion, with a resilient, flexible and ‘can do’ attitude
• Able to challenge and influence senior stakeholders
• Experience in managing suppliers and outsourced service delivery
• Strong organisational skills and keen attention to detail. Ability to effectively work under tight deadlines and in a fast paced environment and adapting to changing aims without compromising the quality of the work.
• Strong IT skills and proficiency in MS Office tools, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
• Language: English and Arabic - Level of language required:  Fluent in both written and spoken