View Vacancy - SRR - Administrative Officer, Defence Section A2(L)

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.
Other British Government Departments (Partners across Government, including UK Visas)
MOD (Ministry of Defence)

The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for an Administrative Officer under the Defence Section on a fixed-term contract for two (2) years.

The jobholder will provide secretarial, administrative, and organisational support to the Defence Section. The position reports under line management to the Administrative Officer 2 (AO2) and to the Assistant to the Defence Attaché under other day to day administrative duties within the office working environment.


Duties and responsibilities:

  • Act as point of contact within the Defence Section team to support long-term military/ civilian trainers visiting KSA and Saudi Arabian nationals visiting the UK.
  • Manage in a courteous, timely, and efficient manner the administration of visa applications for all military and civilian trainers visiting KSA and Saudi Arabian Nationals wishing to visit the UK by obtaining the required Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) approvals.
  • Coordinate Defence transport bookings by successfully carrying out supervision and utilising of the Defence Section Drivers and vehicles through the Drivers Management Database.
  • Processing of administrative duties in respect of record keeping of the Defence Section Vehicles, arranging timely services, maintenance, repair work, ensuring vehicles are fit for purpose, and meet legal/ policy requirements.
  • Arrange flight bookings, amendments, and cancellation for Defence Section staff, visitors, trainers, and military teams in post as and when required.
  • Manage hotel bookings, obtain quotes, and facilitate alongside AO2, prompting payment of invoices.
  • Under the supervision of the Assistant to the Defence Attaché, process diplomatic and military overflight requests and maintenance of the Overflights Register Database.
  • General administration in support of military training teams attached to the Embassy.
  • Manage a small petty cash tin and be able to keep an efficient record of all expenditure.
  • Cover work for the Personal Assistant (PA) to the Defence Attaché
  • Other office duties as required by AO2 and occasional out of office hours work.

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 competencies required:

  • 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, and providing the focus and energy to drive activities forward through others and encourage staff to perform effectively during challenging and changing times.
  • Making Effective Decisions - Being objective; using sound judgement, evidence, and knowledge to provide accurate, expert and professional advice and evaluating options before arriving at well-reasoned justifiable decisions. Creating evidence based strategies, evaluating options, impacts, risks and solutions; aiming to maximise return while minimising risk and balancing social, political, financial, economic and environmental considerations to provide sustainable outcomes.
  • Leading and Communicating - Leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction, and enthusiasm. Establishing a strong direction and a persuasive future vision; managing and engaging with people with honesty and integrity, and upholding the reputation of the organisation.
  • Engaging Internationally - Leading internationally, engaging our staff, contacts and international partners to help deliver UK Government objectives. Understanding UK Government aims in the wider UK and international context and developing productive relationships with those external contacts and partners to help deliver UK objectives.
  • Demonstrating Resilience - Helping our people to build resilience in international roles, supporting their ability to adapt to working in difficult and varied international environments; and to bounce back from crises and setbacks in these contexts. Being aware of the impact you have on yourself and on others, and showing support for others with a pragmatic attitude, perseverance, and resolve.
  • Excellent English language skills, both written and spoken and holder of a suitable B1 Level (or equivalent) or higher qualification. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely.
  • Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines whilst maintaining attention to detail and without compromising the quality of the work.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills. Able to maintain a range of contacts to build effective working relationships, and work closely with senior staff and their contacts.
  • Excellent customer service skills. Demonstrates courtesy and consideration in dealing with telephone callers and other stakeholders.
  • Ability to understand competing priorities and make judgement calls on when to use own initiative to deal directly with enquiries and when to consult before taking decisions.
  • Excellent team player with the ability to take a wider perspective and think outside the box.
  • Initiative, adaptability and the ability to work flexibly both in a small team and individually with autonomy.
  • Very good level of IT skills and literacy in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).
  • Previous experience of working in administration in either a defence-related role or with an embassy.
  • Experience working with/ in the UK military or UK Civil Service.
  • Experience working with Government and Military officials, Ministries, and Institutions, either in the UK or KSA.
  • Arabic language skills, both written and spoken.
12 September 2020
Administrative Officer (AO)
Full-time, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
35
Middle East & North Africa
Saudi Arabia
Riyadh
British Embassy
1
SAR
7,456.53
1 November 2020
31 October 2022

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.

The position is available to holders of Saudi residence permits or transferable iqamas. The successful candidate will be required to transfer their sponsorship to the British Embassy.


Working hours and remuneration:

The Embassy aims to offer an attractive working environment and remuneration package for this role.

Salary details:

  • Base Salary including Eid bonus - SAR 5,645.22
  • Housing Allowance - SAR 1,411.31 (subject to eligibility)*
  • Travel Allowance - SAR 400 (subject to eligibility)*

*Allowances are not payable to staff who receive official provision for such expenditure in some other form.

No accommodation and relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position.


Normal working hours for the Embassy are 08.00 to 15.00 from Sunday to Thursday. This position is full-time, based on 35 hours per week.

The jobholder should also be flexible in their approach to hours worked as these will also be dictated by operational needs. In addition, due to the high turnover of the workload within the Defence Section, there may be an element of pre-authorised out of hours work by the AO2.


The successful candidate will be subject to a 90-day probationary period.

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 competencies in the Competence Based Questions section of the online application form.

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

Closing date for applications is at 23:55 (KSA local time) on 12 September 2020.

Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered.


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 advert is an assumed 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, medical clearance and reference checks.



The British Embassy Riyadh is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference. Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy is subject to Terms and Conditions of service according to local Saudi Arabia 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.