View Vacancy - SRR - Senior Political Advisor (SEO)

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

The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Senior Political Advisor on a fixed term contract for two (2) years.

The jobholder will be working autonomously within the Political Team to deliver an ambitious set of bilateral and foreign policy objectives, including on regional affairs.

You will be the senior political adviser to the Ambassador, often working to him directly and so you will need the experience and credibility to provide him with well-informed advice. This will give you extensive access and exposure to UK diplomatic work in Saudi Arabia and the region. You will be expected to advise the Ambassador on all aspects of internal and external Saudi politics to assist in better informing UK diplomatic engagement in Saudi Arabia. As part of this, utilising established analytical, research, and political contacts, you will also produce timely political analysis to better inform UK work in Saudi Arabia.

You will be part of a cross-government team that is delivering a genuinely integrated approach on governance, prosperity, trade promotion, and international development assistance cooperation. You will be shaping HMG policy thinking - providing advice to the highest levels - in a country with a close relationship with the UK.  This means that you will be working directly to the senior leadership team and collaboratively with other members of political team to inform our policies and programmes. 

 

Duties and responsibilities:

  • Lead on analysis and reporting of developments and trends in Saudi Arabia’s internal politics and their implications for UK policy. This will require objective and evidence-based reporting and an analytical approach. The types of reports will range from high-level reports summarising political trends for a senior readership, to in-depth and detailed reports on specific issues, e.g., constitutional and judicial changes for subject matter experts. A strong understanding of the governance of Saudi Arabia and excellent relationships with senior officials in government ministries will be required to achieve this.
  • Take the same approach to provide analysis and reporting of developments in Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy and regional affairs and their implications on UK foreign policy.
  • Develop and facilitate BE Riyadh’s network with a broad range of political contacts in the Royal Court, Ministries, Shura Council, Provincial Government, and media. Prioritise, plan, co-ordinate, and deliver the Embassy’s engagements with those contacts including sensitive protocol handling for senior meetings, visits, and engagements.
  • Plan and deliver the Embassy’s engagement with provinces outside Riyadh to fulfil the full range of UK objectives: political engagement, trade and investment, and build understanding of Vision 2030 changes.
  • Support the delivery of VIP visits by UK political figures to Saudi Arabia and vice versa, including by briefing ministers directly.
  • Apply judgement and creativity to identify the best approach or solution to complex, long-term, and seemingly intractable political issues; taking innovative approaches that reconcile a range of competing priorities, managing complex risks, and assessing impact on cross-departmental business areas (security, prosperity, and our governance agenda). Be pro-active in anticipating issues and understanding underlying causes before providing solutions, often through your written reports, which will be of the highest standard.
  • This work is high profile and will involve significant exposure to senior external Saudi contacts (e.g., including ministers, provincial governors, and business people), with whom you will apply high levels of negotiating, consulting, and interpersonal skills. Your highly developed political awareness will enable you to develop options for new policy proposals and anticipate the impact of your work, especially when drawing up proposals for change. Your policy recommendations are likely to have a critical impact on organisational effectiveness or the external reputation of the UK in Saudi Arabia.
  • Support the Mission’s response to any crises through delivery of authoritative political advice and contributions to wider team working.
  • Support our Head of Communications in the delivery of the UK’s political messaging in print and social media and through speeches.

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:

  • Seeing the Big Picture - Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider 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.
  • Communicating and Influencing - Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
  • Delivering at Pace - Taking responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

 

Eligibility:

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

  • Detailed and in depth knowledge and understanding of Saudi Arabian politics, history, and culture.
  • Relevant experience from working for the Saudi government, an embassy in Saudi Arabia, an international organisation based in Saudi Arabia, or a major Saudi or international company based in Saudi Arabia, ideally for at least five (5) years.
  • Native speaker or mother tongue level of communication skills in English and Arabic.
  • Confidence to express ideas clearly and concisely. Credibility and personal impact to engage with senior UK/ Saudi political figures.
  • An established network of political contacts in Saudi Arabia, including in provinces outside of Riyadh.
  • Ability to build the capabilities of the team for political analysis and reporting and stakeholder management.
  • Flexibility and resilience to deliver results under pressure. Creative thinking skills.
  • 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 planning, organisational and time management skills.
  • Confidence, discretion, strong emotional intelligence, integrity, credibility and political objectivity.
  • 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). 
  • Experience of working in an international context.
Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing
8 June 2023
Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Fixed Term, Full-time
35
24 months
Middle East & North Africa
Saudi Arabia
Riyadh
British Embassy
1
SAR
29,113
3 September 2023

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

Monthly salary details:

  • Base Salary - SAR 22,971
  • Housing Allowance - SAR 5,743 (subject to eligibility)*
  • Travel Allowance - SAR 400 (subject to eligibility)*
  • Total - SAR 29,113

*Allowances are not payable to staff who receive official provision for such expenditure in some other form. Spouses/ Dependents of UKBS officers working at the Embassy are not eligible to Housing or Travel Allowance.

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

 

This position is full-time, based on 35 hours per week. Normal working hours for the Embassy are from 08:00 to 15:00 from Sunday to Thursday, with core working hours from 10:00-15:00. Core working hours is the period of the day that employees are required to be at work. The working day outside of the core hours is a flexible period, which allows employees to choose when they work, subject to operational needs.

The jobholder will be required to be flexible in their approach to hours worked as these will be dictated by operational needs and may involve working out of hours (evening/ weekend) during visits and to attend networking events, receptions, and seminars.

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

How to apply:

Interested candidates must include with their online application form

1) an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV);

2) a covering letter/ motivation essay stating how you meet the requirements of the role; and

3) specific examples, in the relevant sections of the online application form, of how you meet the key behaviours required.

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

The closing date for applications is at 23:55 KSA local time on 08 June 2023.

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 in the recruitment process will be contacted.

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

The start date mentioned in the 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 recruitment process, including security clearance, is expected to take around 2-3 months. The security clearance process includes checks available in country and in the UK, dependant on the security level required for the role and the candidates 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.  

 

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.