View Vacancy - SRR - Personal Assistant to the Deputy Head of Mission A2(L)

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

The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Personal Assistant to the Deputy Head of Mission (PA to DHM), job grade A2(L), for a fixed-term contract of two (2) years.

As the Personal Assistant, you will report to the Deputy Head of Mission and will provide secretarial, administrative, and organisational support to the DHM.


Duties and responsibilities:

  • Responsible for the DHM’s schedule, diary, inbox management, and travel arrangements.
  • Liaise with a wide range of departments within the British Embassy’s Saudi Arabia Network.
  • Build relationships with a wide range of contacts in Saudi Arabia, meeting and greeting visitors of all seniority. Arrange refreshments for meetings as required.
  • Support VIP visits including arranging meetings.
  • Secretary to the Post Management Board and Crisis Committee.
  • Organising and communicating the Embassy meeting calendar for larger Network meetings, e.g., Post Management Board, Post Delivery Board, Project Board, all staff meetings, and Crisis Committee.
  • Support corporate communications work on behalf of the DHM, including commissioning drafts, editing and sending messages to all staff, and producing presentations for all staff meetings and Crisis Committee meetings.
  • Provide leave cover for the Personal Assistant to Her Majesty’s Ambassador (HMA) as required.
  • Liaise with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) colleagues on applications received from high level contacts with UK interests.
  • Coordinate with the Residence and Events Manager to ensure receptions, meetings, and events are well planned and delivered efficiently.
  • Co-ordinate updating of the Crisis Management Plan and participate in crisis planning and response.
  • Maintain registers, diaries, and databases.
  • Take minutes of meetings and distribute as required.
  • Co-ordinate monthly checks.
  • Co-ordinate leave chart for senior members of staff.
  • Take part and assist in duties for the wider Embassy, and actively participate in a corporate objective.
  • Maintaining the Chancery strategy and action plan.
  • Manage and maintain records of Chancery’s direct entertainment expenses (DEE)/ representational requirements (RR) spend in support of Chancery objectives in the strategy. 
  • Wider support to Chancery colleagues as required.

The above list is not exhaustive and the job holder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required.


Key competencies required:

  • Leading and Communicating - Leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm, and supporting principles of fairness of opportunity for all and a dedication to a diverse range of stakeholders.
  • Collaborating and Partnering - Creating and maintaining positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the organisation to help get business done. Working collaboratively, sharing information and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Minimum of three years’ experience as a Personal/ Executive Assistant
  • Excellent English Language skills, both written and spoken
  • Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines, without compromising the quality of the work
  • Excellent planning and organisational skills
  • Ability to work closely with senior staff and their contacts
  • Being a strong team player
  • Ability to maintain a range of contacts to build effective working relationships
  • Courtesy and consideration in dealing with telephone callers and others
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools, particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
  • Arabic language skills
23 November 2019
Administrative Officer (AO)
Fixed Term, Full-time
35
24 months
Middle East & North Africa
Saudi Arabia
Riyadh
British Embassy
1
SAR
7,456.53
5 January 2020
4 January 2022

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 Sunday to Thursday. This position is full-time, based on 35 hours per week.

Flexible and remote working will be considered in line with FCO and Embassy policies, but the successful candidate must be available to work during the core hours of 10.00-15.00.

The jobholder should also be flexible in their approach to hours worked as these will also be dictated by operational needs and may involve working out of hours (evening and weekend), especially during events and visits.

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

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. Successful candidates will be required to transfer their sponsorship to the British Embassy.


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 competencies outlined above.

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


Closing date for applications is at 23:55 (KSA local time) on 23 November 2019.

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.

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.