View Vacancy - SRR - Office Manager, Department for International Trade B3(L)

The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for an Office Manager for the Department for International Trade (DIT) for a fixed-term contract for two (2) years.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is the British government department responsible for international trade and supports Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the United Kingdom. DIT KSA is part of DIT’s newly created Middle East, Afghanistan & Pakistan (MEAP) region, which comprises 12 countries across the Gulf.

This role will allow the successful candidate to develop skills in financial reporting, events management, marketing, and staff management. The job offers the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge of the public and private sector in the UK and Saudi Arabia, and to build up knowledge of commercial work. It would be an excellent career stepping-stone for anyone with an interest in international trade.

The role comes at an interesting time as Saudi Arabia embarks on a social and economic transformation programme through the Vison 2030 strategy. This programme presents exciting opportunities for bolstering UK trade and investment and this role will provide a key role in supporting these efforts in market.

The role involves proactively contributing to wider MEAP priorities as defined by Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for MEAP, and as covered in the Regional Trade Plan and Strategy. The KSA DIT network consists of three trade teams in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar) and work closely together to deliver commercial support to UK companies.

The role requires the jobholder to build relationships and work effectively with colleagues across government departments in Saudi Arabia and London at senior levels. The jobholder will also interact with companies and officials at all levels. He/ She will be responsible for managing resources effectively, being the first point of contact for budget/ event management, and will have autonomy to make decisions across a broad range of issues delivering across the three DIT hubs in KSA.

Duties and responsibilities:

- Financial management

• Lead on the operational management of DIT KSA’s day-to-day operating budget (+£600,000). Using our Oracle-based financial management tool to profile and produce monthly financial reports to help support operational visit plans and activities linked to priority sector trade campaigns.
• Monitor DIT’s procurement and ensure compliance with financial performance indicators.
• Managing the contract with DIT’s in-country commercial partner, Arabian Enterprises Incubator (AEI).

- Event management

• Serve as DIT Riyadh’s Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS)/ Events Manager, and coordinate and deliver commercial events for external clients. This will encompass writing up appropriate work plans on OMIS and collection of fees.
• Coordinating across Embassy teams such as Corporate Services, Security, and Residence Team to ensure logistical plans are in place.
• Lead on the relationship with the Riyadh Group of British Business. This includes supporting the delivery of their regular events (in excess of 15 meetings a year).

- Visits officer: Be responsible for leading on all logistical arrangements for visits by senior officials and ministers from DIT, including for The Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum in Riyadh.

- Performance management

• Be responsible for interrogating data and producing management information (MI) reports to help interpret DIT KSA trade and investment performance from Datahub.
• Serve as a key conduit with the Embassy’s Corporate Services Team and the MEAP Hub on all operational matters that includes HR, Learning & Development, platform issues, etc.

- Marketing and coordination

• Advising and providing appropriate material to use at DIT events. Responsible for marketing and communications for the DIT team in Riyadh and coordinating work across the KSA network.
• Ensure that outposts of Jeddah and Al Khobar are fully aware of processes and procedures and act as an interface on their behalf with internal and external stakeholders, taking responsibility for invoicing and payments and reconciliation using our in-house finance and procurement management tool.

- Line management of one (1) A2(L) grade member of staff.

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 response to a crisis.

Key competencies required:

• Managing a Quality Service - Being organised to deliver service objectives and striving to improve the quality of service, taking account of diverse customer needs and requirements. Effectively planning, organising, and managing time and activities to deliver a high quality and efficient service, applying programme and project management approaches to support service delivery.
• Delivering Value for Money - Seeking out and implementing solutions which achieve the best mix of quality and effectiveness for the least outlay. Making decisions based on evidenced information and following agreed processes and policies, challenging these appropriately where they appear to prevent good value for money.
• 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. Encouraging collaboration and building effective partnerships including relationships with Ministers.
• 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. Providing the focus and energy to drive activities forward through others and encourage staff to perform effectively during challenging and changing times.

• Previous successful team coordination/ office management experience.
• Previous budget and finance experience with excellent attention to detail.
• Collaborative approach to colleagues and stakeholder partnerships. Ability to maintain a range of contracts to build effective working relationships.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication.
• Demonstrates courtesy and consideration in dealing with stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational ability, with proven ability to manage, plan, and prioritise task and workload: and a proactive approach to problem solving.
• Proven ability to work autonomously, support others and deliver results.
• Strong IT skills and literacy in Microsoft Office applications (MS Excel, Word, and Outlook).