SRR - Government Relations Assistant AA - Foreign amp Commonwealth Office

The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Government Relations Assistant on a fixed term contract for two (2) years.

The jobholder will be responsible for the delivery of effective government relations duties liaising with a wide range of Saudi government authorities to enable staff of the Embassy (and the wider to KSA Network) to obtain the necessary permissions to live work and perform their duties in Riyadh and to assist the Embassy and its visitors in conducting their business in Riyadh.

The jobholder needs to have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Arabic and have good interpersonal and customer handling skills. There may be a requirement to work occasionally out of hours including assisting with the arrival of staff/ VIPs or other protocol duties.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Assist with the administration to obtain iqamas for staff and dependants visas insurance driving licences for staff and visitors.
• Submit requests and followup for work visas visit visas for Embassys visitors and family visa. Complete forms for visa extension.
• Submit requests and followup for residence permits (iqamas) for new staff joining the Embassy and their family members as well as their dependants accompanying them.
• Submit requests and followup for renewal of residence permits for local and diplomatic IDs diplomatic driving licenses for diplomats and their wives and diplomatic car registrations and diplomatic plates.
• Submit requests of flight and ships clearance to visit Saudi Arabia.
• Facilitate arrival and departure of VIP and official visitors to the Embassy at airports and make the necessary bookings of the VIP lounge. Take responsibility of their luggage to check and receive it at customs zones at the time of arrival and departure.
• Help obtain new health insurance for staff and cancellation replacement and addition of staff/ dependants.
• Assist with DQ access letters for visitors and those attending functions.
• Prepare invitation letters for visitors from overseas (visas applications).
• Deliver notes verbales and important letters to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) by hand. Follow up on requests delivered to MoFA as well as receive written replies from them.
• Reach out to MoFA Traffic Department Customs and Passports Department with the aim of handling the Embassys paperwork.
• Liaise with Traffic Department regarding accidents that involve the Embassys diplomatic vehicles.
• Assist in drafting letters addressed to telecommunications and utility companies (electricity/ water) for requests that affect the Embassy.
• Help in obtaining exemption for diplomatic bags at airports. Help in obtaining exemption for luggage of arriving and departing diplomatic staff. Assist in clearing diplomatic shipments arriving via dry port.
• Provide help to the British Council in Riyadh.

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible as specific responsibilities could change in the future and this would be at the discretion of the line manager or head of section. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs. The jobholder may also take on other ad hoc tasks as required including participating in the Embassys emergency planning and any other response to a crisis.

Key behaviours required:

• Delivering at Pace Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
• Managing a Quality Service Deliver service objectives with professional excellence expertise and efficiency taking account of diverse customer needs.
• Working Together Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally from a range of diverse backgrounds sharing information resources and support.
• Communicating and Influencing Communicate purpose and direction with clarity integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs responses and opinions of others.

Eligibility:

The position is available to Saudi nationals and to current holders of valid Saudi residence permits or transferable iqama. The successful candidate will be required to transfer their sponsorship to the British Embassy/ Consulate General.

• Excellent communication skills in English and Arabic both verbal and written (this will be tested at interview). Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely. Accurate typing and proofreading skills.
• Holds a clean and valid KSA driving license.
• Excellent IT skills and office administration skills with good knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook Word Excel PowerPoint Teams).
• A confident communicator with excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to engage at all levels internally and with external contacts and collaborate effectively across teams.
• Excellent customer service skills. Demonstrates courtesy and consideration in dealing with internal and external contacts.
• Strong work ethic and demonstrates high level of professionalism.
• Resourcefulness in solving problems and demonstrates good judgement.
• Ability to multitask and respond quickly and flexibly to meet multiple and changing priorities.
• Proven record of organisational ability. Ability to prioritise and organise own workload and meet deadlines while maintaining attention to detail and without compromising the quality of the work.
• Ability to work out of hours where required including evenings and weekends.

• Similar experience of working within an embassy or foreign diplomatic mission or equivalent; or as a PRO for a major multinational company.
• Experience of working in or dealing with the KSA Government: MoFA Customs Ministry of Interior (MOI) and other KSA authorities.
• Knowledge of local Saudi labour laws and immigration customs and MOI rules and regulations.

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

Monthly salary details:

• Base Salary SAR 5137
• Housing Allowance SAR 1284 (subject to eligibility)*
• Travel Allowance SAR 500 (subject to eligibility)*
• Total SAR 6921

• 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 nor relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position.

This position is fulltime 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 10:0015:00. 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). Flexible working arrangements may be considered based on operational requirements and agreement with the line manager and in line with FCDO and Embassy policies.

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

The successful candidate will be required to transfer their iqama under the Embassys sponsorship.

How to apply:

Interested candidates must include with their online application form

1) an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English;

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 29 July 2024.

Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered.

Internal candidates (i.e. those who are currently employed by the British Embassy Riyadh/ British Consulate General Jeddah) applying for this position should consider informing their current line manager upon submission of their application.

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 securityvetting 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 23 months. The security clearance process includes checks available in country and in the UK dependent 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 FCDO operates an agile approach to delivery. To facilitate an agile workforce you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require. 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.