Foreign & Commonwealth Office Hiring for SRR – Senior Trade Advisor, Creative Cluster C4(L) at الرياض Full Time

The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Senior Trade Advisor, Creative Cluster under the Department for International Trade (DIT) on a fixed-term contract for two (2) years with a possibility of renewal.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is a Department of State within the British Government. DIT has responsibility for the promotion of international trade overseas and works with UK-based companies to ensure their success in international markets. DIT in Saudi Arabia has a network of three trade teams based in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar. The teams work closely together to deliver services to our customers.

This is an important and varied role and the opportunity comes at an interesting time as the UK/Saudi bilateral trading relationship develops at speed. The jobholder’s main role is to promote business opportunities to the UK across the KSA network and to support UK companies that are seeking to develop their business through trade with Saudi Arabia in the Creative sector. You will understand KSA market trends and ambitions to identify valuable Export Opportunities and secure high value Export Wins in pursuit of Saudi Arabia’s targets and corporate objectives for DIT.

The Creative Cluster encompasses a wide range of sub-sectors that include: Architecture & Design; Culture, Arts & Heritage; Sports; Entertainment & Events; Experience Economy; and Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality. The Senior Trade Advisor leads the sector team and works on the development and implementation of a high value strategy; and leads on generating UK commercial wins in priority sectors across the Kingdom. However, the jobholder should also be flexible in responding to changes to sector priorities based on operational requirements as guided by the DIT KSA Director.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Identify relevant sector opportunities and promote to potential UK firms.
• Develop a country-wide strategy and pipeline for delivering sector activity against agreed export targets.
• Support relevant sector trade events and provide in-market guidance.
• Draft and provide in-depth sector briefing and other market contributions.
• Lead on the identification and promotion of high value export opportunities
• Develop contacts and relations with key UK and Saudi stakeholders in the Creative sector.
• Contribute to VIP visits, both to Saudi Arabia and to the UK.
• Where necessary, provide the wider DIT team in Saudi Arabia with in-country support including (but not limited to) official programmes, trade missions, events and trade shows.
• Line management of one (1) Trade Advisor.

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 – Valuing and modelling professional excellence and expertise 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, secure, reliable and efficient service, applying programme and project and risk management approaches to support service delivery. Creating an environment to deliver operational excellence and creating the most appropriate and cost effective delivery models for services.
• Achieving Commercial Outcomes – Maintaining an economic, long-term focus in all activities. Having a commercial, financial and sustainable mind-set to ensure all activities and services are delivering added value and working to stimulate economic growth. Identifying economic, market, and customer issues and using these to promote innovative business models, commercial partnerships, and agreements to deliver greatest value.
• Leading and Communicating – Showing pride and passion for public service, leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction, integrity and enthusiasm. Encouraging open communication and providing clear direction on what needs to be achieved and how to get there through visible leadership. Managing and engaging with people in a straightforward, truthful and candid way, and upholding the reputation of the organisation.
• Collaborating and Partnering – Being a team player who creates and maintains 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 appropriately, and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions. Being approachable, delivering business objectives through creating an inclusive environment, encouraging collaboration, building effective partnerships including relationships with Ministers and welcoming challenge however uncomfortable.

• Commercial experience, knowledge of trade and investment concepts, ideally in Saudi and/ or the UK.
• Ability to plan strategically, assimilate information from a range of sources, and to see the bigger picture to spot opportunities.
• Proven experience of working pro-actively, independently and towards performance targets within a team setting, contributing to the overall goals of the section.
• Experience of working autonomously, as well as being part of an international team.
• Team player who is capable of working on their own initiative as well as with others, including in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• Strong customer focus and ability to deliver quality service.
• Collaborative approach to colleague and stakeholder partnerships.
• Have a proven record of organisational ability. Able to organise and prioritise workload and meet deadlines and changing priorities whilst maintaining close attention to detail and without compromising the quality of the work.
• Excellent communication skills in English. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office programmes (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams).

• Previous experience in at least one of the sub-sectors in the Creative Sector in KSA and/ or the UK.
• Arabic language skills (for liaising with KSA government and stakeholders).
• Project management experience.
• Strong public speaking and presentation skills.

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.

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 13,890.44
• Housing Allowance – SAR 3,472.61 (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 from 08:00 to 15:00 from Sunday to Thursday. This position is full-time, based on 35 hours per week.

Given the nature of the role, the jobholder should also be flexible in their approach to hours worked as these will be dictated by operational needs and may involve working out of hours (evening and weekend), especially during events, visits, business receptions, and other networking activities. Flexible working arrangements will be considered based on operational requirements upon agreement with the Line Manager and in line with the Embassy’s policies.

The position will cover the entire Saudi network and will also involve domestic and potentially some regional travel.

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 stating how you meet the requirements of the role.

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.

The closing date for applications is at 23:55 KSA local time on 25 April 2022.

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.