AUH - Administrative & Diary Officer to HMA / DHM & DCG (AO)

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)
The British Embassy Abu Dhabi has a vacancy for an Administrative & Diary
Officer to His Majesty's Ambassador (HMA), Deputy Head of Mission (DHM) and
Deputy Consul General (DCG). This is for a fixed-term contract of two (‎2)
years.
The jobholder will provide outstanding diary support to His Majesty's
Ambassador, Deputy Ambassador and Deputy Consul General. The role-holder will
need to have strong organisational skills, able to multi-task and prioritise
issues. They will have good inter-personal skills, building effective
relationships with the Embassy, colleagues in the Embassy in Dubai and
external contacts.
The Administrative & Diary Officer function will sit at the heart of a newly
expanded central Executive Office team, akin to a Private Office and
Secretariat. This team will provide and coordinate enhanced strategic support
to the UAE Senior Leadership Team (SLT) across a variety of issues including
Post strategy and leadership, governance and oversight of delivery,
coordination of external engagement and hospitality, corporate culture and
change management. The Administrative & Diary Assistant will ensure the office
provides excellent internal and external customer service and will support the
Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to deliver an efficient and effective
Private Office.
Duties and Responsibilities
* Day to day management of Senior Leadership Team 's diary and daily / weekly programmes. Prioritising of invitations. Forward planning for meetings, events etc, liaising with team to organise events and commission necessary briefings; pulling together relevant papers for the Ambassador's appointments; organising travel.
* Handling of incoming emails and calls, drafting routine correspondence and liaising with other Delegations in the UAE, FCDO colleagues in London and overseas.
* Management of Ambassador's travel and entertainment budget and corporate credit card claims.
* Support to Deputy Ambassador - co-ordination of weekly schedule and transport plan, monitoring of social media and of emails on unclassified system. Manage / assist with programmes for inward visitors.
* Manage the Deputy Consul General's office and diary, and often be the first point of contact for external enquiries (by phone and email);
* Manage appointments with UK government, diplomatic community and international organisation contacts
* Ensure the SLT are fully briefed and prepared for upcoming events and meetings, coordinating with the relevant Embassy teams;
* Ensure the Residence, Transport, Security and Corporate Services are kept regularly updated on the Ambassador's Programme.
* Organise and assist with Embassy hosted events, including part of the annual Remembrance Day service, and supporting large set piece events such as the King's Birthday Parties.
* Support the organisation and coordination of small to medium events in the Residence including issuing invitations, collating responses and liaising with the Residence Coordinator on the event setup and delivery.
* Be the Embassy's point of contact for visa queries, including liaising with the regional visa hub and important applicants to chase and resolve queries, and where appropriate supporting applications;
* Take board and meeting minutes such as the weekly Chancery meetings, and quarterly Post Security Committees and Country Boards;
* Manage invites, seeking advice from relevant experts on attendance.
* Maintain the Private Office Contacts Database in Outlook and Teams and pro-actively keeping this up to date.
* Manage all mail addressed to the SLT from the general public. Requesting draft replies, chasing and monitoring responses to ensure replies are sent within the agreed time frame. Logging all incoming invitations and ensuring RSVPs are sent promptly. Scanning invitations/correspondence and forwarding to relevant departments for action.
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, including participating
in the Embassy emergency planning and any response to a crisis.
Key Behaviours required:
Making Effective Decisions: Use evidence and knowledge to support
accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options,
implications and risks of decisions.
Delivering at Pace: Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality
results with focus and drive.
Communicating and Influencing: Take responsibility for delivering timely
and quality results with focus and drive.
Working Together: Form effective partnerships and relationships with
people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds,
sharing information, resources and support.
Eligibility:
* Applicants must be able to obtain an appropriate level of UK Security Clearance and be able to obtain a valid UAE police clearance certificate. Higher clearances can be granted only to certain nationalities. For this reason, candidates must be of British, American, Australian, Canadian New Zealand or EU nationality in order to gain and maintain the level of clearance required.
* Applications will only be considered from those who are currently residing in the UAE and with a current and valid UAE resident visa.
* Applicants must be available in a full time capacity to work on site at the British Embassy Abu Dhabi - these are not part time positions or available for remote working.
* Applicants must be able to obtain a valid UAE police clearance certificate.
Essential qualifications, skills and experience
* Previous experience as a Personal Assistant to a senior leader in a large organisation or with a government body.
* Excellent interpersonal skills. Able to maintain a range of contacts to build effective working relationships, and work closely with senior staff and their contacts.
* Excellent planning and organisational skills. Ability to work quickly and reliably with limited supervision, and able to prioritise a heavy workload and meet deadlines without compromising the quality of the work.
* Initiative to solve problems, raise matters of concern, and understand competing priorities. Ability to work rigorously and independently and make judgement calls on when to use own initiative to deal directly with enquiries and seek guidance where necessary.
* Demonstrates courtesy and consideration in dealing with stakeholders.
* Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely.
* Strong IT skills, including proficiency in MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
* Availability to work flexible hours when needed.
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience
* Previous relevant experience either in an embassy/ foreign diplomatic mission or an international organisation.
* Familiarity with SharePoint and with using Oracle-based systems.
Required behaviours
Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing,
Working Together
Application deadline Application deadline - day Application deadline - month
Application deadline - year
‎9 July ‎2023
Grade
Administrative Officer (AO)
Type of Position
Fixed Term, Full-time
Working hours per week
‎35
Duration of Post
‎24 months
Region
Middle East & North Africa
Country/Territory
United Arab Emirates
Location (City)
Abu Dhabi
Type of Post
British Embassy
Number of vacancies
‎1
Salary Currency
AED
Salary
‎11,736
Start Date Start Date - day Start Date - month Start Date - year
‎1 September ‎2023
Other benefits and conditions of employment
The Embassy aims to offer an attractive working environment and remuneration
package for this role which includes ‎25 days of leave per annum (calculated
pro-rata).
Salary is at AED ‎11,736 per month.
There are no other allowances payable as part of this package. No
accommodation and relocation expenses are payable in connection with this
position.
The Embassy is open from Monday to Friday, from ‎07:30 to ‎18:00. Conditioned
working hours are ‎35 hours per week and specific working hours for this role
will be confirmed at a later time. The successful candidate may need to
occasionally work outside of normal Embassy hours.
The successful candidate will be required to transfer their visa under the
Embassy's sponsorship.
Additional information
How to apply:
Interested candidates must attach the following in their online application
form:
* an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV)
* a covering letter/ motivation essay stating how you meet the requirements of the role
* Examples in the relevant sections of the online application form of how you meet the key behaviours and skills required.
Applications that do not include this information will not be considered.
Closing date for applications is at ‎23:55 (local time) on 9th July ‎2023
Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered.
Process:
The recruitment process, including security clearance, is expected to take
around two - three months. The security clearance process includes checks
available in country and with UK, dependant on the security level required for
the role and the candidate's 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.
Due to the large number of applications, we receive, only those shortlisted
for the next step of the recruitment process will be contacted.
The start date mentioned in the job 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.
Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a 'reserve
list'. If during the reserve period of ‎6 months the same or a largely similar
role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent
candidate".
The British Embassy Abu Dhabi is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated
to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference.
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.