SRR - Senior Trade Advisor, Retail and Food & Drink (HEO)

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)
The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Senior Trade Advisor, Retail
and Food & Drink under the Department for International Trade (DIT) for a
fixed-term contract of two (‎2) years.
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.
A core feature of the Vision2030 strategy is the Kingdom's ambition to develop
its tourism and cultural offer. This combined with a growing local and expat
population and coupled with the importance that KSA consumers place on having
quality retail, food and drink choices, provides excellent opportunities for
UK retail, food and drink companies, who are recognised for their quality and
innovation. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement (FTA),
which is currently under negotiation, will also help to facilitate more
frictionless trade and provide further export opportunities to both Saudi
Arabia and the wider GCC region.
This is a new role within the Saudi DIT network, which will allow the
successful candidate the opportunity to develop plans and build relationships
with relevant stakeholders to deliver a successful retail, food and drink
export strategy for Saudi Arabia. This is an exciting and varied role and
comes at an important time of deepening relations between the UK and Saudi
Arabia across a wide range of commercial interests.
The jobholder will be required to develop and maintain contacts with key
figures and companies within KSA, including with the government. The jobholder
will primarily be responsible for driving forward trade promotion activity to
support exports of retail, food and drink into Saudi. They will also be
required to identify and analyse regulatory and market access barriers, which
will need to be unblocked to stimulate further growth across the sector. The
jobholder should also be flexible in responding to changes to sector
priorities based on operational requirements as guided by the DIT KSA
Director.
The successful candidate will also be expected to contribute to wider regional
priorities as defined by Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner for Middle East and
Pakistan (HMTC MEaP) based in Dubai, and as covered in the Regional Trade Plan
and Strategy.

Duties and responsibilities:
The primary objective of this role is to drive retail and food and drink
export growth, and build the UK 's food and drink reputation within KSA. As
such, the jobholder will be responsible for broadening opportunities for food
and drink producers and manufacturers within the Kingdom. You will understand
market forces and trends, and identify and build relationships with key
players across DIT and wider UK HMG, retail and hospitality sectors and other
key contacts in KSA.
You will be expected to:
* Provide expert support and advice to UK companies wishing to enter the Saudi market within the retail, food and drink space.
* Research and understand the KSA market, its trends and the key players, and their requirements.
* Deliver against UK Government trade strategies and export targets, and advance the interests of UK retail, food producers, and manufacturers.
* Build new strategic relationships with KSA organisations that increase UK retail, food and drink trade by identifying export opportunities and economic partnerships.
* Lead on the development of partnerships and networks with Saudi Arabia with stakeholders such as chambers of commerce, regulatory bodies such as the Saudi Food & Drug Authority and industry bodies.
* Collaborate with colleagues from DIT and across UK Government and Saudi governmental departments and agencies on retail, food and drink policy
* Lead and drive forward key events and activities that support UK retail, food and drink companies and manufacturers, including webinars, conferences, roadshows, trade missions and Ministerial visits.
* Work closely with the market access team in region and in the UK, alongside the Regional Agri-Counsellor, to identify market access barriers in the agri-food and drink sector.
The jobholder may also take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including
participating in the Embassy's emergency planning and any other response to a
crisis affecting UK citizens.

Key behaviours required:
* Managing a Quality Service - Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
* Seeing the Big Picture - Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider Civil Service priorities and ensure work is in the national interest.
* Delivering at Pace - 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.
Essential qualifications, skills and experience
* Commercial experience, ideally in Saudi and/ or the UK. Knowledge of trade and investment concepts.
* Ability to plan strategically, assimilate information from a range of sources, and 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).
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience
* Knowledge of the food and drink sector in Saudi Arabia.
* Arabic language skills (for liaising with KSA government and stakeholders).
* Project management experience.
* Strong public speaking and presentation skills.
Required behaviours
Seeing the Big Picture, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace,
Working Together
Application deadline Application deadline - day Application deadline - month
Application deadline - year
‎3 October ‎2022
Grade
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Type of Position
Fixed Term, Full-time
Working hours per week
‎35
Duration of Post
‎24 months
Region
Middle East & North Africa
Country/Territory
Saudi Arabia
Location (City)
Riyadh
Type of Post
British Embassy
Number of vacancies
‎1
Salary Currency
SAR
Salary
‎17,763.‎04
Start Date Start Date - day Start Date - month Start Date - year
‎27 November ‎2022
Other benefits and conditions of employment
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)
* Total - SAR ‎17,763.‎04
* 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.
This position is full-time, 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 ‎10:00-‎15:00. 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.
Whilst the role is based Riyadh, the role will also involve some local and
regional travel in the Middle East and possibly further afield for business
purposes.
The successful candidate will be subject to a ‎90-day probationary period.
Additional information
How to apply:
Interested candidates must include in their application form ‎1) an updated
Curriculum Vitae (CV); ‎2) a covering letter/ motivation essay stating how you
meet the requirements of the role, and ‎3) 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.
The closing date for applications is at ‎23:55 KSA local time on ‎03 October
‎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.
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.