Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)
The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Science and Innovation Country
Lead for a fixed-term contract of two (2) years. There is a strong possibility
of extension of the contract depending on performance and operational
requirements.
The UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN) is the British Government's
organisation for international science diplomacy, using the UK's excellence in
science and innovation to develop partnerships and collaborations that support
UK prosperity and help tackle global challenges. SIN is jointly funded by the
UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Department
for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with more than 100 staff
based in over 40 countries and territories worldwide, including the SIN Gulf
Team, led from Doha.
The Science and Innovation Country Lead for Saudi Arabia must work as part of
the wider SIN Gulf Team, ensuring they continue to promote the UK as the
partner of choice for research, development and innovation.
The six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC: Saudi Arabia, UAE,
Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain) are investing heavily in research capacity
as they seek to diversify and build their knowledge-based economies. In
addition to Post and wider FCDO objectives, the SIN Gulf Team also manage
programme funding to support the UK's Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Strategy, with the SIN Country Lead assuming responsibility for programme
delivery in Saudi Arabia along with supporting activities across the wider
Gulf region. SIN Gulf has already identified significant opportunities for the
UK research base to engage beneficially with Gulf research institutions in
priority research sectors and is looking to extend its coverage both in the
region, and with UK institutes and businesses.
Duties and responsibilities:
* Implement the UK Government 's science and innovation strategy for the Gulf with direct responsibility for Saudi Arabia.
* Responsible for planning and delivery of programme funded scientific focussed initiatives.
* Manage the UK relationship with Saudi research, innovation, and funding bodies.
* Report on Saudi trends, policy and funding in the areas of research, science and innovation.
* Develop communications strategies and campaigns to promote the vibrant, creative and ambitious UK-Saudi science and innovation partnerships to a wide range of target audiences.
* Provide support to senior UK Government staff and the UK research base regarding Saudi Arabia's science and innovation environment.
* Act as the first point of contact for UK Government lobbying on research, scientific and technology policy issues in Saudi Arabia.
* Collaborate with Saudi partners on the development of common science and innovation policies.
* Work with UK partners - UK Department for International Trade (DIT), Prosperity, British Council and others to deliver wider UK prosperity objectives.
* Develop and maintain a network of senior level contacts across the UK and Gulf research landscape.
* Support UK entities to leverage Gulf research funds to tackle pressing global challenges.
* Support VIP visits - curate events with a range of high level, diverse thought leaders and influencers to promote our bilateral scientific partnership.
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 other response to a crisis
affecting UK citizens.
Key behaviours required:
* Working Together - Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.
* Delivering at Pace - Taking 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.
* Seeing the Big Picture - Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider priorities and ensure work is in the national interest.
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.
Essential qualifications, skills and experience
* BSc, BA, or BEng in a relevant field
* Ability to plan strategically, assimilate information from a range of sources, and to see the bigger picture to spot opportunities.
* Flexible, resilient under pressure, and decisive, with a proven track record of working quickly and reliably with attention to detail and with limited supervision. Strong organisational skills.
* Ability to work independently and to take the initiative as well as being able to work well as part of a larger team to deliver results.
* Collaborative approach to colleagues and stakeholder partnerships. Ability to initiate and maintain a wide range of working relationships.
* Experience in project management and/or events management.
* A confident communicator with excellent interpersonal skills and good presentation and representational skills. Proven ability to engage at all levels internally and with external stakeholders.
* Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication.
* Strong IT skills and literacy in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook).
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience
* A scientific background: experience working with the research, academic, or commercial scientific community of the Gulf region, and an understanding of the UK science and innovation landscape is highly desirable.
* Arabic language skills (both written and spoken).
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
2 January 2023
Grade
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Type of Position
Full-time, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
Working hours per week
35
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
1 March 2023
Other benefits and conditions of employment
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) during visits and to attend networking events,
receptions, and seminars.
The successful candidate must also be available for occasional travel within
KSA and the Gulf region, and further afield to the UK for business/ official
purposes.
The successful candidate will be subject to a 90-day probationary period.
Additional information
How to apply:
Interested candidates must include to their online application form 1) an
updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) and 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 02 January
2023.
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.