SRR - Corporate Services Project Manager, HR and Recruitment (EO)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.

Job Category: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)
Job Subcategory: Corporate Services Support, HR

The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Corporate Services Project Manager, HR and Recruitment, job grade Executive Officer (EO), on a fixed term contract for two (2) years. There is a possibility of extension of the contract depending on performance and operational requirements.

The jobholder will lead on projects for the KSA Network, manage HR support, finance, policy and compliance and lead on value added tax (VAT) returns and initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serve as the main HR point of contact for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Regional HR Hub based in Abu Dhabi, ensuring that line managers and staff are aware of the process to contact the Regional HR Hub and that Regional HR Hub processes are fit for purpose locally.
• Manage the administration of contracts and personnel files held locally and assist line managers with their responsibilities within the HR processes including, but not limited to, recruitment, performance management, and employee relations issues. Ensure all contracts and HR records are kept up to date and meet legal and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) criteria.
• Issue all probation letters, employment contracts, and retirement letters in a timely manner, ensuring soft and hard copies are filed centrally.
• Lead on the annual staff survey collection, using outcomes to inform training plans.
• Co-ordinate with Accounts Manager / Regional Pay & Benefits Team to ensure payroll records are accurate and up to date.
• Collate new starters and leaver information. If required present a brief introduction at the monthly Town Hall meeting.
• Maintain list of vacancies in the KSA Network and recommend efficiencies within team structures.
• Manage and further develop the KSA Network-wide employee induction process, a monthly programme held for all new employees.
• Review and feed into policy on legal matters, liaise with the MENA Regional HR Hub on KSA labour law, and provide updates to Senior Management Team.
• Manage the annual appraisal cycle, including organising a quality control committee to ensure that the process is consistent across Posts / Missions.
• Review the KSA Network Ts&Cs and identify any anomalies between current Ts&Cs, FCDO guidance, and local labour law. Work closely with the MENA Regional HR Hub and local Honorary Legal Advisor (HLA) to ensure all proposals are in line with law. Present the proposed changes to the Senior Leadership Team for approval. Lead on presenting the proposed changes to the Country Based Staff Association (CBSA) for their review and comment. Once approval has been received, re-write the main Ts&Cs handbook along with all corresponding policies.
• Co-ordinate and manage with Accounts Manager, staff reward and benefit schemes and agree recommendations with the committee.
• Manage the medical and life insurance schemes, including procurement of contract and maintaining a relationship with the provider’s account manager.
• Lead on ad-hoc projects for Corporate Services, including Locally Employed Staff Travel Assistance Scheme (LESTAS), Terms and Conditions of Service (Ts&Cs), VAT returns, and any ad-hoc projects.
• Lead on the annual review of flights for eligible Country Based Staff (CBS) under LESTAS, and update policy to reflect any changes required. Lead on the annual LESTAS Committee for agreement on policy changes, flight costs, and raise any queries raised by the committee to the Senior Leadership team for review.
• Lead on the annual VAT returns for the KSA Network (Riyadh & Jeddah), liaising with the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority (ZATCA) and the wider Embassy to ensure all relevant claims are submitted within the deadline and respond to any audit queries raised by ZATCA.
• Lead on automating key systems within Corporate Services to reduce man-hours on routine tasks, e.g., monthly payslips, booking systems, and a central corporate services homepage with useful guidance / links and a service helpdesk.
• Support the L&D Committee to manage the training budget of approximately SAR 150,000.00 per annum.
• Cover additional Corporate Services duties as requested by the Head of HR, Finance, Policy and Compliance and the Deputy Director of Corporate Services.
• Line management of two (2) x Corporate Services staff members.

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 and Senior Management. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs. The jobholder may also take on other ad hoc tasks as and when required, including participating in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any response to a crisis.

Key Behaviours Required:

• 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.
• Making Effective Decisions - Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.
• Changing and Improving - Seek out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement. Review ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback.
• 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 successful candidate must be able to secure a local residence and work permit in Saudi (iqama) OR already have the right to work and reside in Saudi.
• The British Embassy provides visa sponsorship. The successful candidate will be required to transfer their visa under the Embassy's sponsorship.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and written. Confident and strong communicator with high customer focus and able to tailor approach to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely to different audiences.
• Familiarity with Oracle-based applications for finance / procurement / HR.
• Familiarity with FCDO or UK government / public sector processes and policies on financial / budget management, forecasting, and payments.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a strong customer focus. Able to maintain a range of contacts to build effective working relationships and work well with staff and teams within the Network.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools, particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams. Accurate typing and proofreading skills.
• Excellent organisational skills. Ability to organise and prioritise workload, organise records, and meet deadlines and changing priorities whilst maintaining close attention to detail and without compromising the quality of the work.
• Excellent problem-solving skills. Ability to anticipate and take initiative to avoid problems or fix them, and to use information and experience to solve problems effectively. Ability to understand competing priorities and make judgement calls on when to use own initiative to deal directly with issues and when to consult before taking decisions.
• Able to work independently and react calmly to situations that may arise.
• Team player, with proven ability in collaborating and supporting others to deliver results.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to develop and maintain a range of contacts to build effective working relationships.
• Demonstrates courtesy and consideration in dealing with all stakeholders. Able to show discretion in handling any sensitive matters, with the trust of all involved.

Desirable Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Required behaviours: Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together.

Application Deadline: 29 October 2024
Grade: Executive Officer (EO)
Type of Position: Full-time, Fixed Term
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: 12,070
Type of Salary: monthly
Start Date: 5 January 2025

Other Benefits and Conditions of Employment:

Working Hours and Remuneration:

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

Monthly Salary Details:

• Base Salary - SAR9,265
• Housing Allowance - SAR2,314 (subject to eligibility)
• Travel Allowance - SAR 400 (subject to eligibility)
• Total - SAR 12,070
• Allowances are not payable to staff who receive official provision for such expenditure in some other form. Spouses / Dependants 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 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 should also be flexible in their approach to hours worked as the job is likely to involve times when the jobholder is expected to do hours in excess of the standard contracted hours (evening and weekend); in this case, flexible working or time off in lieu to compensate will be planned.

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

The successful candidate will be required to transfer their iqama under the Embassy's sponsorship.