The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for Senior Trade Advisor, Cyber and Electronic Warfare, job grade Higher Executive Officer (HEO), under the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). This is to cover a period of maternity leave for six (6) months, which may be extended depending on when the current jobholder returns from maternity leave.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the British Government’s trade and investment development organisation. Its aim is to enhance the competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investments and attract a continuing high-level of quality foreign direct investment into the UK. DBT has responsibility for the promotion of international trade overseas and we work with UK based businesses to ensure their success in international markets and encourage overseas companies to bring their high-quality investment to the UK. DBT in Saudi Arabia has a network of two trade teams based in Riyadh and Jeddah. The teams work closely together to deliver services to our customers.

The UK enjoys an excellent reputation in the Defence and Security Exports (DSE) sector and Saudi Arabia represents one of its largest markets. These exports play a vital role in delivering both Saudi Arabia’s objectives within relevant aspects of Vision 2030 and also contribute greatly to the UK economy and workforce. Cyber and Electronic Warfare are seen as key opportunity areas within the sector. Reporting to the UKDSE First Secretary for Defence and Security (FSDS), the jobholder will be the Senior Trade Advisor responsible for delivering commercial success for the UK on Defence and Security Exports, supporting UK companies that are seeking to develop their business through trade with Saudi Arabia. 

Duties and responsibilities:

The Senior Trade Advisor will support the FSDS and help lead the sector team. The jobholder will work on the development and implementation of a high value strategy and lead on generating UK commercial wins in priority sectors across the Kingdom.

Duties include:

• Lead on commercial Cyber and Electronic Warfare activity in Saudi Arabia
• Identify relevant sector opportunities and promote to potential UK firms.
• Develop a countrywide 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
• Contribute to VIP visits, both to Saudi Arabia and to the UK.
• Where necessary, provide the wider DBT team in Saudi Arabia with in-country support including (but not limited to) official programmes, trade missions, events and trade shows.

The jobholder will also manage one (1) Trade Advisor.

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 or head of section. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs. 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.

Key behaviours required:

• Communicating and Influencing – Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity, and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
• 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.

Eligibility:

The successful candidate must already have the right to work and reside in Saudi. The successful candidate will be required to transfer their visa (iqama) under the Embassy’s sponsorship.

• Commercial experience, knowledge of trade and investment concepts, ideally in Saudi and/ or the UK.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and able to influence and network confidently with industry leaders, senior government officials, and senior business people; able to build a network of contacts and maintain effective working relationships.
• Team player who is capable of working on their own initiative and manage others. Ability to effectively work and collaborate across teams and stakeholders based across multiple locations.
• Excellent organisational skills, including 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.
• Strong customer focus and ability to deliver quality service.
• Collaborative approach to colleague and stakeholder partnerships.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral. Ability to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely.
• Strong IT skills and well-versed in the use of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).