The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Trade Officer for the Energy and Resources cluster under the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). This is for a fixed-term contract of two (2) years, with a possibility of extension.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the trade promotion and negotiation organisation for the UK that help promote UK businesses overseas and attract foreign investment. DBT have 3,000 staff across the globe in over 100 countries, and help British businesses to internationalise and grow overseas.

This is an important and varied role and the opportunity comes at an interesting time as the UK/Saudi bilateral trading relationship develops at speed, with renewable energy and resources (Critical Minerals) forming a key priority within this.

The jobholder’s main role is to promote business opportunities in Saudi Arabia to the UK energy and resources sector, and to support UK businesses that are seeking to develop their business through trade with Saudi Arabia. You will understand KSA market trends and ambitions to identify valuable Export Opportunities, and secure high value Export Wins in pursuit of DBT KSA targets and corporate objectives. You will build and maintain a network of relationships with senior stakeholders in the government and private sectors, both in the UK and Saudi Arabia, and draw upon these to achieve commercial objectives.

The jobholder will also provide partial support (approximately 10% of the time) to Infrastructure sector colleagues as sustainability and infrastructure sectors are merging closely as part of the new DBT structures.

You will also develop programmes of trade promotion activities to further identify export opportunities for UK providers, including official programmes, trade missions, events, trade shows, and inward/ outward visits.

This role is based in Riyadh and will be reporting to the Senior Trade Adviser for the Energy and Resources Cluster, who is the sector lead based at the British Embassy Riyadh. Regular travel between Riyadh and Al Khobar may be required. The jobholder should also be flexible in responding to changes to sector priorities based on operational requirements as guided by the DBT KSA Director.

Duties and responsibilities:

The successful candidate will

• Help support the (UK) clean energy commercial sector (energy transition, renewables, petrochemicals and mining) across the whole KSA Network. They will have a high degree of responsibility in generating and maintaining local and UK business contacts, identifying new business opportunities, and providing other campaign activity including events at the British Embassy.
• Be required to understand KSA market trends and ambitions to identify valuable Export Opportunities and secure high value Export Wins in pursuit of regional (Middle East and Pakistan – MEaP) targets for DBT.
• Manage relationships with UK companies, cluster leads, sector groups in the UK, and KSA stakeholders.
• Support the Cluster Lead in developing and engaging a wide range of stakeholders in Saudi government organisations to understand and promote commercial opportunities in the Energy & Resources sector.
• Provide DBT and Sector specialists with in-country support, including, but not limited to official programmes, trade missions, events, and trade shows.
• Provide market analysis and guidance on doing business in Saudi Arabia. Briefing both individual visitors and groups of UK companies on the characteristics of the Saudi market, and support UK companies in pursuing export opportunities.

The above list is not exhaustive, and the jobholder will be required to be flexible as specific sector responsibilities could change in the future and this would be at the discretion of the line manager or the DBT Country Director. 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.
• Communicating and Influencing – Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
• 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 – Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

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.

• Ability to multi-task and have good organisational skills. Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines, and respond quickly and flexibly to meet multiple and changing priorities
• Excellent interpersonal skills and able to influence and network confidently and collaborate effectively across Embassy teams.
• Collaborative approach to colleague and stakeholder partnerships. Ability to develop and maintain a range of contacts to build effective working relationships.
• Resourcefulness in solving problems and demonstrates good judgement.
• Team player who is capable of working on their own initiative.
• Strong customer focus and ability to deliver quality service
• Excellent communication skills (both written and oral) in English. Ability to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely.
• Strong IT computer skills and in using MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).