Job Description
Type of Post: British Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Job Category: Other British Government Departments (Partners across Government, including UK Visas)
Job Subcategory: UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration)
The British Embassy Abu Dhabi has a vacancy for a Regional Secretariat under UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
The Secretariat role is an important role in UKVI’s Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, Pakistan, and Turkey (MENACAPT) region, drafting submissions and briefings whilst also providing support to the Senior Management Team and working closely with Private Offices in the UK. Given the nature of the role, it requires a self-starter with an ability to write effectively and deliver at pace.
Duties and Responsibilities
Your main responsibilities in this role include the following:
Co-ordinating and drafting urgent submissions/ advice on behalf of the Director/ Regional Managers;
Responding to media queries and requests for briefing, including liaising with operational areas including overseas posts where necessary;
Building knowledge of specific areas within UKVI, being the first point of contact for both the Director/ Regional Managers and business areas on these;
Understanding the Director’s/ Regional Manager’s priorities in these areas and ensuring progress is driven and monitored in line with these;
Developing and maintaining core briefings and documentation for your portfolio area;
Being a central point of contact for V&C for colleagues within UKVI, across other Home Office commands, (e.g., Immigration Enforcement and Border Force), corporate areas, and Other Government Departments;
Providing Secretariat support to the UKVI RMT and related meetings – including, but not limited to, minutes, decisions, tracking of progress;
Corporate responsibilities such as the UKVI Business Continuity Plan;
Regional travel each quarter.
Job Requirements
Experience of writing briefings/ submissions for senior officials
Experience of UK visa decision making within the last 12 months
Good awareness of political sensitivities, and ability to see the bigger picture when considering individual issues
Cross functional relationship building is paramount, as the role involves working with, and influencing, individuals not directly under their control
Highly organised with excellent attention to detail
Ability to multi-task, manage a varied workload, prioritise effectively and react quickly and calmly to changing circumstances
Ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision, identifying key issues and taking action quickly
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. Able to tailor approach to different audiences and comfortable working directly with senior colleagues
Strong interpersonal, time management and problem solving skills
Comfortable with collaborating and coordinating with different teams and grades to drive required decisions
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience
Required competencies
Seeing the Big Picture, Leading and Communicating, Delivering at Pace
Job Details
Company/Organization: British Embassy in Abu Dhabi
Employment Type: Full-time
Job Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Duration of Post: Permanent
Compensation/Salary: AED 13,743 Per Month
