Main Purpose of the Job:

To lead a large corporate services section in one of the UK’s largest Embassies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. You will also be the link to the FCO’s global Corporate Capability Programme, a transformation programme for the delivery of corporate services globally. You will be responsible for managing a number of teams, recommending, and implementing cost-effective action to the Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador to achieve value for money and greater efficiency across the teams you manage and the wider Embassy.

Main duties and responsibilities:

The British Embassy Tunis has been through a period of substantial change and expansion over the last seven years following the 2011 revolution and tragic terrorist attacks in 2014. These events resulted in a rapid increase in the number of UK government employees based in the British Embassy in Tunis, with the arrival of several new teams meaning the Embassy is now home to over 130 staff, plus around 20 staff from the British Embassy in Tripoli.

You will ensure the diverse needs of different UK government departments operating on the Embassy platform are met and provide inspiring leadership of the large Corporate Services section. You will use your strong interpersonal and management skills to support your team’s delivery of consistently high standards across finance, procurement, HR, estate management and logistics, developing strong relationships with corporate services colleagues in London and in our four service hubs, as well as with your counterparts in the region and beyond.

You will be the senior lead on all things corporate supporting the Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission and ensuring they have full visibility of all corporate delivery. In addition, you will be the link to the FCO’s global Corporate Capability programme, supporting and implementing pilots of this exciting new change programme within the post and across the network to drive forward change, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Embassy’s operations, increasing output and improving financial and procedural compliance.

You will often be required to resolve complex technical and/or managerial problems and will have considerable discretion to take decisions on the direction of corporate services work across the Embassy. Your main duties will include:

• Cross-Embassy Leadership: Working with the Ambassador and the rest of senior management to identify priorities for cultural and systems change and to communicate and embed them effectively across all sections. You will oversee implementation of the centrally led Corporate Change Programme, influencing London to ensure our local context is taken into account and ensuring that the Embassy has the staff, resources and policies in place to deliver changing political priorities. You will play a central role as member of a number of embassy-wide Committees, leading by example to ensure full participation from across the Embassy.

• Strategic Budget Management: You will ensure all spend delivers value for money in support of Embassy objectives, with responsibility for overseeing all financial bids and returns and, where necessary, making recommendations on the most effective use of limited resources; you will provide strategic guidance to the Finance Manager to ensure accurate forecasting and spend; you will lead monthly budget review meetings with the Ambassador; and ensure financial compliance, including through spot checks and challenging suppliers.

• Estate Management: You will provide leadership and strategic oversight to the Estates Team and Facilities Management Provider to ensure the embassy maximises the benefits of our buildings and wider estate, while also meeting health and safety standards. You will ensure all UK based staff are housed appropriately, in line with the Residential Accommodation Policy and provide senior oversight of the facilities management contract (FY 18/19 value of £160K) ensuring value for money and high service standards from the contractor.

• Human Resources Leadership: You will provide evidence-based advice to the Ambassador and Deputy on all strategic HR issues and, through your team, ensure their decisions are implemented. Within this, key roles will include reviewing and implementing Terms and Conditions of Service (TACOS) working with our Legal Adviser to ensure compliance with local labour law; recruitment; performance management; induction processes; salaries and performance pay; appraisal quality control. You will be the senior point of contact for the Regional HR Hub in Abu Dhabi, ensuring they are providing our staff with a consistently high quality service.

• Crisis preparedness: You will play a key role in ensuring that the Embassy is fully prepared for any crisis, coordinating preparedness across the Corporate Services team and taking the lead on logistics and staff welfare during a crisis.

• Protocol: You will engage with senior MFA contacts to ensure that the local bureaucracy is understood and followed without interrupting Embassy working practises.

• Resource Management: You will lead a team of 24 Corporate Services staff, with direct line management of four team leaders covering technical works, HR, finance, estates, cleaners, drivers and the staff of the Ambassador’s Residence.

• Oversight of Tunis Local budget allocation approximately £2.5m {FY 18/19}

Key competencies required:

• Leading and Communicating – Effectiveness in this area is about leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. It’s about supporting principles of fairness of opportunity for all and a dedication to a diverse range of citizens.

• Managing a Quality Service – Effectiveness in this area is about being organised to deliver service objectives and striving to improve the quality of service, taking account of diverse customer needs and requirements. People who are effective plan, organise and manage their time and activities to deliver a high quality and efficient service, applying programme and project management approaches to support service delivery.

• Making Effective Decisions – Effectiveness in this area is about being objective; using sound judgment, evidence and knowledge to provide accurate, expert and professional advice. It means showing clarity of thought, setting priorities, analysing and using evidence to evaluate options before arriving at well-reasoned justifiable decisions.

• Changing and Improving – People who are effective in this area are responsive, innovative and seek out opportunities to create effective change. It’s about being open to change, suggesting ideas for improvements to the way things are done, and working in ‘smarter’, more focused ways.