Senior Associate, Operations & Workplace Services

Ankura is a team of excellence founded on innovation and growth.

This position supports Ankura Business Services, Ankura’s internal firm services function, with a primary focus on supporting Ankura’s KSA Regional Headquarters in Riyadh.

Role Overview

Ankura opened its first office in Saudi Arabia in 2023 and is seeking an Operations Senior Associate to join the Riyadh office. The individual will provide operational, administrative and business services support to the KSA Regional Headquarters, the RHQ Head, the executive team and employees supporting the daily management of the business and local office. The role will also support the wider commercial entity where required, ensuring operational alignment across Ankura’s activities in Saudi Arabia.

Working as part of a global Operations & Workplace Services team, the role will help create a sense of community and operational excellence, provide office and executive support, administer processes and systems, support projects and assist with efficient service delivery for the firm and its clients. The role requires a confident self-starter who can work independently with minimal supervision and manage a broad range of activities across multiple functional areas.

You will be part of the global Operations & Workplace Services team within Ankura Business Services. The role will work closely with the RHQ Head, KSA executive team, local business leadership and international OWS colleagues to ensure effective support to the Regional Headquarters and wider Saudi business.

Responsibilities

RHQ Operational and Executive Support

• Provide high-quality operational and administrative support to the KSA Regional Headquarters, including support to the RHQ Head, executive team and senior professionals.

• Create an environment of service for Ankura employees, anticipating needs and providing practical support to enable senior professionals and client service teams to operate efficiently and effectively.

• Perform proactive calendar management, including scheduling, prioritising appointments, coordinating meetings, tracking deadlines and ensuring presentations, filings and other deliverables are completed efficiently.

• Draft, edit and format presentations, business correspondence and internal communications, ensuring grammar, spelling, formatting and tone are accurate, professional and engaging.

• Support preparation of RHQ-related materials, presentations and documentation for leadership, internal stakeholders and external parties.

• Maintain contacts, distribution lists, working documentation and records on appropriate repositories in accordance with firm policies and best practices.

MarCom and Business Development Support

• Provide MarCom support to the RHQ Head, executive team and local leadership, including coordination of materials, formatting of presentations and support with business development documentation.
• Support proposal filing processes, including gathering required inputs, coordinating materials and ensuring submissions are completed accurately and within required deadlines.
• Assist with maintaining client, supplier and government-facing information where required for business development, client onboarding or supplier registration purposes.
• Support the coordination of internal and external communications related to RHQ activities, events and stakeholder engagement where required.

Finance, AR/AP and Commercial Entity Support

• Support AR/AP activities, focusing on the KSA Regional Headquarters and supporting the team in the commercial entity where required.

• Assist with AP invoice processing, expense submissions, vendor documentation, bank document updates, IBAN letters, guarantees and related finance administration.

• Support billing and invoicing requirements for Saudi Arabia matters, liaising with Project Managers, Finance and relevant business teams as required.

• Assist with weekly time and expense processes in accordance with firm policies and client requirements, including resolving follow-up queries where needed.

• Coordinate with HR, Finance and Legal on matters relating to new joiners, supplier contracts, invoicing, immigration and other business support requirements.

Supplier Registration, KYC and Portal Support

• Support supplier registration processes, including accessing client and government-related portals, gathering required KYC information and coordinating submissions with relevant internal teams.

• Maintain and update supplier, client and government portal profiles, ensuring documentation and access requirements are monitored and kept current.

• Regularly monitor and support the maintenance and activation of business relationships across government-related portals.

• Support proposal filings and associated administrative submissions, ensuring required information is gathered, checked and filed appropriately.

• Coordinate with Legal, Finance, Compliance, Billing, MarCom and business teams to gather documentation required for registrations, filings and portal submissions.

RHQ Compliance, Government and Legal Support

• Support RHQ and local business compliance activities in coordination with Ankura Legal, Finance and ABS teams.

• Assist with routine filings with relevant authorities as needed and as directed by Ankura’s ABS teams.

• Support engagement with relevant authorities and external advisors on Ankura’s behalf, as directed by the appropriate internal stakeholders.

• Manage document sealing, filing and submission processes where approved through Ankura internal processes.

• Support management of registered office requirements, local office documentation and landlord coordination as directed by Ankura’s ABS teams.

• Use local, government and immigration portals effectively to support visa, licensing, registration and other operational processes.

Workplace Services and Office Operations

• Coordinate office operations and workplace services for the Riyadh office, ensuring a professional, efficient and service-led experience for employees, clients and visitors.

• Meet and greet clients and visitors to the Riyadh office and provide appropriate support for meetings and events.

• Coordinate facilities maintenance suppliers, external contractors and building management to ensure office requirements and health and safety matters are addressed.

• Place supply orders, manage inventory and coordinate production requests including printing, copying, binding, shipping and courier activity.

• Support domestic and international travel arrangements, including flights, hotels, cars, passports, visas, travel profiles and last-minute itinerary changes.

• Support onboarding and integration of new employees, acting as a local knowledge resource and helping employees navigate processes, tools and office requirements.

Technology, Systems and Process Improvement

• Effectively use firmwide and practice-specific tools, processes and databases, including Workday, Intapp, Salesforce, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Calendar, SharePoint and Teams.

• Support adoption and effective use of technology applications and resources that enable client service delivery and RHQ operations.

• Conduct information and internet research as needed.

• Partner with other departments to improve business operations, identify process improvements and support consistent service delivery.

• Handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and in line with firm policies.

Requirements

• Fluent in both English and Arabic is essential.

• Degree in a related discipline.

• Experience operating in a similar role providing office management, executive support, operational support or business services support.

• Experience working in Saudi Arabia within an internationally oriented professional services firm, multinational company or similar environment.

• Experience supporting senior stakeholders, executive teams or regional office leadership.

• Strong understanding of working across different time zones and coordinating with regional and global teams.

• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office resources and applications, including Outlook, Calendar, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint and Word; experience with Workday is desirable.

• Experience using business systems and databases such as Intapp, Salesforce or similar platforms is desirable.

• Experience processing AP invoices, supporting AR/AP activities, expense submissions, bank documentation, IBAN letters, guarantees and supplier documentation.

• Experience supporting supplier registration processes, KYC documentation gathering and client or government portal submissions.

• Experience managing or supporting government, immigration, supplier, client or regulatory portals.

• Experience supporting proposal filings, business development documentation or MarCom activities is desirable.

• Project management experience is highly desirable.

• Critical thinking skills and initiative to proactively address issues and identify areas for business process improvement.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills with excellent attention to detail.

• Business acumen, curiosity about the company and its clients, and an understanding of how operational duties impact related teams.

• Ability to work well under pressure and with minimal supervision.

• Professional interpersonal skills with the ability to interact effectively with people at varying levels of the firm.

• Strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise multiple tasks accurately in a fast-paced environment.

• Highly resourceful team player with the ability to work independently and with direction.

• Demonstrated proactive approach to problem-solving and strong decision-making capability.

• Proven ability to establish, build and maintain relationships with peers, client service delivery professionals, leadership and external stakeholders.

• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with appropriate discretion.

• Commitment to achieving business goals and meeting deadlines in an environment with competing demands.

Ankura is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability. Equal Employment Opportunity Posters, if you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, submit an online application, or participate in an interview/assessment, please email [email protected] or call toll-free +1.312-583-2122. This email and phone number are created exclusively to assist disabled job seekers whose disability prevents them from being able to apply online. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned. Messages left for other purposes, such as following up on an application or technical issues unrelated to a disability, will not receive a response.