Government Relations Officer (GRO)

Job Title: Government Relations Officer
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Reporting to: Head of Government & Regulatory Affairs (or equivalent)
Role Type: Full-time, permanent
Function: Government & public sector liaison, regulatory affairs, stakeholder engagement

About the Company

Our client helps entrepreneurs, SMEs and multinational corporations enter, expand and restructure in the GCC region. They provide corporate structuring, licensing, visa & immigration services, government liaison and risk-mitigation advisory across Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf.
The Government Relations Officer will work within the Riyadh office and will play a pivotal role liaising with Saudi government entities, regulatory bodies and internal business teams to support growth, regulatory compliance and market access.

Role Purpose

• Act as the primary interface between business and relevant Saudi Arabian government ministries, agencies, regulatory bodies, and public-sector stakeholders.

• Monitor legislative, regulatory and policy developments that impact the company’s services (business setup, visa/iqama services, license types, special economic zones etc) and advise the business accordingly.

• Facilitate approvals, filings, registrations, renewals and government-relations tasks for clients and for the company’s operations.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key officials and decision-makers in government and semi-government organisations.

• Work cross-functionally with business development, operations, legal/compliance and client-service teams to ensure regulatory alignment and smooth execution of projects.

• Provide strategic input into the government-relations strategy, anticipate risks and opportunities, escalate as needed and support the company’s positioning in the Saudi market.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and map relevant ministries, agencies and regulatory stakeholders (e.g., licensing authorities, immigration/visa agencies, economic-zone regulators).

• Build and sustain relationships with government officials, regulators and key public-sector contacts in Riyadh and across Saudi Arabia.

• Track and analyse regulatory changes, government policy trends, special economic zone developments, licensing, visa/iqama rules, foreign-investor frameworks relevant to business service lines.

• Prepare briefing documents, regulatory summaries, impact assessments and guidance for internal teams and clients.

• Manage the end-to-end process for government approvals, renewals, filings and any required government-interface work for both the firm and its clients.

• Serve as escalation point for regulatory or governmental issues, propose mitigation plans and work collaboratively with internal stakeholders.

• Support business development by providing intelligence, attending government-relations meetings, supporting tender responses or service-offerings where government-interface is critical.

• Maintain a database of contacts, government-relations activities, open actions, deadlines and deliverables.

• Ensure the company remains compliant with local laws, governance and regulatory requirements in all interactions with government bodies.

• Represent the company at external events, government roundtables or liaison meetings, as needed.

Required Skills & Experience

Education & Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (preferably in Government Relations, Public Policy, International Relations, Business Administration, Law or similar).

• Advanced degree (MBA, Master’s in Public Administration/Policy) is a plus.

Professional Experience:

• Minimum 5-8 years of proven experience in government relations, regulatory affairs or stakeholder management within Saudi Arabia or a Gulf-Cooperation‐Council (GCC) context.

• Direct exposure to Saudi government processes (licensing, visas/immigration, economic zones, investor services) is highly desirable.

• Experience working in business-services, consulting, corporate-services, or a professional-services environment (e.g., corporate-structuring, licensing or business-setup advisory) will be beneficial.

• Strong track record of building and maintaining relationships with senior government officials, regulators and public-sector stakeholders in Riyadh/Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• Demonstrated ability to monitor, interpret and advise on regulatory changes, policy developments and government initiatives.

• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams (compliance/legal/operations/business development) in a regulated environment.

• Proven ability to manage complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, meet deadlines, and deliver under pressure.

Technical / Functional Skills:

• Deep understanding of the Saudi regulatory landscape: company formation, licensing, economic zones, immigration/iqama and visa services.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills — both in Arabic (native or near-native) and English.

• Ability to craft persuasive briefing documents, regulatory summaries, presentations, and stakeholder-engagement materials.

• Strong organisational skills, documentation discipline, database and CRM competence.

• Cultural awareness and ability to operate with sensitivity in the KSA business and public-sector context.

• Resilience, adaptability and the ability to navigate ambiguity in a dynamic regulatory environment.

• Discretion and integrity in managing sensitive government relationships and confidential information.

Desirable Attributes

• Established network of contacts across Saudi ministries and government agencies relevant to business licences, economic zones, investor services, immigration.

• Experience working on cross-border / foreign-investor advisory engagements.

• Familiarity with large-scale investment projects, special economic zones or “giga-project” contexts (e.g., NEOM, Red Sea, etc).

• Proactive mindset: anticipating policy changes, spotting implications for business and advising accordingly.

• Entrepreneurial and client-service oriented: comfortable in a growth-focused consulting environment, willing to “go the extra mile” to help clients and internal teams.

• Strong team-player with the ability to lead initiatives, liaise across geographies, and drive outcomes.