Assistant Admin Manager

About ARX

ARX is a global network of specialists in engineering, design, and architecture, offering comprehensive consulting, project management, and technical services across various sectors including airports, bridges, buildings, digital innovation, environment, hydropower, metros, oil & gas, railways, roads, tunnels, and water treatment. With a presence spanning multiple continents, ARX employs a "glocal" approach, combining international expertise with local insights to meet diverse community needs. The company fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, valuing its employees as key to developing solutions for future challenges. ARX is expanding its presence in the Middle East with new offices in the UAE and KSA, reinforcing its commitment to engineering excellence in the GCC market.

Role Overview

ARX is seeking a highly organized, proactive, and service-oriented Assistant Admin Manager for its Abu Dhabi office. This role requires proven experience in office administration, travel coordination, and business/visit visa support within the UAE. The successful candidate will manage the Abu Dhabi office independently, ensuring smooth daily operations, coordinating effectively with internal teams and external partners, and maintaining high standards of administrative support. Strong follow-up skills, meticulous attention to detail, and a proactive attitude are essential for this position.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the complete daily administration of the Abu Dhabi office, ensuring it is well-maintained, organized, and functions efficiently.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all administrative matters within the Abu Dhabi office, including managing office access, seating arrangements, onboarding logistics, courier services, pantry supplies, stationery, and general office upkeep.
• Liaise with building management, maintenance teams, suppliers, vendors, and other service providers to promptly address and resolve any office or facility-related issues.
• Manage office supplies inventory, access cards, service contract renewals, invoice processing, and maintain organized administrative records, ensuring timely follow-up and coordination with the Finance department.
• Assist with new employee onboarding processes, provide support for employee documentation, facilitate internal communications, and offer general administrative assistance in collaboration with the HR department.
• Ensure consistent adherence to company office policies, administrative procedures, and internal standards within the Abu Dhabi office.
• Coordinate all business travel arrangements for employees, encompassing flight bookings, hotel reservations, transportation arrangements, itinerary planning, securing necessary approvals, and managing supporting documentation.
• Collaborate with employees, project teams, management, travel agencies, and service providers to understand specific travel needs and identify cost-effective travel solutions that comply with company policy.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all travel bookings, approvals, invoices, itineraries, and related documentation for easy reference and follow-up.
• Manage business and visit visa requirements for employees undertaking business trips, including verifying destination-specific requirements, preparing necessary supporting documents, and tracking application progress.
• Engage with embassies, consulates, visa service providers, and travel agencies as needed for business/visit visa applications, appointment scheduling, invitation letters, travel insurance, hotel bookings, and associated paperwork.
• Keep meticulous records of business/visit visa applications and travel documents, ensuring diligent follow-up until each process is successfully completed.
• Collaborate with the HR/Admin teams in Dubai to ensure uniformity in administrative practices, employee support, travel coordination, and office-related processes across all branches.
• Solicit quotations, evaluate vendor and service options, coordinate necessary approvals, and support cost-effective administration and facility management initiatives.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Human Resources, or a closely related academic discipline.
• Possess a minimum of 5 to 8 years of professional experience in office administration, travel coordination, administrative management, or a comparable role.
• Must have prior experience working in the Middle East, with a comprehensive understanding of UAE office administration practices, vendor coordination, and employee support procedures.
• Previous experience in independently managing office operations, preferably within an engineering consultancy, construction, professional services, or project-driven organization, is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating business travel arrangements, including flights, accommodations, local transport, scheduling, approvals, and all pertinent documentation.
• Hands-on experience in supporting the documentation process for business/visit visas for employee business travel, including coordination with embassies, consulates, visa service providers, or travel agencies.
• A clear understanding that this role is strictly limited to business/visit visa coordination for business travel purposes and does not involve labor processing, employment visas, work permits, or residency visa processing.
• Exhibit strong organizational, coordination, follow-up, and multitasking capabilities, with the ability to independently prioritize tasks and manage workload effectively.
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, enabling effective collaboration with employees, management, project teams, HR, Finance, vendors, and external service providers.
• Demonstrate a keen attention to detail, particularly concerning travel arrangements, visa documentation, approvals, invoices, and administrative records.
• Be proactive, self-motivated, solution-oriented, and maintain a positive approach to work, showing a willingness to take full ownership of assigned responsibilities.
• Possess good vendor coordination and negotiation skills, with the ability to effectively obtain quotations, compare service offerings, and manage the approval process.
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality and handle sensitive employee, travel, and administrative information with professionalism.
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office suite and familiar with general office administration systems.

We Offer

• An opportunity to collaborate within a forward-thinking, synergistic, and innovative team environment.
• Exposure to cutting-edge projects that are instrumental in the development of the Middle East and North African regions.
• Access to personalized professional growth and development opportunities tailored to your career aspirations.