Protocol and Government Relations Manager - Airport

Job Summary

The Protocol and Government Relations Manager leads the organization’s official protocol, government liaison, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory coordination activities. The role ensures that interactions with government entities, embassies, ministries, regulators, municipalities, and other public-sector stakeholders are professionally managed, properly documented, and aligned with applicable laws, organizational policies, and approved authority levels. The position also plans and delivers executive protocol arrangements for official visits, ceremonies, delegations, and high-level events while safeguarding the organization’s reputation and business continuity.

Job Responsibilities 1

1. Government Relations and Liaison

• Build and maintain professional working relationships with relevant ministries, regulators, municipalities, immigration and labor authorities, embassies, chambers of commerce, and other government bodies.

• Act as the organization’s authorized coordination point for government correspondence, regulatory submissions, official requests, approvals, permits, registrations, licenses, attestations, and renewals within the role’s mandate.

• Monitor the progress of government transactions, follow up on pending matters, resolve administrative obstacles, and escalate material delays, risks, or non-compliance to the appropriate management level.

• Maintain an up-to-date stakeholder map, contact directory, engagement plan, and record of official commitments and follow-up actions.

2. Protocol Management

• Develop and apply corporate protocol standards for meetings, official visits, delegations, ceremonies, signing events, conferences, and executive engagements.

• Coordinate invitations, guest lists, seating plans, order of precedence, receiving arrangements, transportation, access, security, hospitality, gifts, flags, briefing notes, and event schedules.

• Ensure culturally appropriate and professional treatment of dignitaries, government officials, diplomatic representatives, board members, executives, and strategic stakeholders.

• Prepare protocol briefs and executive information packs, including profiles, titles, pronunciation guidance, agendas, sensitivities, talking points, and required courtesies.

3. Regulatory and Corporate Documentation

• Coordinate the preparation, review, submission, and tracking of corporate and regulatory documents required by government authorities.

• Work with Legal, HR, Finance, Procurement, Operations, and entity management to ensure submissions are complete, accurate, properly approved, and submitted within required timelines.

• Maintain a controlled register of licenses, registrations, permits, certificates, authorizations, powers of attorney, official letters, and renewal dates.

• Ensure confidential and personal information is handled in accordance with internal controls, data-protection requirements, and document-retention standards.

4. Stakeholder Engagement and Representation

• Represent the organization in approved government and institutional meetings and ensure that commitments made on behalf of the organization are documented and followed through.

• Coordinate responses to official inquiries, inspection requirements, regulatory observations, and requests for information.

• Advise management on stakeholder expectations, protocol considerations, government processes, and potential reputational or operational sensitivities.

• Support senior leadership in building constructive relationships with priority government and diplomatic stakeholders.

Job Responsibilities 2

5. Team, Vendor, and Service Management

• Plan and allocate work across the protocol and government relations team, set service standards, review output quality, and develop capability.

• Manage approved external service providers supporting translation, attestation, documentation, event protocol, transportation, hospitality, or government processing.

• Monitor service performance, turnaround times, costs, and compliance with contractual and organizational requirements.

• Prepare the function’s annual operating plan, budget inputs, resource requirements, and periodic performance reports.

6. Governance, Risk, and Continuous Improvement

• Ensure all activities comply with the Delegation of Authority, Code of Conduct, anti-bribery requirements, gifts and hospitality rules, and relevant internal policies.

• Identify regulatory, reputational, operational, and stakeholder risks and maintain appropriate mitigation and escalation actions.

• Develop and improve standard operating procedures, templates, trackers, service-level expectations, and management dashboards.

• Maintain complete audit trails and provide records for internal review, audit, or management assurance when required.

Additional Responsibilities 3

Job Knowledge & Skills

• Government procedures, licensing, registration, official correspondence, and regulatory follow-up

• Executive protocol, event protocol, diplomatic etiquette, and order of precedence

• Stakeholder mapping, relationship management, negotiation, and issue resolution

• Integrity, discretion, confidentiality, and sound judgment in sensitive situations

• Clear written and verbal communication in formal and cross-cultural settings

• Planning, organization, attention to detail, and deadline management

• People leadership, service orientation, and cross-functional coordination

• Risk awareness, governance discipline, and evidence-based escalation

• Strong practical knowledge of government processes, official protocol, stakeholder practices, and business culture in Qatar and the wider GCC is preferred.

• Professional fluency in English and Arabic is strongly preferred. Additional languages are an advantage.

• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 and the ability to maintain structured trackers, dashboards, databases, correspondence logs, and document repositories.

Job Experience

Competencies

Education