Growth & Operations Lead (UAE)

About the role

Requirements

• We're looking for someone who:
• Combines commercial instinct, strategic thinking and entrepreneurial energy.
• You should have:
• - 8+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, consulting, client leadership, market development or a related commercial role.
• - Significant professional experience in the UAE, ideally Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and a strong understanding of the local business environment.
• - An existing network - or demonstrated ability to build one quickly - among senior business decision-makers in the region.
• - Experience within a consulting firm, creative/digital agency, innovation company, technology business or sophisticated B2B professional-services environment.
• - A track record of developing and converting complex B2B opportunities.
• - Confidence engaging with founders, CEOs, C-level executives and senior government or institutional stakeholders.
• - Strong proposal, presentation and commercial storytelling skills.
• - Experience working with RFPs, tenders and procurement processes.
• - Strong commercial judgement and the ability to qualify opportunities rather than simply chase leads.
• - Excellent written and spoken English.
• - Strong organisational skills and comfort managing multiple commercial and operational priorities simultaneously.
• - Familiarity with CRM and pipeline management.
• - The independence to operate effectively on the ground while collaborating closely with an international team.
• It would be a strong advantage if you also bring:
• - Experience across the wider GCC / MENA region.
• - Relationships within government, semi-government, real estate, hospitality, destinations, tourism, culture, technology or major enterprise organisations.
• - Experience helping establish or scale a new market, office, practice or business unit.
• - Understanding of branding, customer experience, digital transformation, AI, innovation or organisational transformation.
• - Arabic language skills.
• The kind of person we imagine
• You are a builder.
• You enjoy walking into a market, understanding how it works and figuring out where the opportunities are.
• You are equally comfortable having coffee with a founder, presenting to a CEO, navigating a procurement process, attending an industry event, working with our strategists on a proposal, or solving the practical realities of establishing a growing office.
• You don't wait for briefs to arrive.
• You create conversations.
• You connect dots between organisations, people, needs and ideas.
• You understand that relationships matter deeply in this market - but that relationships alone are not enough. You know how to turn trust into opportunities and opportunities into lasting partnerships.
• And you want to build something, not simply inherit a territory.

Responsibilities

• As UAE Growth & Operations Lead, you will:
• Drive UAE & GCC growth
• - Develop and execute INTERWEAVE's business development approach for the UAE, with progressive expansion into priority GCC markets.
• - Identify high-potential sectors, organisations, decision-makers and opportunities aligned with our expertise.
• - Build and manage a qualified pipeline across consulting, brand, experience, digital, technology, AI and integrated transformation opportunities.
• - Proactively open doors and build relationships with C-level executives, founders, government and semi-government organisations, developers, hospitality groups, destination organisations, cultural institutions and other strategic prospects.
• - Attend meetings, conferences, industry gatherings and networking opportunities, representing INTERWEAVE with confidence and credibility.
• - Develop strategic partnerships, referral networks and alliances that can accelerate our presence in the region.
• - Identify RFPs, tenders, procurement opportunities and major transformation programmes relevant to our capabilities.
• - Take ownership of opportunities from first conversation through qualification, proposal, negotiation and close.
• Turn opportunities into strong propositions
• - Understand the real business challenge behind the brief and connect it with the right INTERWEAVE capabilities.
• - Work closely with our strategy, consulting, creative, technology and leadership teams to shape compelling solutions.
• - Scope opportunities and contribute to proposals, credentials, pitch decks, budgets, commercial models and presentations.
• - Coordinate responses to RFPs and tenders, ensuring quality, relevance and timely submission.
• - Participate in and, increasingly, lead client presentations and commercial conversations.
• - Maintain disciplined pipeline management, forecasting and follow-up through our CRM.
• Build INTERWEAVE's Dubai presence
• - Act as the key day-to-day INTERWEAVE representative on the ground in Dubai.
• - Support the establishment and continuous development of our local operating setup.
• - Coordinate relationships with local service providers, business partners, workspace providers and other operational stakeholders.
• - Work with our central finance, people and operations teams to ensure smooth local administration and business operations.
• - Help establish efficient processes for prospects, clients, suppliers and partners in the UAE.
• - Support local recruitment and onboarding as the Dubai team grows.
• - Help us understand how INTERWEAVE needs to adapt - commercially and operationally - to succeed in the market without losing what makes us INTERWEAVE.
• Build our network, intelligence & visibility
• - Develop a strong ecosystem around INTERWEAVE across business, government, technology, innovation, hospitality, real estate, culture and the creative industries.
• - Continuously map the market: major organisations, investment programmes, government agendas, upcoming developments, competitors and emerging opportunities.
• - Bring market intelligence back into the company and help leadership determine where we should focus.
• - Identify relevant communities, associations, events, awards, platforms and speaking opportunities.
• - Support local thought leadership, events, roundtables and content that strengthen INTERWEAVE's reputation in the region.
• - Help turn our existing international credentials, case studies and expertise into locally relevant stories.
• - Be an active ambassador for INTERWEAVE and help c

Skills

• business development
• strategic partnerships
• leadership
• RFPs and tenders
• proposal development
• presentation skills
• commercial storytelling
• CRM and pipeline management
• stakeholder management
• government and senior client engagement
• market development
• client leadership
• negotiation
• network building
• Arabic language skills (preferred)