We are currently looking for a highly driven and commercially minded Senior Business Development Manager to join us at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) on a 12-month contract.
DCT Abu Dhabi plays a central role in driving the sustainable growth of the emirate's culture and tourism sectors, positioning Abu Dhabi as a global destination for culture, creativity, and tourism. This role offers the opportunity to support a dynamic and fast-growing function by driving key business development initiatives, strengthening operational processes, and representing the entity in strategic discussions with industry, government, and institutional stakeholders.
Role Review
The Senior Business Development Manager will support the Head of Business Development by taking strategic briefs and translating them into structured workplans, coordinated actions, and completed outputs. The role will be responsible for driving projects from brief to completion, supporting the transformation of the Business Development function, coordinating across internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring key priorities are tracked and delivered.
This is an ideal opportunity for someone who gets energy from ownership, someone who can take direction, figure out how to make it happen, and see it through to completion. The ideal candidate is not only a strategist, but an executor who thinks well, with the ability to manage complex projects, build processes that stick, and operate credibly with senior stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
Project Ownership & BD Transformation
- Take projects defined by the Head of Business Development and drive them end-to-end with full accountability
- Lead transformation initiatives across the Business Development function, including process redesign, tool implementation, CRM adoption, trackers, reporting, and framework development
- Manage external consultants and vendors throughout the project lifecycle, including scoping, delivery oversight, quality control, and follow-up
- Coordinate cross-functional workstreams with Finance, PMO, Legal, and other internal stakeholders
- Translate complex briefs into clear workplans, milestones, owners, risks, dependencies, and deliverables
BD Functional Support & External Representation
- Represent the Head of Business Development in key meetings in Abu Dhabi and regionally when required
- Engage directly with companies, ecosystem partners, government entities, and institutional stakeholders at a senior level
- Support Business Attraction and Relationship teams on high-stakes topics that go beyond their day-to-day scope
- Contribute to Incentive Committee preparation, investment memos, partnership discussions, negotiations, and key Business Development deliverables
- Ensure the entity is credibly and professionally represented in strategic stakeholder and industry discussions
Research & Strategic Input
- Conduct market and competitive research to support Business Development decisions and ongoing initiatives
- Synthesize intelligence from internal teams, partners, events, and market activity into clear inputs for the Head of Business Development
- Act as a sparring partner during the definition phase of projects and strategic decisions
- Prepare structured recommendations, briefing materials, and executive-level inputs to support decision-making
- Challenge thinking constructively and contribute informed perspectives based on research and field intelligence
Team Coordination & BD Operations
- Coordinate day-to-day priorities across the Business Attraction and Relationship teams
- Track open workstreams, follow-ups, risks, and dependencies to ensure timely resolution
- Act as the connective tissue between Business Development teams and cross-functional stakeholders
- Maintain visibility across key priorities, ensuring alignment, momentum, and accountability across the function
- Build and maintain practical tools, trackers, processes, and reporting structures that improve execution discipline and operational visibility
Requirements
- 7–10 years of relevant experience in business development, strategy, project management, transformation, partnerships, consulting, investment, or a related field
- Experience at Senior Manager, Manager, Senior Consultant, or equivalent level
- Proven experience managing complex, multi-workstream projects from planning through execution
- Experience working with senior stakeholders across government, corporate, institutional, or industry environments
- Experience managing external consultants, vendors, or delivery partners
- Based in Abu Dhabi or willing to relocate
Core Capabilities
- Strong project ownership mindset, with the ability to take a brief, structure the work, manage moving parts, and deliver the output
- Strong project management capability, including work planning, tracking, reporting, escalation, and delivery oversight
- Credible stakeholder presence, with the ability to represent the organisation professionally in senior-level discussions
- Strong understanding of Business Development pipeline logic, partnerships, investment basics, and commercial decision-making
- Systems-oriented approach, with the ability to build processes, trackers, tools, and operating rhythms that are practical and sustainable
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
- Strong ability to prepare executive-level materials, memos, presentations, and structured recommendations
Experience & Exposure
- Experience in gaming, interactive entertainment, technology, startups, venture building, or ecosystem development is strongly valued
- Experience in a start-up, build-phase, or newly established function is a strong advantage
- Exposure to government, consulting, strategy, investment, business development, partnerships, or ecosystem development environments
- Experience supporting senior leadership or Head-of-function-level stakeholders
- Experience contributing to incentive programs, investment cases, partnership negotiations, or committee-level materials would be an advantage
- Strong research and synthesis skills, with the ability to form a clear point of view and communicate it effectively
- Highly organised, proactive, intellectually curious, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment
Contract Duration
12-month contract
Location
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Interested candidates are welcome to apply or share their CV for consideration.
