10 Strategic Partnerships jobs in the United Arab Emirates

Responsible for securing, structuring, and managing high-impact partnerships that enable Dubai SME's strategic programs. The role drives co-delivery, co-funding, and long-term collaboration with ecosystem players including VCs, corporates, accelerators, incubators, and government entities. Working across all five strategic pillars, this role ensures partnerships translate into measurable outcomes that accelerate SME growth, innovation, and investment.

Core Responsibilities

1. Ecosystem Partnerships & Alliances

• Identify and evaluate partnership opportunities with VCs, corporates, incubators, multilateral entities, and regulators
• Design partnership models aligned with key pillars and initiatives
• Negotiate and execute MOUs, funding agreements, and delivery frameworks
• Manage end-to-end relationship lifecycle, including onboarding, activation, and renewal

2. Co-Funding & Resource Mobilization

• Secure direct cash contributions, in-kind services, or shared platform investments from strategic partners
• Structure co-investment vehicles or joint delivery models in collaboration with public and private stakeholders
• Track and report co-funding metrics, financial leverage ratios, and partner ROI

3. Stakeholder Engagement & Policy Alignment

• Represent Dubai SME in economic councils, steering committees, and ecosystem forums
• Coordinate with regulators and government agencies to align partnership activities with national economic policy
• Contribute to ecosystem development papers, SME policy inputs, and cross-sector strategy notes

4. Program Enablement & Delivery Support

• Ensure partner readiness and alignment with program goals, KPIs, and implementation frameworks
• Monitor partner compliance with agreed deliverables and facilitate issue resolution
• Drive cross-sector knowledge exchange through workshops, events, and joint publications

Desired Experience

• 8–12 years in strategic partnerships, business development, or ecosystem building
• Demonstrated experience in structuring and managing partnerships in the SME, innovation, or startup space
• Track record of successful MOU/funding agreement negotiation and execution
• Strong familiarity with public-private collaboration models in the GCC or global context

As a Partnership Acquisition Specialist, you will be responsible for identifying high-value partnership opportunities and securing buy-in from new partners. This involves building and managing a proactive pipeline of potential partners across key sectors, creating compelling proposals, and negotiating win-win terms.

• Lead a small team of Partnership Officers to support identifying and engaging new partners.
• Identify and pursue opportunities with local and global brands that align with our strategy and employee value proposition.
• Build and manage a proactive pipeline of potential partners across key sectors (retail, lifestyle, wellness, experiences, etc.).
• Create and deliver compelling proposals, confidently presenting partnership opportunities and negotiating win-win terms.
• Oversee the smooth onboarding of new partners, ensuring alignment with programme goals and seamless rollout.
• Develop ongoing engagement plans to ensure long-term mutual value, collaborating with internal teams and external partners.

• A natural connector and persuader who enjoys the thrill of sourcing leads and closing deals.
• Experienced in business development, partnerships, or commercial roles with a strong track record of acquisition and relationship management.
• Strategic and commercially savvy, with the ability to spot value and tailor offers to partner objectives.
• Comfortable with senior-level stakeholder engagement and cross-functional collaboration.

Join us in Dubai and enjoy an attractive tax-free salary and travel benefits that are exclusive to our industry. You can find more information about our employee benefits on our website Further information on what it's like to live and work in our cosmopolitan home city can be found in the Dubai lifestyle section.

At Emirates Group, we're committed to providing our employees with opportunities to grow and develop in their careers. We have a strong focus on professional development and offer a range of training and mentorship programs to help you achieve your goals.

This is a government organisation exploring a broad range of new cultural, educational and socio - economic strategic initiatives for Abu Dhabi to create a lasting impact.

• Lead the design, development and execution of strategic programs to support the entity's portfolio growth.
• Support senior leadership in company - wide initiatives focusing on developing corporate strategy, organisation assessment, stakeholder management, and partnership development.
• Lead creation of compelling and informative presentations to inform and advise senior stakeholders on policy and strategic matters relevant to entity's mandate.
• Build and foster a learning and development culture in the team through coaching, mentoring and performance management initiatives.

• Must have an undergraduate degree from a top - tier international university, preferably in the fields of economics, business administration, finance, or public policy.
• An MBA or relevant master's degree is strongly beneficial but not essential.
• Must have a minimum of 9 years' experience in consulting from an international strategy/management consulting firm, or a mix of strategy consulting and relevant industry experience.
• Experience in higher education, public policy making, or R&D/innovation is preferable
• Highly motivated with the ability to influence stakeholders and build long- lasting relationships.
• Excellent verbal and written presentation skills.

Location: UAE

Hanson Search MENA is partnering with a major global corporate organisation in the UAE to appoint a Vice President of Sponsorship and Strategic Partnerships. This senior leadership role will drive the vision, direction, and delivery of high-impact sponsorship and partnership programmes that enhance brand presence, build influential relationships, and generate measurable business value.

As the sponsorship and partnerships lead, you will design and implement a forward-thinking strategy that supports the organisation’s brand and commercial objectives. You will identify and secure world-class opportunities, lead high-level negotiations, and oversee the activation of assets across multiple channels to ensure maximum impact and brand alignment.

• Create and implement a comprehensive sponsorship and partnerships strategy that supports both brand positioning and business priorities.
• Lead negotiations to secure high-value agreements and ensure strong commercial outcomes.
• Manage the delivery and activation of assets and campaigns to engage both internal and external audiences.
• Build and nurture relationships with senior stakeholders, partners, and industry leaders.
• Inspire, lead, and develop a team to deliver excellence across all sponsorship and partnership activities.

• Demonstrated success in delivering major sponsorship and partnership programmes for large, complex organisations.
• Experience in either B2B or B2C environments, ideally within organisations operating at both a regional (UAE) and global scale.
• Proven leadership skills, with a track record of managing teams and collaborating effectively with colleagues across marketing and communications functions.
• Strong strategic thinking, negotiation ability, and a creative approach to maximising return on investment.
• Outstanding relationship-building and communication skills, capable of operating at the most senior levels.

We welcome applications from candidates based globally, provided you have proven experience in the UAE sponsorship landscape at some stage in your career.

Hanson Search is a leading talent advisory and executive search consultancy with consultants based across the UAE , UK , USA , and Europe . We specialise in business-critical roles that drive revenue, reputation, and risk, with dedicated teams in Communications , Government Relations , Financial Communications , Public Affairs , Marketing , Digital Marketing , Sustainability , Investor Relations , and C-Suite recruitment.

Please click here to find out more about Hanson Search .

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all. You can access our Diversity and Inclusion Policy here .

Location: UAE

Hanson Search MENA is partnering with a major global corporate organisation in the UAE to appoint a Vice President of Sponsorship and Strategic Partnerships. This senior leadership role will drive the vision, direction, and delivery of high-impact sponsorship and partnership programmes that enhance brand presence, build influential relationships, and generate measurable business value.

As the sponsorship and partnerships lead, you will design and implement a forward-thinking strategy that supports the organisation’s brand and commercial objectives. You will identify and secure world-class opportunities, lead high-level negotiations, and oversee the activation of assets across multiple channels to ensure maximum impact and brand alignment.

• Create and implement a comprehensive sponsorship and partnerships strategy that supports both brand positioning and business priorities.
• Lead negotiations to secure high-value agreements and ensure strong commercial outcomes.
• Manage the delivery and activation of assets and campaigns to engage both internal and external audiences.
• Build and nurture relationships with senior stakeholders, partners, and industry leaders.
• Inspire, lead, and develop a team to deliver excellence across all sponsorship and partnership activities.

• Demonstrated success in delivering major sponsorship and partnership programmes for large, complex organisations.
• Experience in either B2B or B2C environments, ideally within organisations operating at both a regional (UAE) and global scale.
• Proven leadership skills, with a track record of managing teams and collaborating effectively with colleagues across marketing and communications functions.
• Strong strategic thinking, negotiation ability, and a creative approach to maximising return on investment.
• Outstanding relationship-building and communication skills, capable of operating at the most senior levels.

We welcome applications from candidates based globally, provided you have proven experience in the UAE sponsorship landscape at some stage in your career.

Hanson Search is a leading talent advisory and executive search consultancy with consultants based across the UAE, UK, USA, and Europe. We specialise in business-critical roles that drive revenue, reputation, and risk, with dedicated teams in Communications, Government Relations, Financial Communications, Public Affairs, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Sustainability, Investor Relations, and C-Suite recruitment.

Please click here to find out more about Hanson Search.

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all. You can access our Diversity and Inclusion Policy here.

The Group Partnerships Manager will play a critical role in managing and expanding our Groups ecosystem of partners. This role involves fostering relationships with existing partners to maximize value while strategically identifying and building new partnerships to support growth and diversification efforts. The ideal candidate will bring strong business development expertise, excellent relationship management skills, and the ability to navigate complex multi-industry environments.

1. Current Partner Relationship Management:

• Coordinate groupwide oversight of partner relationships, working closely with company-level leads who retain day-to-day ownership.
• Establish standardized partner dashboards and performance tracking tools in collaboration with data and strategy teams.
• Conduct a comprehensive mapping of all current partners segmented based on their strategic importance to the business.
• Monitor and assess partner performance based on defined KPIs, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• In line with the business, develop and implement an annual engagement plan including roundtables, training programs, partnership kits, and dedicated support lines.
• Identify opportunities to deepen collaboration including joint ventures, co-investments, and new business initiatives.
• Resolve any potential conflicts and ensure the long-term health of partnership agreements.
• Organize an annual review of each partner relationship with executive sponsorship from our HoldCo leaders. This ensures that senior leadership is actively involved in key partner relationships and drives strategic alignment.
• Serve as the strategic connector between the groups portfolio companies and external partners to drive consistency, knowledge sharing, and optimized value realization.

2. New Partnership Development:

• Proactively research and identify new partnership opportunities aligned with the Groups and each Company’s Strategy.
• Develop business cases and present proposals to senior management.
• Negotiate partnership agreements ensuring optimal terms and win-win scenarios.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and competitive developments to identify high-value opportunities.
• Work closely with business unit leaders to understand their needs and identify partnership opportunities.
• Provide regular reports to senior management on partnership performance and new opportunities.
• Lead cross-functional pitch and negotiation teams with legal, finance, and business unit heads to close new strategic agreements.
• Develop a framework for onboarding new partners ensuring consistent integration and communication processes across the Group.

3. Internal Governance and Collaboration:

• Develop and enforce governance frameworks around partnership structures, renewal cycles, and exit strategies.
• Act as the central knowledge hub for partnership documentation ensuring transparency and accessibility across the Group.
• Partner with Group Strategy, Legal, and Finance to assess risk, compliance, and ROI of all high-level partnerships.

Qualifications :

Education

• MBA is preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in finance, Business Administration, or Economics.

Additional Information :

Experience:

• 8 years of experience in business development.
• Experience in managing partnerships across multiple industries (technology, pharmaceuticals, etc.) is highly desirable.

Skills & Abilities:

• Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
• Ability to think strategically and execute operationally.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and leadership skills.
• Strong analytical mindset with experience in market research, financial analysis, and business case development.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time

CAFU

About CAFU
CAFU is one of the world’s leading global energy delivery and vehicle services platforms. Since its launch in Dubai in 2018, CAFU has continued to drive innovation, champion convenience, and give customers back the most precious commodity of all – time.

Ranked number one on the 2021 LinkedIn Top Start-ups List, CAFU continues to enhance everyday life through improved car connectivity, predictive features, and ongoing innovation that evolves the consumer experience and makes car ownership simpler and smarter.

Starting with on-demand refueling, CAFU has continued to disrupt the status quo by connecting customers to a growing range of convenience-driven services — including on-demand car washes, and battery, tyre, and engine oil change services — all delivered anytime, anywhere.

Job Overview
We are seeking a commercially savvy, relationship-driven Strategic Partnerships Acquisition Manager to lead growth in our B2B2C channel. This role focuses on acquiring, onboarding, and expanding partnerships with banks, telcos, automotive finance institutions, and large-scale ecosystem players.

This position plays a key role in embedding CAFU’s services into high-frequency platforms to unlock scalable customer access, lower acquisition costs, and drive high-margin upsell opportunities across subscriptions and BOLT services.

Key Responsibilities

Partner Acquisition & Onboarding

Identify, pitch, and close high-value embedded partnerships (across banking, telco, fintech, and automotive sectors).

Develop tailored value propositions and joint go-to-market plans.

Negotiate commercial terms including revenue shares, bundling strategies, and contractual SLAs.

Manage a robust partner pipeline focused on channels with aggregated access to high-intent users.

Coordinate with Product, Operations, and Marketing to embed CAFU services into partner ecosystems (e.g., mobile banking apps, vehicle financing packages).

Track and optimise key go-to-market metrics such as partner-driven litres, conversion rates, and customer activation speed.

Lifecycle Success & Expansion

Work alongside Partner Success Managers to ensure strong partner engagement, upsell performance, and churn reduction.

Launch pilot initiatives to enhance lifetime value (e.g., loyalty integrations, premium bundles, Drive+ offerings).

Success Metrics – Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Partnership Acquisition

Number of new embedded partners signed per quarter

Average time-to-launch post-agreement

Revenue & Growth

Average revenue per user (ARPU) from partner-acquired customers

Adoption & Engagement

Percentage of partner users converting to CAFU services

Subscription and BOLT upsell rates

Required Qualifications (Education, Experience, Skills & Attributes)

10+ years of experience in B2B or enterprise sales, ideally within fintech, telco, automotive, or platform-as-a-service (PaaS) sectors

Proven ability to acquire and grow channel partnerships with aggregated customer bases

Strong commercial and negotiation skills, with experience developing tiered partnership value propositions

Background in embedded service design or marketplace integrations is a strong advantage

Thrives in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment with a strong sense of ownership and accountability for revenue

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Unlock Property Sales Potential

• We are seeking a Senior Property Consultant to join our team, responsible for driving direct-to-client sales and third-party sales channels worldwide.

This role involves maintaining effective communication with internal and external clients, achieving key activity-driven KPIs and sales targets. Flexibility to service clients across different time zones and travel to relevant markets is required.

Responsibilities:

1. Identify and engage key distribution partners in the Middle East to drive property sales via third-party channels.

2. Promote direct-to-client sales, focusing on off-plan property investments in the UK, Germany, and Portugal.

3. Review and re-engage non-performing relationships to maintain a strong distribution network.

4. Evaluate investment requirements from partners and provide feedback to support informed decisions.

5. Drive challenging sales targets and acquire in-depth knowledge of available property investment opportunities.

6. Owning back-end relationship aspects and supporting sales progression on deals, including client inquiries.

Key Qualifications and Skills:

• A minimum of 3-5 years experience in property sales, preferably with off-plan sales experience.
• Demonstrable key account management expertise.
• Effective communication skills in person, in writing, and over the phone.
• Basic knowledge of CRM systems.
• Ability to structure and prioritize workloads, leading presentations when necessary.
• Team player with problem-solving mindset and ability to establish effective working relationships.

Benefits:

• An excellent remuneration package reflecting industry standards.
• Strong prospects for career advancement within a multicultural environment offering opportunities for growth and development.
• A forward-thinking dynamic business with exciting growth plans.

Title: Head of Partnerships / VP Strategic Alliances

Location: Dubai

Compensation: Up to USD 200k, Bonus, Equity

Requirements:

• 10 years in fintech payments or cross-border remittances
• Proven record in closing and managing strategic deals with players
• Strong understanding of the African remittance market and cross-border payments ecosystem
• Executive-level negotiation, partnership strategy, and deal execution experience
• Fluent in English (French or Arabic is a plus)