Director of Marketing, Arabic Speaking, UAE

Role Overview

We are working with a leading organisation to appoint an Arabic-speaking Director of Marketing — a senior, high-impact role responsible for shaping and executing a comprehensive brand, marketing, and communications strategy across a diverse portfolio of brands.

This is an opportunity for an exceptional communicator (in both Arabic and English) who is a strategic thinker, to lead a talented team, drive corporate reputation, and serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership. The successful candidate will oversee brand vision, integrated marketing, corporate communications, creative direction, audience engagement, and commercial growth, with deep understanding of the UAE and wider MENA region.

Key Responsibilities of the Director of Marketing

• Define the organisation’s global brand vision, architecture, and reputation strategy in alignment with business objectives.
• Ensure consistent, differentiated positioning across digital, social, print, and experiential platforms.
• Act as the brand’s chief ambassador, embedding mission, vision, and values across the organisation.
• Develop and implement comprehensive, integrated marketing and communications strategies that build awareness, engagement, and trust.
• Oversee corporate communications, PR, crisis management, and spokesperson strategy to protect and enhance reputation.
• Provide executive direction to Creative Services, ensuring brand identity, design excellence, and impactful storytelling.
• Champion AI, automation, and emerging technologies to enhance creativity, production, and audience engagement.
• Lead development and execution of multi-platform campaigns tailored to specific audience segments across the UAE and MENA.
• Build and deepen partnerships with external stakeholders; oversee sponsorships, brand activations, and experiential marketing.
• Serve as strategic advisor to the CEO and Board on all brand, marketing, and communications matters.
• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team of senior leaders across brand, marketing, communications, and creative functions.
• Manage multi-million-dollar budgets, track ROI through performance measurement, and drive operational efficiency.

Skills and Experience Required

• Fluency in Arabic and English (written and spoken) is essential.
• Proven track record in the UAE; deep understanding of the wider MENA region is essential.
• Extensive leadership experience in brand, marketing, or communications, with significant experience working in a senior leadership position in a multi-brand organisation.
• Demonstrable experience leading large-scale brand transformations, integrated marcomms strategies, and high-impact creative campaigns.
• Expertise in campaign management, social media growth, brand architecture, reputation management, and performance analytics.
• Familiarity with AI-driven creative solutions and marketing automation tools.
• Strong commercial acumen with proven budget management and senior stakeholder influence.
• Master’s degree in Marketing, Communications, or Business (MBA preferred).

About This Director of Marketing Opportunity

Hanson Search is a globally recognised, award-winning executive search firm specialising in marketing, communications, public affairs, and sustainability recruitment across the UAE, wider MENA region, and globally. If you are an Arabic-speaking marketing leader with a proven track record in the UAE and MENA, we would love to hear from you.

Hanson Search is a globally recognised, award-winning talent advisory and headhunting consultancy. Our expertise lies in building successful ventures worldwide through our recruitment, interim and executive search in communications, sustainability, public affairs and policy, digital marketing and sales and commercial.

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