Senior Marketing & Business Development Manager – Middle East Full time NEW

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Job Title

Senior Marketing & Business Development Manager – Middle East

Department

Marketing & Business Development

Office Location

Dubai or Riyadh

Reports To

Director of M&BD, EMEA

Working Hours

9:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday (Dubai) or Sunday to Thursday (Riyadh). Additional hours may be required

Firm Description

Hogan Lovells is one of the leading global law firms.  Our distinctive market position is founded on our exceptional breadth of our practice, on deep industry knowledge, and on our 'one team' global approach.  Formed through the combination of two top international law firms, Hogan Lovells has over 40 offices in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

With a presence in the world's major financial and commercial markets, we are well placed to provide excellent business-oriented advice to our clients locally and internationally.  Our people are the key to our success, which is why we seek to recruit and retain the most talented individuals in all regions of our global practice.

Department Description

We have a well-established global M&BD team, which supports the firm on a wide range of business development, marketing and client relationship management activities.  The team is divided into a number of key areas: including practice M&BD, clients and markets covering industry M&BD, pitches and pursuits, which manage strategic global and regional pitches;  corporate communications, which comprises public relations, brand, design, events, and digital; and campaigns and projects. There are also regional M&BD teams in the Americas, Continental Europe, Asia and South Africa with who this role will interact.

Role Overview

The Senior Marketing & Business Development Manager, Middle East, will lead the firm's marketing and business development activities across the Middle East region, supporting the Middle East Managing Partner, Office Managing Partners for Dubai and Riyadh, practice and sector leaders, and the global M&BD team to drive the firm's regional growth strategy.

Working closely with the Director of M&BD for EMEA, this role will be responsible for shaping and delivering the Middle East M&BD agenda across the firm's Dubai and Riyadh offices. The role will support a partner group of approximately 10 partners across key practice areas, helping to identify and pursue growth opportunities, strengthen client relationships, enhance the firm's market profile, and ensure alignment with global and regional strategic priorities.

The successful candidate will bring strong knowledge of the Middle East legal and professional services market, with a deep understanding of the regional business landscape, client expectations, and competitive environment. They will act as a trusted adviser to partners, providing strategic counsel on business development, client targeting, market positioning, and relationship management.

Working closely with senior M&BD colleagues across the firm's international network, the Senior Marketing & Business Development Manager will ensure that regional initiatives are aligned with global priorities while reflecting local market opportunities and client needs.

The role has direct line management responsibility for the Marketing & Business Development Adviser based in Dubai and the Marketing & Business Development Manager based in Riyadh.

Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities

Specific responsibilities and tasks will include:

M&BD Strategy and Planning

• Working closely with Middle East leadership and partners to develop and implement a robust regional M&BD strategy aligned with the firm's global business objectives and growth ambitions.
• Leading the annual M&BD planning process for the Middle East, identifying strategic priorities, target markets, clients, sectors, and growth opportunities.
• Developing and managing the regional M&BD budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources and clear measurement of return on investment.
• Monitoring and reporting on progress against agreed business plans, providing insight and recommendations to regional leadership

Client Development and Market Growth

• Supporting the development and execution of strategic client plans for priority regional and international clients.
• Identifying opportunities to deepen existing client relationships and expand the firm's share of wallet across practices and jurisdictions
• Advising partners on business development strategy, client engagement, relationship management, and pursuit opportunities.
• Driving the adoption and effective use of the firm's CRM, client intelligence, and experience management systems.
• Supporting client feedback and client listening initiatives and ensuring insights are translated into actionable business development plans.
• Working with partners to identify emerging trends, sectors, and opportunities within the Middle East market.

Pitches, Pursuits and Proposals

• Leading strategic pitch and pursuit activity across the region, including major panel appointments, competitive tenders, and significant client opportunities.
• Advising partners on pursuit strategy, win themes, value propositions, and client messaging.
• Developing high-quality pitch materials, credentials, and client-facing content that reflect the firm's strengths and market positioning.
• Driving best practice in pitching, opportunity management, and pursuit coaching across the regional partner group.
• Conducting post-pitch reviews and ensuring lessons learned are shared and embedded.

Profile Raising and Market Positioning

• Developing and delivering integrated marketing campaigns and profile-raising initiatives to enhance the firm's reputation across the Middle East.
• Maximizing the impact of thought leadership, media opportunities, sponsorships, conferences, and client events.
• Supporting partners in building market visibility and strengthening relationships with key clients, intermediaries, and market influencers.
• Leading the firm's approach to legal directories, awards, league tables, and rankings across the region, ensuring submissions are of the highest quality and aligned to strategic priorities.
• Monitoring competitor activity and market developments, providing regular insight to partners and regional leadership.

Cross-Office and Global Collaboration

• Acting as the primary link between the Middle East offices and the wider global M&BD function.
• Working collaboratively with practice, sector, and client development teams across the international network to identify and pursue cross-border opportunities.
• Ensuring regional initiatives are aligned with global campaigns, client programmes, and strategic growth priorities.
• Sharing best practice and contributing to global M&BD projects and initiatives as required.

Leadership and Team Management

• Leading, developing, and mentoring the Middle East M&BD team.
• Providing clear direction, coaching, and performance management for the Dubai-based M&BD Adviser and Riyadh-based M&BD Manager.
• Fostering a high-performance, collaborative team culture across both offices.
• Supporting the professional development of team members and ensuring appropriate resource allocation across regional priorities.

Specific duties and responsibilities may be reviewed from time to time to reflect changes in personnel, management structure, office requirements, and business priorities.

Person Specification

The Candidate

• Extensive relevant experience, preferably including time in a management role in the legal sector, with a solid understanding of the Middle East market.
• Experience in business planning and management, including budgeting and ROI reporting.
• Able to think strategically and commercially.
• Excellent operational and project management skills.
• Experience of, and comfortable in, a partnership or equivalent professional services environment.
• A broad base of experience across the marketing mix, but with a strong background in client relationship management, pitches and targeting.
• Solid experience of managing and motivating people.

Qualifications & Training

Essential:

• Candidates must be educated to graduate level and hold a good degree or equivalent from a reputable institution.

Desired:

• A relevant post-graduate management or marketing qualification such as an MBA, CIM or equivalent would be advantageous.

General Attributes

• Excellent interpersonal and internal and external client-facing skills.
• Very strong influencing and persuasion skills, able to challenge partners constructively.
• Able to think broadly and demonstrate a high level of initiative.
• Highly motivated and enthusiastic self-starter with a can-do attitude.
• Commercially-minded with the ability to translate emerging business issues and developments into opportunities for the firm.
• Resourceful and resilient, with the ability to adapt quickly to different situations and personalities.
• A team player, but able to act autonomously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with an excellent eye for detail.
• Able to perform well in high pressure environments.