Manager, Research – Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

About the role

The Dubai Economic Development Corporation is seeking a senior Manager to lead research, economic intelligence and investment insights that drive its foreign direct investment attraction strategy. This role translates global trends, sector data and investor intelligence into actionable target lists, briefs and reports that directly influence investor engagement and strategic decision‑making.

Key responsibilities

• Define and execute the FDI research and market‑intelligence agenda aligned with investment attraction priorities.
• Analyse macro‑economic, geopolitical, sector and company developments across priority sectors such as Manufacturing, Logistics, Financial Services, ICT/Digital, Real Estate & Construction, and Tourism.
• Monitor global and regional FDI trends, capital flows and investor behaviour to identify opportunities for Dubai.
• Build and continuously refine target investor and prospect lists by sector, market and strategic priority.
• Collaborate with Investment Attraction and CRM teams to provide company intelligence, sector insights and investor profiles that move prospects through the pipeline.
• Produce high‑quality outputs including sector reports, market assessments, investor profiles, benchmarking studies, dashboards and executive presentations.
• Support investment missions, roadshows, conferences and strategic meetings with research and briefing materials.
• Benchmark leading Investment Promotion Agencies and competing destinations, recommending enhancements to research, targeting and promotion approaches.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business, Finance, Statistics or a related quantitative field (Master’s a plus).
• 10+ years of experience in FDI research, economic/market research, investment promotion or strategy consulting with an investment or location‑strategy focus.
• Proven track record of producing research that directly informs investment decisions, target investor lists or attraction strategies.
• Experience working within or alongside an Investment Promotion Agency, government economic body, sovereign investment institution or investment‑focused consulting practice is highly valued.

Required skills

• Proficiency with investment/economic databases such as fDi Markets, Orbis, Refinitiv and Capital IQ.
• Experience using data visualisation tools like Power BI and Tableau.