Sales Director - Middle East and Africa

About the role

Thomson Reuters is looking for an experienced sales leader to drive revenue growth across the Middle East and Africa, starting from its established base in the Middle East and North Africa. The role leads a team of Business Development Managers based in Dubai, UAE, and reports to senior regional leadership, working closely with Partnerships and Alliances, Marketing, Sales Operations, Product, Customer Success and Finance. Regular travel across the region is required (30-40%).

Key responsibilities

• Own the regional revenue plan, set strategy and deliver against sales targets and revenue objectives.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of Business Development Managers, building a high-performance culture through hiring, mentoring and clear accountability.
• Identify and win new business beyond the current client base, focusing on underpenetrated markets across the Middle East and Africa.
• Build and grow channel sales by recruiting and managing resellers, distributors, advisory firms and technology partners with the Partnerships and Alliances team.
• Guide complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles with senior executives and government buyers, and personally lead key negotiations and closes.
• Maintain accurate pipeline visibility and revenue forecasts, and track market trends, competitor activity and the role of AI-powered technology.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience; 15+ years of sales experience, including 5+ years leading and coaching sales teams.
• Track record of meeting and exceeding sales targets.
• Extensive experience selling in Saudi Arabia and GCC countries, with an established network of clients and partners.
• Knowledge of the channel landscape in the Middle East and Africa, and experience selling software, technology or data-driven solutions.
• Experience entering new markets, selling to government and public-sector buyers, and selling AI-driven solutions.
• Ability to travel across the region (30-40%).

Preferred qualifications

• Selling subscription-based, recurring-revenue products.
• Experience with Middle East and Africa markets beyond the Gulf, such as North Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa.
• An established network among government entities and public-sector decision-makers.
• Fluency in both Arabic and English.

What we offer

• Flexible hybrid working model for office-based roles.
• Flex My Way policies, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year.
• Career development through Grow My Way programming and skills-first learning.
• Benefits including flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days, Headspace access, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement and employee incentive programs.
• Two paid volunteer days off annually and involvement in ESG initiatives.