Senior Business Development Manager

About the role

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) seeks a highly driven Senior Business Development Manager on a 12‑month contract. You will support the Head of Business Development by turning strategic briefs into actionable workplans, driving projects to completion, and representing the entity in high‑level stakeholder discussions.

Key responsibilities

• Own and deliver projects defined by the Head of Business Development, ensuring end‑to‑end accountability.
• Lead transformation initiatives across the Business Development function, including process redesign, CRM adoption, reporting frameworks and tool implementation.
• Manage external consultants and vendors throughout project lifecycles, overseeing scope, quality and delivery.
• Coordinate cross‑functional workstreams with Finance, PMO, Legal and other internal teams.
• Translate complex briefs into clear workplans with milestones, owners, risks and dependencies.
• Represent the Head of Business Development in key meetings locally and regionally.
• Engage senior‑level partners, government entities and ecosystem partners on strategic initiatives.
• Support Business Attraction and Relationship teams on high‑stakes topics, including incentive committee preparation and partnership negotiations.
• Conduct market and competitive research to inform Business Development decisions.

Required profile

• Commercially minded senior professional with a strong drive for ownership and results.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects from brief to delivery.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, capable of operating credibly with senior government and industry leaders.
• Strategic thinker who can also execute, building lasting processes and frameworks.
• Experience in a fast‑growing, dynamic environment, preferably within the public sector or tourism industry.

Required skills