Social Strategy & Planning Manager (UAE National)

About the role

Etihad Airways is seeking a UAE National to lead its digital performance strategy across all paid channels. The role combines strategic vision with hands‑on execution to drive measurable business growth, efficiency, and long‑term customer value.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the strategy, planning and execution of always‑on paid digital channels (Paid Social, Display, Programmatic, Affiliate) to drive revenue growth and cost efficiency.
• Manage and mentor a team of channel leads and specialists, fostering a high‑performance, data‑driven culture.
• Define annual and quarterly performance‑marketing targets aligned with commercial goals and global campaign plans.
• Oversee multi‑million‑dollar digital budgets, ensuring optimal allocation and pacing for maximum ROI.
• Collaborate with analytics, data, finance, brand, CRM and e‑commerce teams to build accurate forecasting, attribution and reporting models.
• Evaluate and onboard new tools, technologies and partners to advance automation, audience targeting and creative optimisation.
• Establish a rigorous A/B testing and experimentation roadmap to continuously improve acquisition efficiency.
• Present performance insights to senior leadership and ensure compliance with data‑privacy regulations and brand standards.
• Maintain close relationships with media‑buying agencies and digital vendors such as Google and TikTok, co‑creating annual joint business plans.

Required profile

• Minimum 7 years of experience in digital or performance marketing, with at least 3 years in a managerial or leadership role.
• Proven track record managing multi‑channel campaigns and large digital media budgets (USD 20 M+ annually).
• Experience in airline, travel or e‑commerce sectors is preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business or a related field; a master’s degree is an advantage.
• Commercial understanding of Paid Social, Programmatic, PPC, SEO and Affiliate ecosystems, with hands‑on experience in at least two channels.

Required skills

• Adobe Analytics
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
• Search Ads 360 (SA360)
• Meta Ads Manager
• Paid Social platforms (e.g., Meta, TikTok)
• Programmatic advertising tools
• PPC and SEO tools
• Affiliate marketing platforms