Business Director

Salt; Dubai; On-site; AED 391,000 - 502,000; Full time

Job summary

Salt in Dubai is seeking a Business Director / Head of Growth to lead the agency's growth strategy across the UAE and GCC. You will leverage an existing senior network to open doors and drive revenue, managing the full new business cycle from prospecting to close.

This senior role requires an entrepreneurial, commercially minded leader who can articulate integrated creative solutions and represent the agency at the C-suite level across brands and regional entities.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years' experience in creative/advertising/branding or digital agencies.
• Proven track record in new business and agency growth.
• Strong UAE network with CMO/Marketing Director relationships.
• Experience selling integrated creative solutions.
• Solid grasp of revenue, margins, pipeline and profitability.
• Entrepreneurial mindset; can influence growth in an independent agency.
• Excellent pitch, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Arabic speaking strongly preferred (GCC culture knowledge).
• Existing KSA relationships would be a major advantage.
• Confident, credible, senior enough to engage C-suite.

Responsibilities

• Own the agency's new business strategy and revenue growth across the UAE and GCC.
• Bring an existing network of senior client relationships and actively open new doors.
• Identify, qualify and convert high‑value creative, branding, digital, social, content and integrated opportunities.
• Lead the full new business cycle - from prospecting and relationship building through to pitching, negotiation and close.
• Work closely with Creative, Strategy, Production and Account teams to shape compelling solutions for clients.
• Lead major pitches and presentations, acting as the senior commercial face of the agency.
• Develop and maintain a strong, qualified pipeline against revenue targets.
• Identify opportunities to grow existing clients and turn project relationships into longer–term partnerships.
• Build strategic relationships with brands, government entities and regional businesses.
• Help shape the agency's proposition and go‑to‑market strategy as it scales.
• Take ownership of commercial performance, including pipeline, conversion, revenue and profitability.

Skills

New business growth

Agency leadership

UAE network

Integrated solutions selling

Revenue, margins, pipeline

Entrepreneurial mindset

Pitch, presentation, negotiation

Arabic language

KSA relationships

C-suite engagement

Job description

Business Director / Head of Growth - Creative Agency

Location: Dubai

Salary: AED 35-45k depending on experience + performance incentive

Language: Arabic preferred / ideally fluent

We are working with an ambitious independent creative agency in Dubai looking for a commercially driven Business Director / Head of Growth to lead its next stage of growth across the UAE and wider GCC.

This is a senior, hands‑on growth role for someone who already has a strong network across brands, CMOs and senior marketing decision-makers and knows how to turn relationships into revenue.

The role

• Own the agency's new business strategy and revenue growth across the UAE and GCC
• Bring an existing network of senior client relationships and actively open new doors
• Identify, qualify and convert high‑value creative, branding, digital, social, content and integrated opportunities
• Lead the full new business cycle - from prospecting and relationship building through to pitching, negotiation and close
• Work closely with Creative, Strategy, Production and Account teams to shape compelling solutions for clients
• Lead major pitches and presentations, acting as the senior commercial face of the agency
• Develop and maintain a strong, qualified pipeline against revenue targets
• Identify opportunities to grow existing clients and turn project relationships into longer–term partnerships
• Build strategic relationships with brands, government entities and regional businesses
• Help shape the agency's proposition and go‑to‑market strategy as it scales
• Take ownership of commercial performance, including pipeline, conversion, revenue and profitability

What we're looking for

• 8-12+ years' experience within a creative, advertising, branding, digital or integrated agency
• Proven track record in new business / agency growth, rather than purely account management
• Strong existing UAE network, ideally with relationships at CMO / Marketing Director level
• Experience selling integrated creative solutions rather than a single service
• Strong commercial understanding - able to talk confidently about revenue, margins, pipeline and profitability
• Someone entrepreneurial who enjoys working in an independent agency environment where you can genuinely influence growth
• Excellent pitch, presentation and negotiation skills
• Arabic speaking strongly preferred, particularly someone with strong GCC cultural understanding and relationships
• Existing KSA relationships would be a major advantage
• Confident, credible and senior enough to represent the agency with C-suite stakeholders