Business Executive – Sub-Saharan Africa

Taylor & Francis Group; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Taylor & Francis Group, based in Dubai, UAE, is seeking a Market Intelligence & Research professional to map academic institutions, build key stakeholder databases, and analyze higher education landscapes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The role covers data analytics, CRM-driven pipeline tracking, and support for sales enablement.

With a focus on turning data into actionable insights, you will leverage Excel, Power BI, and internal tools, while coordinating with Marketing and Editorial teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of sales experience.
• Prior publishing experience a plus, with understanding of higher education/research/library environment.
• Strong organizational and pipeline management skills and ability to manage multiple prospects and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and advanced presentation skills at all business levels.
• Effective account management and relationship-building abilities.

Responsibilities

• Map and monitor academic institutions, research centres, societies to identify partnership and sales opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Build and maintain a robust database of decision-makers and stakeholders within target institutions.
• Track market developments including competitor activities in the region.
• Conduct research and analysis of the higher education landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa, including budgets and policies.
• Develop understanding of educational policies, funding mechanisms, and procurement processes.

Skills

Sales experience

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Independent worker

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office

Job description

Informa is a leading academic publishing, business intelligence, knowledge and events business, creating unique content and connectivity for customers all over the world. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.

Taylor & Francis Group produces high quality, peer reviewed books and journals. We produce unique, trusted content by expert authors, spreading knowledge and promoting discovery globally. We aim to broaden thinking and advance understanding, providing academics and professionals with a platform to share ideas and realise their individual potential.

Our purpose is to foster human progress through knowledge. We strongly believe that this requires us to encourage and examine different ideas and voices, so that any work that meets our exacting levels of quality deserves to be included in our publications. This requires open minds, the opportunity for robust debate, and the courage to defend perspectives that stand up to scrutiny, even if they conflict with our personal beliefs or values. Because that’s the only way to find the best obtainable version of the truth and, ultimately, foster human progress. If you agree, then we’d love to hear from you.

Informa is a leading academic publishing, business intelligence, knowledge and events business, creating unique content and connectivity for customers all over the world. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.

Taylor & Francis Group produces high quality, peer reviewed books and journals. We produce unique, trusted content by expert authors, spreading knowledge and promoting discovery globally. We aim to broaden thinking and advance understanding, providing academics and professionals with a platform to share ideas and realise their individual potential.

Our purpose is to foster human progress through knowledge. We strongly believe that this requires us to encourage and examine different ideas and voices, so that any work that meets our exacting levels of quality deserves to be included in our publications. This requires open minds, the opportunity for robust debate, and the courage to defend perspectives that stand up to scrutiny, even if they conflict with our personal beliefs or values. Because that’s the only way to find the best obtainable version of the truth and, ultimately, foster human progress. If you agree, then we’d love to hear from you.

Job Description

Market Intelligence & Research

• Map and monitor academic institutions, research centres, societies, etc to identify high-potential partnership and academic sales opportunities across Sub - Saharan African markets
• Build and maintain a robust database of key decision-makers, influencers, and stakeholders within target institutions
• Track market developments including competitor activities in the region.
• Conduct comprehensive research and analysis of the higher education landscape in Sub Saharan Africa including tracking education and research budget and policies.
• Develop deep understanding of educational policies, funding mechanisms, and institutional procurement processes in sub - Saharan Africa.

Data Analytics & Insights

• Leverage advanced Excel to analyse datasets, identify patterns, and extract actionable insights
• Keep accurate track of sales pipeline rigorously through CRM software (Salesforce.com).
• Track and share lead information throughout all stages of the sales process.
• Respond to RFPs from prospective customers and generate customized quotes.
• Quickly master and utilize all internal business intelligence tools including Source, institutional profiler, Power BI etc to pull out reports.
• Adopt and integrate AI tools including Elysia spark (T&F's internal AI tool) to enhance research efficiency and analyse report and data.
• Should have the ability to synthesize quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources to generate comprehensive insights

Sales Enablement

• Transform institutional and other data into market intelligence to support the Sales team build compelling narratives that resonate with institutional and other stakeholders
• Create presentation materials, case studies, and value propositions tailored to specific institutions and decision-makers using various internal tools along with external research
• Assist in the development of sale proposals, management reports, support sales contact/CRM database.
• Produce regular reports on sales activity and development opportunities.
• Work closely with the Marketing and Editorial team to help support outreach activities in the region.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of sales experience.
• Prior publishing experience a plus, with an understanding of the higher education/research/library environment.
• Strong organizational and pipeline management skills with the demonstrated ability to manage multiple prospects, projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and advanced presentation skills at all levels of business
• Effective account management skills and the ability to form strong relationships and partnerships both internally and externally.
• Highly organized, professional, confident, and goal oriented.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Proficiency with Windows applications including MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, required.
• Previous experience with CRM software helpful.

Additional Information

Closing Date: Applications will close on 24 Sep 2026.

Applications are shortlisted on a rolling basis, and we will be interviewing alongside advertising. We therefore encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity.

Location

• Candidates must have the right to live and work in UAE. This role is based in our office in Dubai.
• We believe that great things happen when people connect face-to-face. That's why we work in-person with each other, or with customers and partners, three days a week or more. When you’re not spending time together in one of our offices or other workplaces - like at conference, you get the flexibility and support to work from home or remotely.
• We ask that candidates live within a commutable distance of our Dubai officeto ensure that as a balanced worker they can make it to our office location to collaborate as required.

We want all our candidates to shine in our recruitment process. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to ensure you are able to show us your best self. This could include having the application form in a different format, more time for questions, or anything else - please ask us, we are happy to be flexible! Please contact [e-mail]

Being Yourself at Taylor & Francis

If you’re excited about working with Taylor & Francis to foster human progress through knowledge, we invite you to apply even if your existing skills and experience don’t fit every item listed above. At Taylor & Francis, we are at our best and most successful when colleagues can be themselves and contribute regardless of their identity or background. As a colleague, you will have the opportunity to further innovate and develop in areas that you are passionate about. Our goal is to empower you with the resources, incentives, and flexibility you need to enjoy success at work and to live a healthy, balanced life.

Taylor & Francis is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe in and value diversity of people and thought, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where all colleagues can learn and succeed as their true selves. Taylor & Francis recruits, develops, and retains colleagues without regard to any protected personal characteristics or other non-merit-based factor.

If you have a disability, or face another barrier, and would like to request an adjustment to assist your participation in the hiring process and/or in the advertised position, please contact [e-mail]. Your request will be reviewed and considered in the strictest confidence.

We genuinely care about our colleagues, promoting work-life balance, wellbeing, and flexible working. We believe that the skills and experience you bring to Taylor & Francis are invaluable. We want you to have the opportunity to develop your abilities, and to innovate and develop in areas which you are passionate about. To find out more about our business and the great career opportunities please go to our Careers Site:http://www.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/careers

Or better yet check out our LinkedIn 'Life' Page, highlighting our accomplishments, employees, and company culture. It’s also a good way of meeting our recruitment team, who will be happy to advise you on your journey here at T&F.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/taylor-&-francis-group/life/79e0c27c-afdf-4bbb-84e6-5f8ed5e10bb8/