Director Software Publisher Services

Client of Connor Consulting; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 300,000 - 500,000; Full time

Job summary

Client of Connor Consulting is seeking a senior advisory leader to own and grow a portfolio of strategic software clients in the UAE. You will shape advisory engagements, manage senior client relationships, and drive revenue growth across diverse regions.

You will oversee delivery quality while guiding delivery teams in a matrix structure and collaborating with leadership to expand advisory offerings. The role emphasizes strategic leadership over day‑to‑day operations, with a focus on renewal

Qualifications

• Significant experience in software license compliance, software asset management or software advisory services.
• Experience owning and growing a client portfolio in a professional services or advisory environment.
• Experience leading delivery teams in a matrix structure.
• Understanding of major software vendors licensing programmes (e.g., Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, IBM).
• International delivery experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the commercial relationship across your client portfolio and drive revenue growth.
• Maintain strategic senior‑level client relationships and act as the firm’s senior face to the client.
• Ensure quality standards and delivery oversight across engagements.
• Lead new business development and escalation decisions within your portfolio.
• Shape and advance the advisory proposition and go‑to‑market strategy.

Skills

Software licensing

Software asset management

Software advisory services

International delivery

Education

Degree-level education

Job description

Key Accountabilities

• Commercial Ownership: Full commercial authority across your client portfolio. You own all commitments made to clients on timelines, fees, and scope. Drive account-level growth and revenue extraction from existing contracts. Identify and convert upsell and cross‑sell opportunities. Pursue net‑new client acquisition through your professional network and market presence. A significant portion of your time should be directed toward new business development. Consult the delivery management function on capacity before finalising commercial commitments. You retain full authority to commit and you own the delivery risk associated with your decisions.
• Strategic Client Relationships: Maintain periodic senior‑level touchpoints with your clients. Your presence is strategic, not operational. You are the firm’s senior face to the client. Engaged in operational client matters only when escalation is required or when commercial conversations demand your involvement. Build and deepen the relationships that generate long‑term account value. Your Account Managers handle the day‑to‑day; you hold the strategic relationship.
• Quality Accountability: Ultimately accountable for the quality standard your clients experience. The delivery function provides quality frameworks, checklists and tracking; you are accountable for the results those systems produce. Hold your delivery teams accountable for the quality of every deliverable. When quality issues arise you set the standard for what constitutes an acceptable resolution. Champion and reinforce the firm’s delivery standards within your accounts. Consistent quality is a business standard that depends on leadership at every level.
• Delivery Oversight: (Content identical to Quality Accountability – duplicative emphasis on delivery quality).
• New Business Development: Final accountability on escalation decisions within your client portfolio. You are the decision‑maker when issues escape the operations team’s authority. Receive structured reporting on all active engagements across your portfolio. You do not need to be in every operational meeting – the delivery infrastructure gives you the visibility to make informed decisions at the right altitude. Retain final say on staffing decisions for your accounts. The delivery function assesses capability and recommends; you make the call.
• Shaping the Advisory Proposition: Help drive the firm’s publisher advisory services beyond traditional software license compliance. You will be expected to bring a point of view on what clients need, what the market will pay for, and how we differentiate. Use your client relationships as a proving ground for advisory‑led engagements. Test new service lines, identify what resonates commercially and feed those insights back into the firm’s go‑to‑market strategy. Champion the shift from reactive compliance work to proactive advisory across your portfolio. This means reframing client conversations around security, renewal optimisation, and strategic licensing decisions, not just audit remediation. Collaborate with the leadership team to build the firm’s advisory capability, including the skills, methodologies and commercial models required to sustain advisory work at scale.

About You

• Experience & Knowledge: Significant experience in software license compliance, software asset management or software advisory services. You understand the commercial landscape, vendor licensing models and the compliance audit lifecycle. Proven track record of owning and growing a client portfolio in a professional services or advisory environment. You have managed commercial relationships at a senior level and have delivered measurable revenue growth. Experience leading delivery teams in a matrix structure. You know how to get results through people who do not report directly to you and you understand the discipline of stepping back from operational detail while retaining accountability. Understanding of major software vendors licensing programmes (e.g., Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, IBM or similar). You can speak credibly to clients about compliance risk, remediation strategy and commercial optimisation. International delivery experience preferred. Our teams operate across multiple regions and you will be comfortable working across time zones and cultures.
• Leadership Competencies: Commercially driven – you think in terms of revenue, margin and account growth. You see client relationships as commercial assets to be developed. Confident delegator – you trust capable people to execute and do not need to be in every meeting to feel in control. You lead through outcomes, not through presence. Collaborative – you work effectively with peers and support functions. You treat delivery infrastructure as something that enables you, not as overhead. You share information openly and engage constructively when issues arise. Decisive – you make commercial decisions clearly and own the consequences. When delivery risk is flagged you weigh it and commit consciously. Growth‑oriented – you actively pursue new business and are energised by client acquisition, not just client management. Quality‑conscious – you hold a high standard for what your clients receive and hold your teams accountable for meeting that standard.

Qualifications

• Degree‑level education or equivalent professional experience.
• Relevant industry certifications are advantageous but not essential (e.g., ITAM, SAM, vendor‑specific compliance certifications).
• Established professional network within the software compliance and advisory sector.
• Significant experience in software license compliance, software asset management or software advisory services. You understand the commercial landscape, vendor licensing models, and the compliance audit lifecycle. Proven track record of owning and growing a client portfolio in a professional services or advisory environment. You have managed commercial relationships at a senior level and have delivered measurable revenue growth.
• Experience leading delivery teams in a matrix structure. You know how to get results through people who do not report directly to you, and you understand the discipline of stepping back from operational detail while retaining accountability.
• Understanding of major software vendors' licensing programmes (e.g., Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, IBM, or similar). You can speak credibly to clients about compliance risk, remediation strategy, and commercial optimisation.
• International delivery experience preferred. Our teams operate across multiple regions and you will be comfortable working across time zones and cultures.
• Commercially driven. You think in terms of revenue, margin, and account growth. You see client relationships as commercial assets to be developed.
• Confident delegator. You trust capable people to execute and do not need to be in every meeting to feel in control. You lead through outcomes, not through presence.
• Collaborative. You work effectively with peers and support functions. You treat delivery infrastructure as something that enables you, not as overhead. You share information openly and engage constructively when issues arise.
• Decisive. You make commercial decisions clearly and own the consequences. When delivery risk is flagged, you weigh it and commit consciously.
• Growth‑oriented. You actively pursue new business and are energised by client acquisition, not just client management.
• Quality‑conscious. You hold a high standard for what your clients receive and you hold your teams accountable for meeting that standard.