Head of Marketing

Middle East Retail Group; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 360,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Hamleys is seeking a visionary Head of Marketing to lead marketing activities across the GCC, focusing on flagship performance and driving footfall through world-class campaigns. The role requires a blend of strategy, creativity, and commercial rigor to elevate the brand and achieve exceptional results.

Qualifications

• 15 years of marketing experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven ability to lead commercially accountable marketing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead all marketing strategy and execution across GCC Hamleys stores.
• Drive customer acquisition and retention through integrated campaigns.
• Develop and manage the annual marketing budget with clear ROI targets.

Skills

Leadership

Marketing Strategy

Performance Marketing

CRM

Influencer Strategies

Job description

About the Role:

Hamleys, the world's most iconic toy retailer, is seeking a visionary Head of Marketing to lead all marketing activities across our GCC portfolio with a particular focus on flagship performance, regional growth, and driving footfall through world-class campaigns and activations.

You will own the end-to-end marketing strategy across retail, digital, and experiential channels, elevating the Hamleys brand in line with our positioning as a premium, theatrical, family-driven retail experience. Your mandate is to translate brand equity into measurable commercial growth increasing conversion, dwell time, repeat visits, and overall sales across our high-performing and high-potential stores.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Lead all marketing strategy and execution across GCC Hamleys stores, including Dubai Mall flagship, new markets, and Hamleys Play concepts.
2. Drive customer acquisition and retention through integrated digital, social, influencer, CRM, and in-mall campaigns.
3. Design and implement experiential marketing initiatives such as shows, events, school activations, holiday takeovers, and strategic partnerships that bring the brand to life.
4. Develop and manage the annual marketing budget, with clear ROI targets, funnel performance, and sales uplift objectives.
5. Oversee performance marketing across paid channels (Meta, Google, programmatic), CRM flows, and footfall-driven conversion campaigns.
6. Collaborate with store teams to ensure in-store storytelling, activations, and touchpoints are aligned with brand campaigns.
7. Cultivate key relationships with mall landlords, media partners, licensing/IP partners, and GCC-based influencer and parenting networks.
8. Lead and grow a high-performing marketing team while managing key agency partners and creative vendors.
9. Define and report on KPIs including footfall, engagement, ROAS, CAC, and marketing-driven revenue growth.

What We're Looking For:

1. 15 years of marketing experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role within retailtainment, family entertainment, theme parks, or kids/lifestyle brands.
2. A proven ability to lead commercially accountable marketing teams that directly impact revenue and footfall.
3. Experience creating emotionally resonant, theatrical campaigns that drive excitement, conversion, and loyalty.
4. Deep understanding of GCC markets, Dubai Mall dynamics, and high-performance retail environments.
5. Strong grasp of performance marketing, CRM, influencer strategies, and omnichannel storytelling.
6. A builder and operator who thrives in growth environments and blends creative storytelling with data-driven performance.

Why This Role Matters:

Hamleys GCC is entering its next phase of growth, with a bold vision to elevate the magic of play through immersive retail experiences. We are seeking a leader who can blend strategy, creativity, and commercial rigor to help us scale our brand and drive exceptional results across the region.