Head of Business Development

Alpaca; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Alpaca seeks a Head of Business Development for the Middle East to lead commercial and strategic expansion across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the GCC. You’ll own relationships, deals, and ecosystem presence, bringing fintechs, exchanges, banks, primes, regulators, and government institutions into Alpaca’s orbit in the Middle East.

You will collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Product and executive leadership to grow Alpaca’s footprint as we build out the regional presence from the ground up,

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or institutional sales within financial services, fintech, capital markets, or digital assets.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with fintechs, exchanges, brokerages, banks, primes, and ecosystem partners across the Middle East.
• Serve as an executive interface with prospective and existing clients to deepen partnerships and adoption.
• Navigate engagements with regulators and government agencies to support regional expansion.
• Nurture client relationships from initial opportunities through strategic engagement and growth.
• Identify and pursue new commercial opportunities in collaboration with Sales, Marketing, Product, and leadership.

Job description

Alpaca is seeking a Head of Business Development Middle East to lead our commercial and strategic expansion across the region spanning the UAE Saudi Arabia and the broader GCC You ll own the relationships deals and ecosystem presence that bring fintechs exchanges brokerages banks primes regulators and government institutions into Alpaca s orbit across the Middle East This is a rare opportunity to build Alpaca s regional presence largely from the ground up at the firm that pioneered instant tokenized equities You ll work cross-functionally with Sales Marketing Product and executive leadership to grow Alpaca s footprint in one of the world s most active capital markets and digital asset hubs

This role reports into the Director of Business Development and offers significant scope for ownership as Alpaca builds out its regional footprint

Things You Get To Do

Strategic Relationship amp Business Development

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with fintechs exchanges brokerages banks primes and ecosystem partners across the Middle East
• Serve as a key executive interface with prospective and existing clients in the region identifying opportunities to deepen partnerships and expand adoption
• Navigate high-stakes engagements with regulators government agencies and public sector institutions to support Alpaca s regional expansion
• Nurture client relationships across the region from initial opportunity scoping through ongoing strategic engagement and partnership growth
• Identify and pursue new commercial opportunities in collaboration with Sales Marketing Product and the Director of Business Development
• Support account conversion by partnering with the sales team on lead nurturing and referral follow-up

Ecosystem Development amp GTM Execution

• Drive Alpaca s go-to-market execution across Middle East geographies and verticals through engagement with local fintech communities regulators founders and institutional partners
• Collaborate closely with the Director of Business Development and Head of Sales to execute against revenue targets and regional expansion priorities
• Champion Alpaca s product value proposition by deeply understanding the platform and translating regional customer pain points into strategic solutions
• Analyze CRM data and business performance metrics to inform regional sales strategy and uncover growth opportunities

Industry Representation amp Brand Advocacy

• Represent Alpaca at high-profile regional industry conferences regulatory roundtables and ecosystem events
• Serve as a public-facing spokesperson for Alpaca in government meetings webinars client workshops and strategic media engagements across the region
• Host and organize regional networking events and client briefings to showcase Alpaca s leadership and reinforce customer trust
• Prepare and deliver high-impact sales presentations and regular performance reports translating data into actionable insights for leadership

8+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or institutional sales within financial services, fintech, capital markets, or digital assets, with substantial experience in the Middle East

An existing network of relationships among fintechs, exchanges, brokerages, banks, primes, or regulators in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or the broader GCC

Experience engaging directly with regulators and government agencies, and familiarity with regional regulatory frameworks (e.g. DIFC, ADGM, VARA, CMA, SCA)

Strong understanding of (or strong appetite to quickly learn) brokerage infrastructure, tokenization, blockchain-based settlement, and digital asset market structure

Track record sourcing and nurturing strategic relationships that convert into commercial opportunities over time

Excellent executive presence and communication skills, comfortable acting as a public-facing representative of the firm with clients, regulators, and media

Comfortable working cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product, and executive leadership in a fast-moving, remote-first environment

Self-starter mentality with strong organizational skills, a bias toward action, and comfort building a region largely from scratch

Fluency in English required; Arabic fluency strongly preferred

Willingness to travel regularly within the region

Prior experience at a broker-dealer, exchange, market maker, prime broker, or crypto-native firm operating in the Middle East

Experience working on tokenization, RWA (real-world asset), or on-chain market infrastructure projects

Existing relationships with regional regulators or government agencies

Based in or with deep ties to the UAE or Saudi Arabia