Head of Events - MENA

LvlUp Ventures LLC; Dubai; On-site; AED 391,000 - 670,000; Full time

Job summary

LvlUp Ventures seeks a Head of Events – MENA to lead the development, growth, and execution of a portfolio of 3-5 monthly events across the Middle East and North Africa. You will work with global leadership to expand regional visibility and partnerships, shaping a scalable events platform for startups, investors, and ecosystem players.

Based in Dubai or UAE, you will build relationships with regional stakeholders, drive initiative partnerships, and create opportunities for investment sourcing.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in event management, business development, partnerships, community building, or ecosystem development.
• Strong understanding of the MENA startup and venture capital ecosystems.
• Established professional relationships in regional business, investor, or entrepreneurial communities is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to independently plan, organize, market, and execute professional events and initiatives.
• Excellent English communication skills; Arabic proficiency is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute regional events strategy across MENA, starting with UAE and expanding regionally.
• Build and manage a recurring calendar of startup, investor, corporate, and entrepreneurship events.
• Identify new event formats and strategic initiatives to strengthen regional positioning.
• Establish scalable processes and partnerships to support event growth.
• Lead planning, coordination, promotion, and execution of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
• Organize pitch competitions, investor roundtables, founder workshops, networking sessions, and ecosystem initiatives.
• Recruit and coordinate speakers, judges, investors, and participating organizations.
• Oversee event logistics, programming, communications, registrations, attendee experience, and post-event engagement.

Skills

Event management

Business development

Partnerships

Community building

Ecosystem development

English communication

Arabic proficiency (advantage)

Strategic partnerships

Leadership

Job description

Employment Type: Contract

About LvlUp Ventures

LvlUp Ventures is a global, multi-stage venture capital firm recognized among the world's ten most active venture investors by PitchBook and the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).

With more than 1,300 companies backed and supported across its ecosystem, LvlUp combines venture capital investment, strategic corporate partnerships, founder acceleration programs, and a global network of investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to help high-potential companies scale.

Through our MENA Global Investment Hub, headquartered in Dubai, we are expanding our presence across the Middle East and North Africa, connecting regional founders, investors, corporations, and ecosystem partners with LvlUp's global investment platform and resources.

About The Role

LvlUp Ventures is seeking a Head of Events – MENA to lead the development, growth, and execution of our events and ecosystem initiatives across the Middle East and North Africa.

This is a regional leadership opportunity for an entrepreneurial, well-connected, and execution-oriented professional to build a leading platform for startup, venture capital, and business ecosystem events throughout MENA.

The Head of Events will be responsible for developing and scaling a diverse portfolio of 3-5 monthly events & initiatives, including investor gatherings, startup pitch competitions, founder workshops, industry panels, networking events, and strategic partner activations.

Working closely with LvlUp's global leadership and regional ecosystem, the successful candidate will play a central role in expanding the firm's regional visibility, strengthening relationships with key stakeholders, developing strategic partnerships, and creating opportunities for investment sourcing and founder engagement.

Key Responsibilities

Regional Events Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute LvlUp Ventures' regional events strategy across MENA, with an initial focus on the UAE and expansion into key regional markets.
• Build and manage a recurring calendar of high-impact startup, investor, corporate, and entrepreneurship events.
• Identify new event formats, industry opportunities, and strategic initiatives that strengthen LvlUp's regional positioning.
• Establish scalable processes, systems, and partnerships to support consistent event growth and execution.

Event Development & Execution

• Lead the planning, coordination, promotion, and execution of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
• Organize startup pitch competitions, investor roundtables, founder workshops, networking sessions, and other ecosystem initiatives.
• Recruit and coordinate speakers, judges, investors, industry experts, and participating organizations.
• Oversee event logistics, programming, communications, registrations, attendee experience, and post-event engagement.
• Ensure consistently high standards of professionalism, execution, and participant experience.

Ecosystem Development & Strategic Partnerships

• Develop relationships with venture capital firms, angel investors, startup founders, accelerators, corporations, universities, government entities, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
• Identify and secure strategic event partners, sponsors, speakers, and community collaborators.
• Build relationships with established regional organizations to expand event distribution, participation, and reach.
• Leverage LvlUp's global network and investment platform to create compelling opportunities for regional partners and founders.

Community Growth & Marketing

• Develop and execute strategies to drive event registrations, attendance, community engagement, and ongoing participation.
• Establish regional distribution and marketing partnerships to promote LvlUp's initiatives.
• Support the growth of LvlUp's regional founder, investor, and partner communities.
• Develop repeatable outreach and engagement systems to support long-term ecosystem growth.

Investment Pipeline & Business Development

• Collaborate with LvlUp's investment and program teams to identify promising startups and investment opportunities through regional events.
• Facilitate meaningful connections between founders, investors, and strategic partners.
• Support the expansion of LvlUp's accelerator programs, pitch initiatives, and broader investment ecosystem across MENA.
• Identify sponsorship, partnership, and commercial opportunities that contribute to the growth and sustainability of regional initiatives.

Performance & Operations

• Establish and track key performance indicators covering attendance, engagement, partnerships, sponsorships, and event outcomes.
• Manage event planning timelines, stakeholder coordination, budgets, and operational requirements.
• Provide regular updates to LvlUp leadership on regional initiatives, growth opportunities, and results.
• Continuously improve event formats, operations, and community engagement strategies.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in event management, business development, partnerships, community building, or ecosystem development.
• Strong understanding of the MENA startup, venture capital, entrepreneurship, or business ecosystem.
• Established professional relationships across relevant regional business, investor, or entrepreneurial communities are highly desirable.
• Proven ability to independently plan, organize, market, and execute professional events and initiatives.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, negotiation, and organizational skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build initiatives from the ground up and operate effectively in a fast-growing organization.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, partners, and priorities with a high degree of ownership.
• Excellent English communication skills; Arabic proficiency is an advantage.
• Based in Dubai or able to maintain a strong operational presence in the UAE.

Why Join LvlUp Ventures

• Global Platform: Work with one of the world's most active venture capital firms and its rapidly expanding international ecosystem.
• Regional Leadership: Play a meaningful role in building LvlUp's events and ecosystem initiatives across MENA.
• High-Impact Network: Engage with leading investors, founders, corporate executives, and ecosystem organizations.
• Entrepreneurial Opportunity: Take ownership of building and scaling initiatives with significant room for creativity, innovation, and long-term growth.
• Meaningful Impact: Help connect promising entrepreneurs with the relationships, opportunities, and resources needed to accelerate their businesses.