Head of Sales- Business Development- Freight Industry

UpMan Placements; Dubai; On-site; AED 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

UpMan Placements seeks a Head of Sales - Business Development to drive enterprise shipper growth across the UAE and GCC. You will hunt and win strategic accounts, build markets, and lead a regional BD engine while coaching reps to scale.

The role requires 8-12+ years in B2B sales, GCC market experience, and a strong logistics/3PL background with proficiency in senior-level negotiations and strategic partnerships.

Qualifications

• 8-12+ years in B2B sales/BD with enterprise new-logo wins
• Experience across GCC markets (UAE, KSA, and others)
• Background in logistics, freight, transportation, supply chain, 3PL, or related industry
• Experience leading or coaching BD reps a plus
• Existing enterprise-shipper and partner network across the region is a major advantage

Responsibilities

• Own enterprise BD targets across GCC—new revenue, gross margin, and volume
• Hunt, win, and expand large enterprise shippers across sectors UAE, KSA, and other GCC markets
• Open new markets, verticals, and build strategic partnerships and alliances
• Own complex, multi-stakeholder deals end-to-end—prospecting, solutioning, negotiation, contracting, and go-live
• Structure commercial proposals, rate cards, and RFP/tender responses balancing win rate with margin
• Develop senior/C-level relationships within key accounts and act as the strategic escalation point
• Build and manage a healthy, forecastable regional pipeline; maintain CRM hygiene
• Guide, coach, and set targets for BD reps; drive up win rates and sales-cycle times
• Help hire and develop BD talent as the region scales
• Partner with Operations/Supply to secure capacity and service levels; pricing/finance on profitability
• Feed regional market intelligence back into pricing and product
• Ensure accurate forecasting and reporting to leadership

Skills

Hunter mindset

Consultative selling

Negotiation

CRM & forecasting

C-level engagement

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in business or related

MBA

Tools

CRM systems

Sales forecasting

Job description

The H ead of Sales - Business Development drives enterprise shipper growth across the U AE - hunting and winning new strategic accounts, opening new markets, segments, and trade lanes, and building the partnerships and pipeline that expand the region's revenue and margin. You personally own the most strategic pursuits and negotiations, and you build the regional business-development engine - pipeline, partnerships, and commercial discipline - while guiding and coaching business development reps to multiply the region's reach.

Key Responsibilities

• Own enterprise business-development targets across the GCC - new revenue, gross margin, and volume (loads) - on a monthly and quarterly basis.
• Hunt, win, and expand large enterprise shippers across sectors such as FMCG, retail, manufacturing, e-commerce, building materials, and 3PLs, across UAE, KSA, and other GCC markets.
• Open new markets, verticals, and trade lanes, and build strategic partnerships and alliances (3PLs, industry bodies, ecosystem partners) that create regional pipeline.
• Own complex, multi-stakeholder deals end-to-end - prospecting, solutioning, negotiation, contracting, and go-live.
• Structure commercial proposals, rate cards, and RFP/tender responses that balance win rate with margin.
• Develop senior/C-level relationships within key accounts and act as the strategic escalation point across the region.

Pipeline, forecasting & team

• Build and manage a healthy, forecastable regional pipeline; maintain CRM hygiene and a disciplined BD cadence.
• Guide, coach, and set targets for business development reps; drive up win rates and sales-cycle times.
• Help hire and develop BD talent as the region scales.

Cross-functional & market

• Partner with Operations/Supply to secure capacity and service levels across markets, and with Pricing/Finance on deal profitability.
• Feed regional market intelligence (competition, pricing, demand shifts) back into pricing and product.
• Ensure accurate forecasting and reporting to leadership.

Requirements

Experience

• 8-12+ years in B2B sales / business development, with a strong record of enterprise new-logo wins and quota over-achievement.
• Experience developing business across multiple GCC markets (UAE plus KSA and/or others) strongly preferred.
• Background in logistics, freight, transportation, supply chain, 3PL, or a related B2B/marketplace/SaaS-enabled industry strongly preferred.
• Experience leading or coaching BD reps a plus.
• An existing enterprise-shipper and partner network across the region is a major advantage.

Skills & attributes

• A hunter's mindset — relentless on new logos and market expansion, balanced with the discipline to grow and retain accounts.
• Consultative, solution-based selling into complex organizations; comfortable at C-level.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills with a firm grasp of margin, pricing, and P&L impact.
• Data-driven: fluent in CRM, pipeline management, and forecasting.
• Fluent English (Arabic a strong plus for regional coverage).
• Entrepreneurial, hands-on, mobile across the region, and comfortable in a fast-moving, high-growth environment.

Other

• Bachelor's degree (business or related); MBA a plus.
• GCC driving license and willingness to travel across markets.