Interim General Manager Middle East

Client of Departer; Dubai; On-site; AED 800,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Client of Departer seeks an Interim General Manager to take full regional responsibility for the Middle East business from Dubai. You will drive strategic direction, align regional operations with global HQ, and ensure sustainable growth while maintaining customer focus and employee engagement.

You will lead change across regional teams, develop leadership depth, and build a high-performance culture that thrives in a complex market. Regular travel across the region is expected.

Qualifications

• Senior management experience with overall business or P&L responsibility in the Middle East.
• Extensive senior-level experience in the Middle East is essential with a strong understanding of regional business cultures.
• Experience leading established organizations through periods of organizational development, change or transformation.
• Strong track record in business management, commercial leadership and organizational development.
• Experience working within a structured international organization balancing regional requirements with headquarters’ direction, governance and processes.
• Fluency in English; other languages are an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Assume overall responsibility for the regional business including commercial performance, organizational development and operational execution.
• Lead the regional organization in alignment with the company’s global strategy and European HQ.
• Ensure sound financial and commercial performance with focus on sustainable growth.
• Provide leadership to the regional management team and foster accountability and ownership.
• Strengthen cooperation across Sales, Engineering, Service and other regional functions.
• Develop the regional organization with effective structures and decision-making processes.
• Support development and stabilization of regional engineering and service organization including India ecosystem.
• Drive customer proximity and engage with key customers and strategic stakeholders as needed.
• Maintain business continuity and stability in a complex regional environment.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, collaboration and performance.
• Act as interface between regional org and European HQ balancing local needs with global standards.
• Lead change with decisiveness and cultural sensitivity; coach and mentor regional leadership.
• Strengthen long-term sustainability through leadership development and knowledge transfer.

Skills

Senior management

P&L responsibility

Middle East experience

Leadership presence

Change management

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Team mentoring

Commercial acumen

Industrial tech familiarity

English fluency

Education

University degree

Job description

As Interim General Manager m f d you will assume overall responsibility for the regional business and its continued development The mandate combines business leadership organizational development performance management and cultural leadership across the region The role is particularly suited to an experienced Middle East executive who understands how to lead established organizations through periods of change while maintaining business continuity customer focus and employee engagement A key element of the assignment will be to develop the regional leadership organization and support the continued development of the next generation of regional leadership This is a hands‑on leadership role requiring both strategic perspective and strong operational presence Success will depend not only on setting direction but also on building trust aligning different stakeholder groups working effectively with headquarters and creating conditions for sustainable performance across the region

Duties and responsibilities

Your duties and responsibilities will include Assume overall responsibility for the regional business including commercial performance organizational development and operational executionLead the regional organization in close alignment with the company s global strategy and European headquartersEnsure sound financial and commercial performance while maintaining a strong focus on sustainable and profitable growthProvide clear leadership and direction to the regional management team and foster a culture of accountability collaboration and ownershipStrengthen cooperation across Sales Engineering Service and other regional functionsFurther develop the regional organization and ensure effective structures responsibilities and decision‑making processesSupport the continued development and stabilization of the regional engineering and service organization including the further development of service capabilities in IndiaDrive customer proximity and personally engage with key customers partners and strategic stakeholders where requiredMaintain business continuity and organizational stability in a complex and evolving regional environmentIdentify opportunities to improve efficiency collaboration and overall organizational performanceAct as a strong and trusted interface between the regional organization and European headquarters while balancing local market requirements with global standards and expectationsLead change with an appropriate balance of decisiveness patience and cultural sensitivityCoach develop and mentor members of the regional leadership organization with a particular focus on preparing the next generation of regional leadershipStrengthen the long‑term sustainability and continuity of the regional organization through effective leadership development and knowledge transfer

Skills and experiences

To be successful in this role, you should have the following skills and experiences:Proven senior management experience with overall business or P&L responsibility in the Middle EastExtensive senior‑level experience in the Middle East is essential with a strong understanding of the region's diverse business cultures and leadership environmentsDemonstrated experience leading established organizations through periods of organizational development, change or transformationStrong track record in business management, commercial leadership and organizational developmentProven experience working within a structured international organization and effectively balancing regional business requirements with headquarters' strategic direction, governance and processesAbility to combine regional entrepreneurial thinking with corporate governance, processes and global standardsStrong leadership presence combined with a collaborative, patient and culturally sensitive management styleDemonstrated ability to build trust across diverse teams and stakeholder groupsExperience developing and mentoring senior managers and emerging leadership talentStrong commercial acumen and the ability to combine strategic thinking with hands‑on executionHigh level of interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environmentsStrong general management and business leadership capabilities; specific product or functional expertise is considered secondary to proven leadership, commercial and organizational management experienceExperience in industrial technology, automation, engineering, process industries or related B2B environments is advantageousA technical or business‑related university degree is preferredFluency in English; additional languages are an advantageWillingness to be based in Dubai, UAE with regular travel across the region