Senior Director, Frontline Marketing, Middle East Region

The Coca-Cola Company; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 400,000 - 500,000; Full time

Job summary

A global beverage leader seeks a Marketing Lead in the United Arab Emirates to drive brand growth and performance. Candidates should have over 12 years of experience in marketing, including team leadership and P&L ownership. The role involves accountability for end-to-end marketing performance, ensuring local strategies align with global initiatives. Success will depend on effective orchestration of marketing activities and deep consumer insight application. This is an opportunity to shape the brand's future and contribute to an inclusive culture.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of significant marketing and leadership experience, P&L ownership.
• Strong commercial acumen, experience with cross-functional teams.
• Previous roles should include innovation and complex marketing programs.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for end-to-end marketing performance.
• Lead ABP portfolio and ensure marketing orchestration.
• Deploy marketing capabilities and ensure local relevance.

Skills

Brand Architecture

Brand Positioning

Channel Management

Competitor Analysis

Creative Briefs

Digital Media Strategy

Group Problem Solving

Local Advertising

Marketing Activation

Marketing Strategies

Media Planning

People Management

Shopper Marketing

Social Media Strategies

Sponsorships

SWOT Analysis

Team Management

Job description

Location(s): United Arab Emirates

City/Cities:

Travel Required: 00% - 25%

Relocation Provided: No

Job Posting End Date: February 6, 2026

Shift:

Job Description Summary:

EME OU (Eurasia Middle East Operating Unit) Marketing is undergoing a step-change to deliver more balanced, sustainable growth, powered by deeper consumer intimacy, stronger integration, accelerated innovation, and data- and tech-enabled precision marketing. The organization is designed to combine local relevance with scale, shift data and technology from experimentation to competitive advantage, and operate through flywheel execution with clear accountability for impact and ROI (Return on Investment). All roles operate within a tightly integrated OU–Market model, where the OU elevates and enables long-term growth + OU-wide platforms while markets integrate, execute, and track performance with speed and rigor while developing local content, partnership and experiences.

Focus, Scope, & Impact

A “marketing lead” accountable for all marketing functions and to strengthen our brands, capabilities and business in the region balancing local intimacy & scale, driving system integration & optimizing the portfolio, calendar, and resource allocationfor maximum ROI.

• Act as the Marketing Lead for the country, accountable for end-to-end marketing performance, brand growth, innovation delivery, capability building and local system/ customers/ stakeholders’ alignment/ excitement.
• Lead ABP portfolio choices and calendar. Deliver ABP (Annual Business Plan) development and execution, starting by influencing OU LRPs.
• Identify and apply consumer and shopper insights and market research agenda locally, partnering with OU.
• Own E2E (End to End) brand and innovation local plans, including flywheel execution/ tracking.
• Drive local IMX in line with OU IMX (Operating Unit Integrated Marketing Experience): media, content, Studio X, digital, social, influencers, assets, labels.
• Ensure in-market/ OU-markets marketing orchestration, prioritization, and backlog.
• Deploy and scale marketing capabilities and ways of work.
• Team size spans from 15 to 30 talents, depending on the region, being 5 direct reports
• What Success Looks Like: Confident, capable local marketing organization; OU strategies/ platforms translated into real market impact; Granular/ nuanced/ locally relevant growth opportunities and solutions; Strong, consistent brand growth and innovation impact; Successful deployment of OU-wide agenda strategies, programs, capabilities

Experience & Critical Requirements

• Significant marketing and leadership experience (12 years+), including insight & analytics, brand/portfolio strategies, innovation, complex marketing programs management and P&L ownership
• Worked in/with all relevant marketing disciplines: innovation, creative strategy, connections, design, category/brand positioning & growth strategy
• Strong commercial acumen and KO system understanding/ influencing.
• Led scaled, complex, cross-functional and cross-geographical teams and projects
• Led projects that leverage Digital/ Data as edges
• Worked in the Frontline (e.g. Frontline Marketing)
• Led and developed big teams directly
• Behaviors: Growth Mindset: someone that is curious, dreams big, does what is hard and has an enterprise mindset. Passionate and uncompromisable commitment to excellence and servant leadership.

Other Considerations: Speaking local market language and deep knowledge of local marketing culture is highly desirable

Skills:

• Brand Architecture
• Brand Positioning
• Channel Management
• Competitor Analysis
• Creative Briefs
• Digital Media Strategy
• Group Problem Solving
• Local Advertising
• Marketing Activation
• Marketing Strategies
• Media Planning
• People Management
• Shopper Marketing
• Social Media Strategies
• Sponsorships
• SWOT Analysis
• Team Management

Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.