Senior Manager - Corporate Services & Outreach

International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA); Dubai; On-site; AED 350,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai seeks a Senior Manager, Corporate Services & Outreach, to lead Finance, People Resources, Procurement, Facilities and IT while guiding Communications, Emirates Soil Museum and Knowledge Transfer in alignment with the ICBA strategy.

You will ensure robust budgeting, financial reporting, controls and donor compliance, and provide strategic oversight across both portfolios. Strong leadership and bilingual communication are essential.

Qualifications

• 12 years of progressively responsible experience, including management or leadership roles in corporate services or related enabling functions.
• Senior-level experience in financial management and procurement, including budgeting, financial reporting, internal controls, cost recovery, procurement governance, tendering, contracting, and compliance.
• Experience supervising multidisciplinary teams and advising senior management on material issues.
• Experience with governance, risk management, business continuity, policy development and compliance.
• Experience with donor-funded project finance or full-cost recovery is an advantage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English and Arabic, with cross-cultural leadership abilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and management oversight of Corporate Services (Finance, People Resources, Procurement, Facilities, IT) and Outreach (Communications, Emirates Soil Museum, Knowledge Transfer).
• Ensure budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, internal controls, donor compliance, liquidity, and financial sustainability; oversee procurement governance and contracts.
• Coordinate policies, annual plans, budgets, risk management, and business continuity; advise senior leadership on financial and operational matters.
• Lead and support cross-functional teams, improve coordination, and deliver assigned actions on time.
• Oversee communications and knowledge transfer to enhance institutional visibility and stakeholder engagement.

Skills

Leadership

Financial management

Procurement governance

Budgeting

Internal controls

Risk management

Policy development

Communication skills

Arabic language

English language

Stakeholder engagement

Donor-funded experience

Digital transformation

Education

Master's degree in finance or related field

Professional qualification in finance or accounting

Job description

The Senior Manager, Corporate Services & Outreach, is responsible for two complementary portfolios: Corporate Services and Outreach. Corporate Services comprises Finance, People Resources, Procurement, Facilities, and Information Technology and represents the primary operational and technical accountability of the role. Outreach comprises Communications, the Emirates Soil Museum, and Knowledge Transfer, for which the role provides management oversight, coordination, and institutional alignment. The Senior Manager ensures effective performance, accountability, and collaboration across both portfolios.

Job Responsibilities

A. Corporate Services - Primary Accountability

• Provide leadership and active management oversight of Finance, People Resources, Procurement, Facilities, and Information Technology.
• Maintain strong and substantive oversight of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, internal controls, donor compliance, cost recovery, liquidity, reserves, audit follow-up, and institutional financial sustainability.
• Provide strong oversight of procurement and contracting, including procurement planning, tendering, due diligence, vendor management, contract governance, compliance, value for money, and promote transparent procurement procedures.
• Oversee People Resources and IT from a management and performance perspective, ensuring clear plans, service standards, KPIs, controls, and accountability while enabling the respective teams to lead technical delivery.
• Coordinate corporate-services policies, annual plans, budgets, risk management, business continuity, and continuous improvement, and advise the Director General and Management Committee on significant financial, procurement, operational, and institutional matters.
• Lead and support the respective teams of Corporate Services, clarify responsibilities, enhance cross-functional coordination, eliminate operational bottlenecks, and ensure the timely delivery of agreed actions.

B. Outreach - Management Oversight and Coordination

• Provide management oversight of Communications, the Emirates Soil Museum, and Knowledge Transfer, ensuring alignment with ICBA strategy and institutional priorities.
• Ensure each outreach function has clear annual plans, budgets, objectives, KPIs, and accountabilities, and monitor delivery and performance against agreed priorities.
• Enhance coordination and support across outreach, research, and partnership functions to boost institutional visibility, stakeholder engagement, knowledge sharing, capacity development, and the implementation of ICBA solutions.
• Empower the respective managers, technical teams, and focal points to lead specialist content and day-to-day delivery, while providing management direction, coordination, and accountability.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum 12 years of progressively responsible experience, including at least 5 years in management or leadership roles in corporate services or related enabling functions.
• Master's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, management, public administration, or another relevant discipline. A professional qualification in finance or accounting is an advantage.
• Demonstrated senior-level experience in financial management and procurement, including budgeting, financial reporting, internal controls, cost recovery, procurement governance, tendering, contracting, and compliance.
• Sufficient technical depth in finance and procurement to effectively supervise, review, and challenge the work of Finance and Procurement teams and advise senior management on material issues.
• Proven experience managing multidisciplinary teams and providing oversight across broader corporate functions such as People Resources and Information Technology.
• Demonstrated experience in governance, institutional risk management, business continuity, policy development, and compliance.
• Experience working with senior management and governing bodies, with the ability to translate decisions into accountable implementation.
• Strong analytical, management and communication skills, with the ability to balance detailed financial and operational oversight with coordination of a broad portfolio.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Arabic, with strong interpersonal and cross-cultural leadership skills.
• Experience in an international, non-profit, research-for-development or donor-funded organization.
• Experience with donor-funded project finance, full-cost recovery and institutional financial sustainability.
• Experience providing management oversight of communications, public engagement, capacity development or knowledge-transfer functions; technical specialization in these areas is not required.
• Experience leading digital transformation or corporate-service modernization initiatives.