Senior Partnership Manager - 7555

Cambridge University Press & Assessment; Dubai; Hybrid; AED 260,000 - 360,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Annual economy ticket home

28 days annual leave pro-rata

Base + allowances (Transport/Housing)

Job summary

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is seeking a Senior Partnerships Manager to identify, develop and manage high-value partnerships across the Middle East and North Africa, with opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Reporting to the Head of Education Reform, MENA, the role combines commercial judgment with purpose, supporting education reform and engaging ministries, donors and international organisations.

Qualifications

• Experience developing and managing partnerships with ministries, donors or international organisations.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder management across multiple cultures.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication; Arabic is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Identify, develop and manage high-value partnerships across the Middle East and North Africa, with opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• Negotiate partnership agreements and oversee active collaborations to deliver mutual value.
• Coordinate with Commercial, Legal, Compliance, Marketing and Delivery teams to implement partnerships.
• Maintain CRM data, monitor performance and manage risks within active agreements.

Job description

Job Title: Senior Partnerships Manager

Salary: Competitive

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Hybrid (The role requires up to 20% regional and international travel to support partner engagement and project activity)

Contract: Fixed Term/Secondment (End date 16th March 2027)

Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week)

Would you like to build partnerships that help governments and international organisations create lasting improvements in education? We are looking for a Senior Partnerships Manager to identify, develop and manage high-value partnerships across the Middle East and North Africa, while also supporting opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

Cambridge Partnership for Education works with ministries of education and international development organisations to improve the quality and performance of education systems worldwide. We design solutions around each country's context, priorities and vision, helping our partners deliver meaningful and sustainable change.

About The Role

Reporting to the Head of Education Reform, MENA, you will connect prospective partners with Cambridge expertise, shape new opportunities and ensure established partnerships continue to deliver mutual value.

This is an opportunity to combine commercial judgement with purpose. Your work will support education reform and help ministries, donors and other organisations address complex education challenges. You will join an international, collaborative environment where people are encouraged to share ideas, explore better approaches and develop their potential.

You will support the development and implementation of the Partnership for Education strategy across the region. Working closely with colleagues in Commercial, Legal and Compliance, Marketing and Delivery, you will develop a strong pipeline of suitable partners and represent Cambridge with key external stakeholders.

Additional responsibilities and accountabilities include:

• Researching education reform opportunities, market developments and competitor activity to identify and engage prospective partners.
• Developing trusted relationships with ministries, donors, foundations, international development organisations, private-sector organisations and other potential collaborators.
• Working with Commercial colleagues to shape opportunities, build effective consortia and negotiate partnership agreements that deliver mutual value.
• Overseeing active partnerships, monitoring performance, managing risks and ensuring that commitments are understood and delivered.
• Supporting donor diversification and improving partnership management through accurate CRM information, effective tools, shared insight and continuous improvement.

This position has been classified as a hybrid role. You will typically spend 40–60% of your time collaborating and connecting face-to-face at your dedicated location. Other flexible working arrangements will be considered from your first day of employment, including adjustments relating to a disability or long-term health condition.

The role requires up to 20% regional and international travel to support partner engagement and project activity.

About You

You will have a strong track record of developing and managing successful partnerships, alliances or complex commercial relationships. You will understand how to identify shared value, shape effective propositions and progress opportunities involving multiple internal and external stakeholders.

To be successful, you will demonstrate:

• Relevant experience in partnership development, business development, sales or marketing, including solution selling or the development of value propositions.
• Successful experience of building and managing business-to-business or business-to-government relationships.
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships across different organisations and cultures.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills, together with strong communication skills in at least one language commonly used in the region.
• A methodical and organised approach, with sound judgement, strong problem-solving skills and excellent attention to detail.
• A positive, proactive and collaborative approach, with confidence using Microsoft Office applications and CRM systems and a commitment to continuous improvement.

If you meet these minimum requirements, we encourage you to apply. Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate:

• Knowledge of public-sector procurement processes.
• Experience working with ministries of education, government bodies or donor-funded organisations.
• Understanding of how education reform programmes are developed, approved and contracted.
• Arabic language capability.

We also welcome applications from candidates who may not previously have held the title of Senior Partnerships Manager but can demonstrate relevant experience in business development, education, international development or government-facing work, together with sound commercial judgement and the ability to build trusted relationships.

For a detailed job description, please refer to the link at the bottom of the advert on our careers site.

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits.

• Total Salary Split = 60% Base + 40% Allowances (Transport/Housing).
• 28 days annual leave plus public holidays (pro-rata)
• Health Insurance for self and dependents, including dental
• Annual economy ticket to home country for self

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for applications is 20 September 2026. We will review applications while the vacancy is live and reserve the right to close the advert earlier or extend the closing date if required. Shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to begin during the week commencing 21 September 2026.

If you progress through the selection process, you can expect:

• A first-stage virtual interview via Microsoft Teams.
• A final-stage interview in person at our Dubai office. (28th and 29th September) Shortlisted candidates progressing to the second stage will be sent a role-related task in advance, together with clear instructions for completion.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long-term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.