Business Development Manager

Who we are

We are an organisation that exists to drive progress. That's the “red thread” that connects everyone at The Economist Group (TEG). Our businesses share a devotion to innovation, independence and rigour in their fields of expertise. We empower people to understand and tackle the critical challenges and changes facing the world. Our analytical rigour, global expertise and evidence-based insights enable individuals and organisations to make sense of these shifts and chart a course through them.

We deliver analysis and insights in many formats to subscribers and clients in 170 countries through our four businesses, The Economist, Economist Impact, Economist Intelligence and Economist Education, which uphold our global reputation for excellence and integrity.

As the research and analysis division of the Economist Group, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) helps leaders prepare for opportunity, empowering them to act with confidence when making strategic decisions. The EIU is the global standard in providing quality, actionable intelligence to the public and private sector, assessing issues that impact the marketplace for over two hundred countries.

The Economist Intelligence Corporate Network (EICN) is the executive briefing and networking service of The EIU. Participating in our members-only C-suite group helps international firms understand the political, economic and business environments of the markets where they operate, and particularly what impact changes in this macro environment will have on business.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Business Development Manager to drive growth across the non-government and non-financial services sectors in the gulf region. This is a high impact, commercial role, combining:

• EIU’s flagship research, data and economic intelligence solutions
• Economist Corporate Network (EICN) in the UAE, including C-Suite memberships, briefings and executive engagement opportunities.

The role requires a strategic seller who can map, penetrate, and expand within large organisations and conglomerates, engaging multiple stakeholders and unlocking enterprise-wide opportunities.

You will:

• Own the full sales cycle, from strategic account mapping and prospecting through to close
• Develop deep understanding of large organisations across non-government and non-financial sectors, including ownership structures and subsidiaries
• Build multi-threaded relationships across different departments
• Sell both data-led subscriptions (EIU) and executive C-suite membership (EICN)

Success in this role depends on your ability to:

• Map complex organisations and identify decision making structures
• Translate geopolitical and macroeconomic shifts into commercial value
• Navigate longer, consultative sales cycles with senior stakeholders

What you’ll bring

• Strong experience in B2B sales (SaaS, DaaP, Information Services, or Consulting), with a demonstrable passion for geopolitics and economics
• Deep contextual knowledge of the Middle East market, including its economic and geopolitical drivers
• A certain level of refinement and sophistication when communicating
• Ability to build and maintain trusted partner relationships at the highest level (C-suite/executive)
• Proven ability to prospect, build pipeline, and close new business
• Exceptional ability to distill complex data into “the so what?” for a client
• Commercial comfort with data-led propositions, including analytics workflows and APIs (deep technical expertise not required)
• Strong Salesforce hygiene and forecasting discipline
• Arabic Language is a plus
• Based in UAE, with regional travel as required

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