Director & Country Lead - UAE

About the job

Role overview OrcHire.ai (an autonomous, AI-led hiring and talent intelligence platform) is expanding into the UAE and wider Middle East and is hiring a Director & Country Lead - UAE to build and own the business in the region. This leader will drive commercial growth, local partnerships, and in-market investments, while ensuring the UAE entity meets all regulatory, compliance, and governance requirements. Title, location, reporting: • Title: Director & Country Lead - UAE (open to Director / Country Manager / GM based on profile) • Location: Based in UAE (Dubai/Abu Dhabi preferred); only candidates already residing in the UAE with valid work authorization will be considered • Reports to: Founder/CEO or Global Head of Business (India HQ) • Function: Market leadership - P&L, GTM, partnerships, and local governance Key responsibilities: • Market strategy and P&L ownership • Own UAE market P&L, including revenue, gross margin, and key growth KPIs for OrcHire in the region. • Develop and execute a 0-1 and 1-N market strategy for the UAE and eventually broader GCC, including segment focus (mid-large enterprises, staffing/RPOs, HR tech partners) and pricing strategy. • Build annual and quarterly business plans, forecasts, and investment cases aligned with global leadership. Sales, GTM and customer growth: • Lead enterprise and mid-market sales across UAE; own the full sales cycle from pipeline generation to closure and expansion. • Build and manage key customer relationships with CHROs, Talent Heads, business leaders, and HR tech partners, positioning OrcHire.ai as the “intelligence layer” on top of their ATS/HRMS. • Identify and close strategic lighthouse accounts and channel/implementation partners (ATS, HRMS, recruitment firms, system integrators) to accelerate distribution. Partnerships, ecosystem and brand: • Represent OrcHire.ai in the UAE startup, HR tech, and enterprise ecosystem, including events, associations, and industry forums. • Develop partnerships with local implementation partners, consulting firms, and recruitment/RPO players to embed OrcHire as the AI evaluation layer in their offerings. • Work with marketing to localize messaging, case studies, and campaigns tailored to UAE and GCC. Operations, compliance and governance: • Act as Resident Director / authorized signatory for the UAE entity, ensuring ongoing compliance with UAE Companies Law, local licensing requirements, and corporate governance norms. • Liaise with free zone/mainland authorities, banks, auditors, and legal advisors, ensuring timely filings, renewals, and adherence to regulatory changes. • Oversee local budgeting, contracts, collections, and vendor management in collaboration with central finance and legal. Team building and leadership: • Build and lead a small, high-caliber local team across sales, customer success, and partnerships as the business scales. • Set clear goals, drive a performance culture, and coach team members on SaaS sales, solution consulting, and customer value realization. • Champion OrcHire’s culture while adapting to local nuances; act as the bridge between UAE operations and HQ. Required experience: • 10-15 years of total experience, with at least 5-7 years in the UAE in B2B SaaS / HR tech / enterprise software / tech-enabled services in a commercial leadership role (Sales Director, Country Manager, GM, or similar). • Proven track record of owning a geography or segment P&L and consistently achieving or exceeding revenue targets in the UAE. • Strong network with CHROs, Talent/People leaders, and/or CIO/CTO/Transformation leaders across UAE mid-large enterprises and/or staffing/RPO players. • Prior experience launching or scaling a new market or business line (0-1 and 1-N) is highly preferred, ideally in a startup or high-growth environment. • Familiarity with UAE corporate structures and director responsibilities (mainland or free zone), or experience working as a legal director/authorized signatory for a UAE entity. • Experience selling complex, consultative solutions (SaaS platform, AI/analytics, HR tech) with multi-stakeholder buying cycles. Skills and attributes: • Commercial: Strong enterprise sales and business development capability; able to build and close a high-quality pipeline and navigate senior stakeholders. • Strategic: Ability to define and refine GTM strategy, pricing, and positioning for an AI-based hiring product in a new market. • Operational: Comfortable with hands-on work across sales, ops, and compliance in early stages; able to set up processes and reporting from scratch. • Regulatory awareness: Solid understanding of UAE business environment, with the willingness to own director-level responsibilities and governance. • Leadership: Can attract, develop, and retain high-performing talent, and work cross-functionally with product, marketing, and engineering teams sitting in India/other locations. • Mindset: Builder mentality, bias for action, comfort with ambiguity, and passion for transforming how companies hire using AI. Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related field; MBA or equivalent is a plus. • Existing residency and work authorization in UAE is mandatory (we are not considering remote or relocation-only profiles for this role at this stage).

Requirements

• market strategy
• P&L ownership
• sales cycle management
• compliance
• team building

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related field
• MBA or equivalent is a plus

Preferred Technologies

• market strategy
• P&L ownership
• sales cycle management
• compliance
• team building

About the company

OrcHire.ai is an autonomous, AI-led hiring and talent intelligence platform, expanding into the UAE and wider Middle East.