Summary
Careem is hiring an Associate Director of Ads Sales to build agency partnerships for Careem Ads, with a focus on the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The role involves setting regional go-to-market plans, managing senior agency relationships and revenue pipelines, and leading a growing agency partnerships team. The successful candidate will also coordinate with product and commercial teams on advertising formats, measurement and reporting. Applicants should bring 12–15+ years of relevant experience, a record of growing agency revenue, and fluency in English and Arabic; the role is based in Dubai with a hybrid schedule.
The posting
As published on careem.com. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
Careem is building the Everything App for the greater Middle East — making it easy to move around, order food and groceries, manage payments, and more. Our purpose is simple: to simplify and improve people’s lives and build an awesome organisation that inspires.
Since 2012, Careem has enabled earnings for over 2.5 million Captains, simplified the lives of more than 70 million customers, and built a platform where the region’s best talent and entrepreneurs thrive. We operate in 70+ cities across 10 countries, from Morocco to Pakistan.
We’re now entering our next chapter — one powered by AI. We’re looking for AI talent: curious problem-solvers who know how to apply AI to build tools, automate workflows, and create real impact. Whether it’s streamlining operations, enhancing customer experience, or reimagining internal systems — we want people who can make Careem work smarter and move faster.
Careem Ads is redefining how brands connect with consumers across the region's leading super-app ecosystem. We're hiring an Agency Partnerships Lead to drive agency adoption of Careem Ads and build the agency-led commercialization model across the UAE, KSA, and Egypt turning agency relationships into a structured, multi-million dollar revenue channel.
What You'll Lead
1. Set the Agency GTM Strategy for the Region
- Develop and own the UAE, KSA and Egypt GTM strategy across the Big 6 holding groups including annual JBPs, reseller models, and multi-market expansion plans
- Own and evangelize Careem Ads' value proposition - equip agencies with the narrative, data, and proof points to pitch Careem Ads confidently to clients
- Manage strategic relationships with agency leadership and own a defined agency revenue pipeline target
2. Lead & Mentor the Agency Partnerships Function
- Manage and develop a growing team of Agency Partner Managers
- Drive excellence in pipeline planning, forecasting, relationship mapping, and quarterly business reviews (QBRs)Establish the operating rhythm, success metrics, and governance for the function (e.g. pipeline coverage, solution adoption goals, roadshows, JBP attainment)
3. Drive Enterprise-Level Revenue Growth
- Influence Careem Ads' revenue plan for non-endemic businesses by scaling agency-led buying unlocking multimillion-dollar contributions through structured partnerships, playbooks, and new channel expansion
- Deliver revenue directly across your agency portfolio and identify untapped growth opportunities
- Contribute to shaping our scalable sales enablement material and run agency roadshows
4. Shape Product + Market Fit
- Lead strategic feedback to Product, Measurement, Creative Ops, and Finance - guiding prioritization of formats, measurement solutions, and reporting needs for agencies
- Drive agency demand for new innovation and beta pilots
5. Be a Foundational Builder
- Act as a core member of the founding team building Careem Ads' infrastructure, playbooks, brand narrative, and GTM
- Represent Careem Ads to build market presence and credibility
Qualifications
- 12-15+ years in media sales, digital advertising, or agency partnerships (across tech), with a proven track record of building and scaling agency ecosystems and exceeding revenue targets
- Strong analytical skills - comfortable using data and tools (Excel/BI) to build forecasts and defend commercial plansWorking knowledge of the competitive media landscape particularly digital (Meta, Google, TikTok, Snap, Amazone) and retail media
- Executive presence: capable of influencing senior stakeholders including C-suite across agencies and large advertisers
- Fluency in English and Arabic
- Entrepreneurial, strategic thinker comfortable in ambiguous, 0-to-1 environments
- Experience with non-endemic categories & brand advertising ecosystems.
- Experience integrating AI tools into workflows (forecasting, reporting, campaign operations) to drive efficiency gains.
- Experience building or scaling a partnership function from scratch, not just operating within an existing one.
Why This Role Matters
You will architect the agency ecosystem for Careem Ads, shaping the operating model as the business scales across a multi-market regionYour impact will be measurable and tied directly to Careem Ads' revenue growth
What we’ll provide you
We offer colleagues the opportunity to drive impact in the region while they learn and grow. As a full time Careem colleague, you will be able to:
- Work and learn from great minds by joining a community of inspiring colleagues.
- Put your passion to work in a purposeful organisation dedicated to creating impact in a region with a lot of untapped potential.
- Explore new opportunities to learn and grow every day.
- Work 4 days a week in office & 1 day from home, and remotely from any country in the world for 30 days a year with unlimited vacation days per year. (If you are in an individual contributor role in tech, you will have 2 office days a week and 3 to work from home.)
- Access to healthcare benefits and fitness reimbursements for health activities including gym, health club, and training classes.