Business Development Manager（Middle East）

About the Role

We are seeking a dynamic and results-driven Business Development Manager to lead our commercial expansion across the Middle East, with a primary focus on the GCC region. Based in Dubai—or other key regional hubs such as Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha, Kuwait City, Manama, Muscat, Cairo, Istanbul, or Amman—this role will play a pivotal part in driving our molecular diagnostics business forward by identifying strategic opportunities, forging key partnerships, and expanding our market presence. Reporting directly to the Head of Global Commercial or International Business Director, you will be responsible for developing and executing a robust commercial strategy tailored to the unique dynamics of the Middle East’s healthcare landscape.

Key Responsibilities

In this high-impact position, you will:

• Strategic Business Development: Develop and implement a comprehensive commercial strategy for the Middle East, with an initial emphasis on the GCC markets, to drive revenue growth and market penetration.
• Distributor Partnership Management: Identify, evaluate, and manage distributors specializing in In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) and molecular diagnostics across the region. Assess their capabilities in areas such as regulatory registration, importation, tender access, hospital coverage, after-sales support, and financial stability.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and nurture relationships with critical stakeholders, including hospital groups, private healthcare networks, government laboratories, reference laboratories, Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), and procurement decision-makers to facilitate market access and adoption of our products.
• Market Access & Regulatory Coordination: Support market entry strategies and regulatory compliance efforts in key markets such as the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other priority countries to ensure seamless product availability and adherence to local requirements.
• Commercial Planning & Execution: Develop and oversee commercial plans, including product positioning, pricing strategies, distributor structuring, annual sales targets, and promotional initiatives to maximize market impact.
• Product Launch & Pilot Projects: Drive early product evaluations, secure reference customers, and lead pilot projects to demonstrate the clinical and commercial value of our diagnostics solutions in the region.
• Competitive Intelligence: Monitor and analyze competitive activities from leading diagnostic companies such as Roche, Abbott, Cepheid, Qiagen, Hologic, bioMérieux, Thermo Fisher, Siemens Healthineers, Beckman Coulter, and others to identify market gaps and opportunities.
• Sales Pipeline & Risk Management: Oversee the sales pipeline, distributor forecasts, tender opportunities, and commercial risks while ensuring timely execution of projects to meet business objectives.
• Representation & Advocacy: Represent the company at regional conferences, distributor meetings, hospital visits, and industry events to enhance brand visibility and foster strategic alliances.
• Market Insights & Reporting: Provide regular market reports, competitor updates, customer feedback, and actionable commercial recommendations to headquarters to inform strategic decision-making.

Location & Travel Requirements

The ideal candidate will be based in Dubai, with the flexibility to operate from other key regional hubs such as Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha, Kuwait City, Manama, Muscat, Cairo, Istanbul, or Amman. This role requires frequent travel across the GCC and selected Middle East markets, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, to engage with distributors, healthcare providers, and regulatory authorities.

Qualifications & Experience

To excel in this role, you must possess:

• Proven Experience: 5–12 years of experience in IVD, molecular diagnostics, laboratory diagnostics, life science tools, medical devices, or a related healthcare sector, with a strong focus on business development, distributor management, or regional commercial leadership in the Middle East.
• Regional Expertise: A deep understanding of the Middle East and GCC healthcare systems, diagnostic channels, hospital procurement processes, and distributor networks.
• Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated success in collaborating with distributors, managing tenders, engaging government accounts, working with hospital groups, or partnering with reference laboratories.
• Network & Influence: An established network among IVD distributors, laboratories, healthcare groups, or diagnostic KOLs in the Middle East is highly desirable.
• Language & Communication Skills: Fluency in English with exceptional negotiation and communication abilities. Proficiency in Arabic is a valuable asset.
• Independence & Adaptability: The ability to work autonomously while managing cross-border business development activities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Travel Readiness: Willingness to undertake frequent travel across the GCC and selected Middle East markets to drive business growth and maintain stakeholder relationships.

Preferred Qualifications

Candidates with the following experience will be given preference:

• Hands-on experience with molecular diagnostics, PCR, infectious disease testing, health diagnostics, respiratory testing, tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics, oncology diagnostics, or syndromic testing.
• Prior experience collaborating with leading diagnostic companies such as Roche Diagnostics, Abbott Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers, bioMérieux, Qiagen, Cepheid, Thermo Fisher, Hologic, Beckman Coulter, Sysmex, or strong regional distributors.
• Proven track record in launching new diagnostic products or facilitating the market entry of Eastern IVD companies into the Middle East.