We are now recruiting a new Trade Commissioner to lead our team in Dubai. Our team at Business Sweden offers strategic advice and operational support that help Swedish companies expand and grow their business in the region. Together with Business Sweden’s office in Riyadh, the Dubai office offer support to Swedish companies to 14 countries in the Middle East region. We are now looking for an experienced people leader who combines strength and compassion—someone who can drive performance with clarity, while inspiring trust and care in their team. This is a key leadership role with the opportunity to be part of growing our footprint and presence in Middle East.
The Middle East is a heterogeneous region and is undergoing major economic and social reforms that will offer unique growth opportunities and will be increasingly important for Swedish trade the coming years. The region is characterized by thriving economic growth and a drive for a green transition and social reforms, but it is also facing humanitarian crises and political instability. The region’s ongoing demographic shift, in which an already large young population is expected to continue to grow rapidly will have further substantial implications including an increased demand for education, healthcare and jobs.
As Country Manager / Trade Commissioner at Business Sweden your job will encompass a diverse range of tasks within our governmental assignment as well as consultancy business.
The role includes both strategic, tactic and operational responsibilities such as:
- Representing interests of Swedish enterprises and Business Sweden in the market.
- Selling and marketing Business Sweden’s services to existing and potential clients in both Sweden and in Middle East, including add-on sales in on-going projects.
- Developing and deepening contact with existing and potential client enterprises and stakeholders.
- Managing, planning and delivering consulting/ internationalisation assignments.
- Full Profit & Loss responsibility, with expectation to grow revenues.
- Management of the office and employees, inspiring and developing the team.
- Developing business processes and organisation.
- Operating from a global perspective to promote Swedish industry and companies.
- Work in a Team Sweden context and coordinating export promotion initiatives with development cooperation (Team Sweden consist of Embassy, Swedish Chamber of Commerce and other actors working with promotion of Swedish business).
- Collaboration with trade promotion organisations in the other Nordic countries around events and programmes.
You will have very close relations to the Swedish representations in the market. This means that you will be an official representative for Sweden, acting in close collaboration with the Swedish Foreign Service and other organisations. In this role you have a diplomatic status and therefore it is a requirement to be a Swedish citizen.
The role is based in Dubai, but you will be expected to work with our teams and clients in the MEA region and around the world, as required.
Skills & Requirements
Core competencies and collaborative skills
- Demonstrate commitment, honesty, and accountability in tasks.
- Provide support and take ownership to ensure high quality delivery on time.
- Collaborate effectively to achieve good results with a positive can-do attitude.
- Strong and proven people leadership skills.
- Contribute to team spirit and transparent communication.
- A problem solver who easily adapts to new ways of working.
- Voice your own ideas and share opinions. Show appreciation for different perspectives.
- Define and deliver on clear goals and communicate them effectively.
- Build trust and respect through competence and integrity.
- Promote global teamwork and contribute to an inclusive work environment where we value different perspectives.
Formal requirements
- You are a strong and appreciated leader and have solid experience of management of employees and developing talent.
- You understand the value of strong collaboration and excel at building trusted relationships—both within the organization and with external partners.
- You have a relevant academic degree preferably within Business Administration and/or Engineering.
- You have at least 10 years of relevant working experience from e.g. management consulting and/or business development.
- You have performed successful strategic sales and have a proven track record of developing customers, deep customer insight and strong negotiation and closing skills.
- You have in depth experience from multi stakeholder projects, including government clients (Swedish and non-Swedish).
- A high level of proficiency in both written and spoken English and Swedish is a requirement. Additional language, such as Arabic, is a plus.
- Experience from living/working in UEA or other parts of the Middle East is meriting.
- Swedish citizenship is required.
