General Manager

Job Description

<p><strong>JOB TITLE: General Manager</strong> </p><p><strong>BASED:</strong> UAE based </p><p><strong>REPORTING TO:</strong> CEO</p><p><br></p><p><strong>PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:</strong> </p><p>We are looking for a General Manager to join our team here at Acorn Strategy. The successful candidate for this role should possess excellent communication skills, superior knowledge of business functions within a communications agency environment, exceptional budgeting and finance skills, and strong leadership qualities. </p><p>The General Manager will be accountable for all business activities, support staff development, conceive and deploy training opportunities, enhance efficiency, drive sales and improve revenue, maintain relationships with clients, enhance the organisation’s image, profile the agency’s most significant work on key platforms, provide industry thought leadership in media outlets and meet overall growth objectives. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:</strong> </p><ul><li>Working with clients to identify their challenges and greatest opportunities, helping them to grow through intelligent marketing and communications. </li><li>Lead the team to manage multiple client accounts on a day-to-day basis in the UAE and Australia markets; </li><li>Demonstrate best practice and leadership in the development and implementation of marketing, public relations and digital communications activities for clients </li><li>Oversees and forecasts growth opportunity with existing clients by fostering high NPS, loyalty and retention. Leverage existing client relationships to gain referrals. </li><li>Manage relationships with local vendors </li><li>Put together annual plans that achieve the KPI’s determined for UAE </li><li>Manage the P&amp;L to meet targets, make decisions about team and delivery of work </li><li>Work closely with the Head of Strategy &amp; Innovation and General Manager for Australia to deliver consistent standards of work and develop the Acorn brand </li><li>Managing the revenue pipeline and the business development opportunities </li><li>Develop business pipeline growth strategies, generate business leads, create new business opportunities, identifies regional opportunities and commercial partnerships that drives revenue and is aligned with business KPIs. </li><li>Leads the process of business development and proposal creation, which includes qualifying RFPs, outlining proposal and pitch responses, attending pitch meetings, and supporting pricing </li><li>Working with the CEO and Operations Director, support the process of forecasting and reporting on an annual, quarterly, and monthly basis </li><li>Develop strategic plans for the country recommending objectives, for final approval by the CEO </li><li>Take responsibility for the client servicing and business development of the agency in UAE </li><li>Identify and propose new opportunities to improve Acorn client service delivery, in the areas of strategic and integrated marketing </li><li>Actively network to develop and maintain business relationships with clients, vendors, and partners to drive revenue growth and maximise profitability </li><li>Leads and mentors the Client Servicing Team to perform at the highest standards through active training, guidance and mentorship to ensure optimal outcomes for clients (satisfaction) and agency (efficiency) </li><li>Increases office effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities </li><li>Manage talent resources, ensuring projects are resourced within budget, scope, and timeframe </li><li>Identify a team of local freelance support that can be relied upon and maintain agency standards </li><li>Identify when a permanent resource is required locally, developing the job description, scope of work and team structure according to forecast business requirements </li><li>Develop succession plans based on likelihood of talent migration and client retention risks </li><li>Review client &amp; talent matrix from time to time and conduct skills audit </li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>RELEVANT SOFT SKILLS / APTITUDE</strong> </p><ul><li>BA/BS in a relevant field, MBA, or advanced degree is required; </li><li>Background in public relations and/or integrated marketing communications and an understanding of the full range of services we offer. </li><li>Demonstrated continuous experience in your previous role of at least 2 years with clear business growth in previous roles </li><li>20 years of professional experience </li><li>Proven track record of driving growth and achieving revenue targets. </li><li>Able to build a collaborative relationship with all internal team members, media outlets, third party stakeholders and clients; </li><li>Solid consultancy skills with an ability to simultaneously deliver on multiple tasks, projects and accounts in a cross-functional environment, whilst keeping focus on timelines and deadlines associated with each campaign, project or other deliverable; </li><li>Extensive knowledge of corporate communication and media relations; </li><li>Performance Management, Staffing, Coordination, Coaching, Developing Standards, Financial Planning and Strategy, Process Improvement, Decision Making, Strategic Planning, Quality Management </li><li>Effective communication and organisational skills; </li><li>Bilingual (English/Arabic) beneficial, but not essential</li></ul>