Head of Presales and Business Development MEA

1. Position Overview

The Head of Presales & Business Development - Middle East & Africa is a senior regional leadership role responsible for driving revenue growth, technical presales excellence, and strategic account development across the MEA territory. The incumbent will lead a multi-cluster presales and business development organisation, owning the full cycle from opportunity identification and technical qualification through to commercial closure and partner ecosystem development.

This role bridges deep technical expertise in datacenter infrastructure, critical power, cooling, and digital/IoT solutions with executive-level business development capability. The position requires close collaboration with cluster leaders, country sales teams, marketing, offer management, and C-level client stakeholders across government, enterprise, telecom, colocation, and hyperscale segments.

2. Key Responsibilities

2.1 Strategic Business Development

• Define and execute the MEA Presales & BD strategy in alignment with corporate and zone growth targets.
• Identify, qualify, and develop high-value opportunities across hyperscale, colocation, government, telecom, O& G, banking, and smart infrastructure segments.
• Own the regional pipeline, forecast accuracy, and revenue accountability across clusters (Gulf, KSA, ESA/SSA, NEAL/NAL, TUECA/TURCA, FRA).
• Establish and grow strategic relationships with C-level decision-makers, key accounts, and ecosystem partners.
• Lead target account selling programmes and coordinate cross-functional bid teams for large-scale, complex deals.

2.2 Presales Leadership & Technical Engagement

• Lead the MEA presales organisation, providing technical direction, coaching, and performance management for BDMs and presales engineers.
• Oversee the development of solution architectures covering critical power (UPS, busbar, switchgear), precision cooling, DCIM, EcoStruxure, and edge/IoT platforms.
• Ensure proposal quality, solution compliance, and technical differentiation in all customer-facing deliverables.
• Drive adoption of consultative selling methodologies and value-based positioning frameworks across the team.
• Act as ultimate technical authority and executive sponsor on flagship accounts and government-restricted projects.

2.3 Sustainability & Innovation Programmes

• Champion sustainability initiatives aligned with net-zero commitments, tracking ESG targets and embedding sustainability value propositions into customer engagements.
• Drive adoption of energy-efficient, future-ready solutions including 800VDC architecture, liquid cooling, and renewable-integrated power design.
• Lead or contribute to innovation programmes such as EcoXpert Partner Programme, AI-ready datacenter offerings, and digital transformation initiatives.

2.4 Partner & Ecosystem Development

• Develop and manage the regional partner ecosystem: system integrators, EPC contractors, consultants, and technology alliance partners.
• Lead partner enablement, certification, and co-selling programmes to expand indirect revenue channels.
• Negotiate and manage commercial frameworks with key suppliers and subcontractors.

2.5 Cross-functional Coordination & Reporting

• Coordinate with country sales directors, offer management, supply chain, and finance to ensure end-to-end deal execution.
• Provide senior leadership with accurate pipeline reporting, market intelligence, and competitive analysis.
• Represent the organisation at industry forums, customer events, and executive briefings.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline

• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in B2B technology sales, presales, or business development

• Minimum 8 years in a senior leadership role managing regional or multi-country presales/BD teams

• Demonstrated track record managing $100M+ revenue portfolios in the MEA region

• Deep expertise in datacenter infrastructure: critical power, UPS, cooling, DCIM, and associated digital platforms

• Strong understanding of hyperscale, colocation, edge, and enterprise IT infrastructure architecture

• Experience with government, O& G, banking, telecom, and smart city accounts across MEA

• Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder bids and turn-key project programmes

• Fluency in English; Arabic or French proficiency strongly preferred

Preferred / Advantageous

• Master's degree or MBA in a relevant field

• CDCP or equivalent datacenter design/operations certification

• PMP, PRINCE2, or PGMP project management certification

• Familiarity with ITIL, PMBOK, FIDIC, and Agile delivery frameworks

• Experience with EcoStruxure platform, EcoXpert partner programme, or equivalent vendor ecosystems

• Background in sustainability programme leadership and ESG reporting

• Exposure to AI/HPC compute infrastructure, liquid cooling, and 800VDC architectures

• Track record in partner ecosystem development and indirect channel management

• Prior experience with international zone or global presales/BD governance roles

Core Competencies

Strategic Leadership

Ability to define and execute multi-cluster BD strategy aligned to corporate growth objectives.

Technical Depth

Advanced knowledge of power, cooling, DCIM, and digital infrastructure required to lead and validate complex architectures.

Commercial Acumen

Proven track record of pipeline ownership, revenue forecasting, and large deal closure.

Executive Presence

Comfortable engaging C-suite and government stakeholders; able to lead executive briefings and regional events.

Cross-cultural Agility

Experience navigating culturally diverse environments across MEA clusters with high interpersonal effectiveness.

Team Development

Track record of coaching, developing, and retaining high-performing presales and BD professionals.

Target Industry Verticals

• Datacenter & Hyperscale Infrastructure

• Colocation & Cloud Service Providers

• Oil & Gas

• Banking & Financial Services

• Government & Smart Cities

• Telecommunications & ISPs

• Healthcare & Smart Hospitals

• Supply Chain & Industrial Logistics

Key Performance Indicators

• Regional revenue and order intake vs. target across MEA clusters
• Pipeline coverage ratio and forecast accuracy
• Win rate on qualified strategic opportunities
• Presales team productivity and solution hit rate
• Partner ecosystem growth: number of certified / active partners
• Customer satisfaction and NPS scores on major programmes
• Sustainability and ESG business volume generated
• New market / new segment penetration metrics

Working Conditions

Base location: Dubai, UAE, with frequent travel across the MEA region (estimated 40-50% travel). The role requires flexibility to manage multiple time zones and respond to regional cluster needs across Gulf, KSA, East & Southern Africa, North & West Africa, and Levant/Turkey/Central Asia clusters.