Manager - Competitiveness and Research (UAE National)

Manager - Competitiveness and Research (UAE National)

Job Purpose: Lead and oversee strategic initiatives, research programs, and policy development efforts that strengthen Dubai's global position as a leading hub for the digital economy. The Manager is accountable for end to end research management, cross sector stakeholder engagement, and development of publications and analytical tools that monitor Dubai's digital performance and ecosystem maturity.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of the Digital Economy Competitiveness and Research strategy in alignment with Dubai Chambers' and Dubai's Digital Economy agenda.
• Define departmental goals, targets, and KPIs in collaboration with leadership.
• Oversee strategic research and benchmarking initiatives that inform Dubai's competitiveness positioning at regional and global levels.
• Translate strategic objectives into actionable research programs, policy studies, and performance measurement frameworks.
• Manage the effective achievement of assigned objectives through leadership of the section, setting individual objectives, managing performance, developing and motivating staff.
• Assign projects and tasks to team members, manage implementation, ensuring all projects are executed effectively.
• Develop comprehensive proposals for legislative and regulatory improvements supporting Dubai's digital economy ecosystem.
• Prepare quarterly policy recommendations and proposals to enhance the regulatory and business environment.
• Conduct quarterly sectoral assessments of the digital economy to identify gaps, challenges, and emerging opportunities.
• Provide evidence based insights to shape national and emirate level strategies related to innovation, data economy, AI, and emerging technologies.
• Lead and manage the design, execution, and delivery of research projects related to Dubai's digital competitiveness and innovation ecosystem.
• Supervise research planning, data collection, analysis, and quality assurance processes across all studies.
• Design and oversee the development of recurring publications such as the Digital Economy Competitiveness Index and Quarterly Digital Technology Review.
• Coordinate with Communications team to ensure effective rollout, branding, and dissemination of research outputs.
• Engage and collaborate with government entities, academia, industry associations, and private sector partners to advance Dubai's digital competitiveness agenda.
• Represent Dubai Chambers at local and international events, working groups, and conferences on digital transformation and competitiveness.
• Lead the design and rollout of capacity building programs, workshops, and webinars for SMEs, startups, and ecosystem partners.
• Manage departmental and project budgets effectively, ensuring optimal allocation of resources and compliance with financial policies.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in technical, engineering or relevant field; master's degree in economics, digital policy, business administration preferred.
• 5-8 years of progressive experience in digital industries, economic research or policy development, with at least 3 years in a managerial role.
• Deep understanding of digital transformation, emerging technologies, innovation ecosystems, and competitiveness indices.
• Strong analytical, communication, and presentation skills.
• Excellent organizational and technical skills.
• Team management, decision making, problem solving, strategic thinking, research methodology and data analytics capabilities.

Employment Information

Mid Senior level, Full time, Research, Management, and Quality Assurance.