UAE Country Manager

This is a career-defining opportunity to lead Airwallex's Middle East business. You will be leading the full commercial, operational, and cultural agenda for the region. You will be the most senior Airwallex leader on the ground in the Middle East, responsible for building and executing the country strategy, growing the team, and delivering sustainable, cash-flow-positive growth.

Responsibilities

Lead SME and Enterprise commercial teams towards KPI achievement across revenue, customer acquisition, and product adoption; Own the end-to-end go-to-market strategy and customer experience for the Middle East; Define and drive the long-term commercial vision for the region, identifying emerging segments and verticals with high growth potential; Partner with the Legal, Risk & Compliance team to drive licensing and regulatory approvals; Own full P&L responsibility for the Middle East, managing commercial contribution margin towards cash-flow-positive performance; Manage and optimise the regional marketing budget in alignment with global priorities; Design and own commercial team incentive structures within the globally approved framework; Build Airwallex's brand presence and awareness across the Middle East through targeted events, campaigns, and partnerships; Act as a credible external voice with regulators, government bodies, and industry associations; Represent Airwallex at industry forums, regulatory engagements, and speaking opportunities; Build, attract, and retain a high-performing, diverse team across commercial and operational functions; Own culture and staff engagement for the Middle East office; Ensure the team is aligned with Airwallex's global values and has regular, clear business updates and context

Requirements

12+ years of experience in financial services, fintech, or technology, with significant leadership experience in the Middle East market; Proven track record of owning a P&L and delivering commercial growth in a high-growth or scaling business; Deep understanding of the payments, banking, or cross-border financial services landscape in the UAE and/or Saudi Arabia; Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing teams across commercial and operational functions; Experience navigating regulatory and licensing environments in the region

Nice to have

Experience scaling a fintech or payments business in the Middle East from early or greenfield stage — ideally at a Series B–D company building its GCC presence, such as a cross-border payments, embedded finance, or B2B financial services platform; Demonstrable track record of personally driving a licensing or regulatory approval with local regulators — not just working alongside compliance teams, but leading senior regulatory engagement through to a milestone outcome; Prior Country Manager, GM, or equivalent role where they were the most senior person on the ground in the Middle East, operating with limited HQ support and genuine P&L ownership; Existing relationships within the UAE and KSA fintech and banking ecosystem — regulators, banking partners, enterprise clients, and platform partners; Experience closing or overseeing significant enterprise commercial deals in the region, ideally in financial services, B2B payments, or SaaS; Arabic language proficiency a strong advantage; deep cultural fluency in GCC business norms required regardless; Has stayed long enough in a previous market-building role to see it through multiple stages of growth — from zero to scaled — demonstrating resilience and follow-through beyond the initial build phase