Business Manager

Founded in ‎1984, APCO Worldwide is an award-winning, independently owned
global communication and business strategy firm with offices in major cities
throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. APCO
combines a global perspective with local expertise to help clients around the
world manage challenges, opportunities, perceptions and reputations. APCO
clients include corporations and governments; industry associations and
nonprofit organizations; and six of the top ‎10 companies on the Fortune ‎500.
The firm is a majority women-owned business.
THE ROLE: The Business Manager is responsible for supporting the Director of
Business Management and the regional Chief Operating Officer as well as the
client facing teams, with all aspects of client business management in KSA.
The role is fully integrated with the client facing teams and as such an
expert understanding of the professional services business model is needed.
The role will be focused on KSA. We would also expect that this role will have
some interaction with our affiliates in other markets. These may change
according to the business requirements.
The role is based in Riyadh with travel to other offices as needed.
ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Assist client managers to respond effectively to client requests for proposals and submit financial and budgetary portions of such tenders, including developing detailed resourcing plans, budgets, and cost analyses, and analyzing pricing for completeness and market competitiveness. Lead or support negotiations with client sourcing, purchasing and procurement staff.
* Proactively analyse client performance for efficiency and profitability and make recommendations to regional management and to client and project leaders on ways to improve profitability.
* Serve as a resource to regional management and client and project managers regarding project and financial management best practices and provide business analysis as requested.
* Oversight and guidance of the shared service team as it relates to setting up new project codes in the system, maintenance of budgets and allocation of resource;
* Collaborate with Client managers to resolve issues on projects that pertain to resourcing, contracting, delays with deliverables or general client management.
* Collaborate with Director of Business Management, Chief Operating Officer and
* Finance Director on strategic goals around improvement of key performance indicators such as realisation and utilisation.
* Provide inputs for the annual budget and monthly forecasts.
* Key input into financial statements as it relates to revenue recognition
* Provide mentorship and guidance to the Deputy Business Managers. Setting objectives and
* career path for the deputy business managers.
ROLE REQUIREMENTS:
* Professional service industry experience in similar role
* Customer service centric approach is a must
* Comfortable working with and presenting to senior stakeholders
* Familiar with regional procurement requirements (Etimad platform) and responding to RFPs/RFQs
* Fluent in English and Arabic. Both spoken and Written.
* Must already be based in Riyadh.
* Understand and support the confidential nature of the position
* Possess exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal skills, including ability to articulate recommendations in a concise and timely manner
* Systems literate and very good with Excel; Knowledge and experience with Tableau would be an advantage.
* Ability to deal with high volume email traffic and respond in a timely manner.
* Detailed and organized to allow for quick and accurate data gathering and analysis
* Able to quickly assimilate information and provide output
* Critical thinking
* Ready for a challenge
About APCO in the Middle East and North Africa
Home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world, the Middle East
and North Africa region has a pivotal role to play in driving global
conversations - from environmental policies to religion and pop culture. The
UAE and Saudi Arabia are clear leaders in this equation, although the wave of
innovation continues to transcend borders.
APCO launched its regional operations in ‎2006 in Dubai. Growing from a team of
less than ‎10 consultants, APCO today has over ‎200 people from ‎26 countries
working in teams across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Manama and Kuwait and our
projects take us to countries across the region and the Levant. APCO was
awarded Best Agency in the Middle East by PRWeek in ‎2019 and Best Agency to
Work for: EMEA Network by PRovoke Media in ‎2017 and ‎2019.
With a portfolio of over ‎100 clients, APCO's MENA offices deliver public
relations and digital communication support across health, food, consumer &
retail, finance, technology, real estate & hospitality, non-profit and public
affairs practices. The region also offers specialized services, created for
the Middle East, such as our Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model and our
Compass and License to Operate offerings.
In addition, APCO's global AI Comms Lab, a first-of-its-kind innovation center
which utilizes artificial intelligence to build and protect the reputations of
major global brands, governments and organizations is driven from the Dubai
office.
From helping governments connect with the private sector and civil society, to
supporting the Pope's historic visit to the region and launching iconic brands
and destinations, we understand the nuances of the MENA region and pride
ourselves on making an impact.