Regional Partnership Manager

Role Overview

Regional Partnership Manager at Destinus, based in the Middle East. This is a highly international and outward-facing role building strategic partnerships that define Destinus' growth across the region.

Company Overview

Destinus is revolutionizing the defense industry with cutting-edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The company partners with government agencies and defense organizations worldwide to provide advanced solutions for mission-critical operations, delivering unparalleled speed, precision, and cost effectiveness.

Role Purpose

You will identify, develop, and manage strategic relationships with defence organizations, industrial partners, system integrators, and key stakeholders across the Middle East. Your work will unlock market access, support local industrialisation, and turn strategic opportunities into long-term partnerships that drive Destinus' commercial growth and regional presence.

Key Responsibilities

Partnership Strategy & Development

• Develop and execute Destinus' partnership strategy across the Middle East, supporting market access, sovereign alignment, localisation, and long-term commercial growth.
• Identify and build relationships with strategic defence partners, government-linked entities, system integrators, capability providers, and industrial organizations across the region.
• Develop industrial partnerships, localisation models, co-production opportunities, and manufacturing alliances aligned with customer and country requirements.
• Evaluate opportunities for joint ventures, technology partnerships, local industrialisation, and other long-term cooperation models.

Commercial Negotiation & Agreements

• Lead the development and commercial negotiation of strategic partnership agreements, working towards sustainable and mutually valuable structures.
• Structure and negotiate strategic partnerships, industrial cooperation agreements, joint ventures, localisation, or co-production arrangements.

Relationship Management

• Build strong relationships with senior decision-makers and become a trusted commercial interface between Destinus and key regional partners.
• Represent Destinus in partner meetings, industry events, and strategic discussions across the Middle East.

Market & Opportunity Analysis

• Analyse regional defence priorities, procurement frameworks, industrial policies, competitive dynamics, and localisation requirements to identify new opportunities.
• Develop business cases and partnership strategies for priority countries and opportunities across the region.

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with Business Development, Legal, Finance, Engineering, Production, and other internal teams to ensure partnerships are commercially attractive, technically feasible, and executable.

Qualifications & Experience

• Advanced degree in Business, International Relations, Engineering, or another relevant discipline. MBA is a plus.
• Significant experience in partnerships, business development, strategic alliances, or international commercial roles within defence, aerospace, or adjacent high-technology industries.
• Strong understanding of the Middle Eastern defence ecosystem, including government stakeholders, defence organizations, industrial players, procurement structures, and localisation initiatives.
• Proven ability to build trusted senior-level relationships and navigate complex, multicultural stakeholder environments.
• Experience structuring and negotiating strategic partnerships, industrial cooperation agreements, joint ventures, localisation, or co-production arrangements.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial judgement and ability to translate regional opportunities into clear partnership strategies and business cases.
• Familiarity with advanced defence systems, UAVs, missile systems, autonomous technologies, or other complex defence programmes is a strong advantage.
• Understanding of relevant export control and international trade requirements is an advantage.
• Fluent English is required. Arabic is a strong advantage.
• Strategic and hands-on operating style with ability to build trust across cultures.
• Comfortable operating with autonomy, opening doors, negotiating at senior level, and moving quickly when opportunities emerge.

Additional Information

• Significant travel across the Middle East will be an important part of the position.