About Teneo
Teneo advises private and public sector leaders, enabling them to achieve goals faster and at lower cost by earning trust, navigating disruption, and removing barriers. We are built to help drive success in a world no longer defined by boundaries and disciplines. Working exclusively with the C-suite of the world’s leading companies and organizations, Teneo provides strategic counsel across their full range of key objectives and issues, with a focus on five main services offerings, including Strategy and communications; Management Consulting; Financial Advisory; Risk Advisory; and People Advisory.
Teneo employs more than 1,600 people around the world, offering global reach from a light infrastructure, built out of regional hubs. Our culture is critical to our success. We have a flat management structure with an open and supportive office atmosphere. To support progression and learning, we foster a supportive environment with a focus on mental health and wellbeing as well as adopting an inclusive environment that allows all employees to flourish. We recognise that diversity is essential for our business and encourage applicants from all backgrounds.
The Role
Teneo is looking for a talented and driven Senior Vice President with a passion for strategic communications and Arabic language proficiency to join our Strategy and Communications team in the Middle East. Teneo’s Strategy and communications service offering provides all aspects of integrated communications counsel to business and government leaders and CEOs. This role is part of a thriving team advising high-profile clients on how to create effective narratives, manage reputation, engage with key audiences and tell proactive stories which support clients’ strategic objectives.
We’re interested in meeting candidates with wide-ranging perspectives, and we’re open to hearing from you whether you currently work agency side or in-house.
It’s key for us that you can cut across sectors and switch seamlessly between all our disciplines, from reactive issues management to proactive storytelling. And we’d love it if, like us, you’re intellectually curious, creative, collaborative, and eager to learn.
As a Senior Vice President you’ll be responsible for providing the highest quality of service to our clients and play a pivotal role in driving forward activity across multiple account teams, delivering regular insight and analysis, and supporting clients’ reputational and strategic objectives. Senior Vice Presidents manage and coach our Executives, Associates and Senior Associates and work into and learn from our Managing Directors
Working at Teneo in the Middle East
Teneo works with some of the world’s biggest government and corporate entities across a wide range of sectors and issues, including energy, tech, FMCG, financial services and government. Our clients include a significant number of the FTSE 100 and Fortune 100, as well as other global public and private corporations and government entities. We’re an ambitious, global consultancy which allows candidates unmatched opportunities to develop and work with inspiring, motivated people.
Although this role is to primarily support our corporate and government communications clients, we actively encourage our people to grow and develop their advisory skills across all our disciplines, including financial and M&A, digital, creative campaigning and corporate communications, change and employee engagement, leadership coaching, sustainability, strategy and research, issues and crisis management, and restructuring and management consultancy, to solve complex business issues for our clients.
Key Responsibilities
As a Senior Vice President with the Strategy and Communications team at Teneo, your role will include:
1. Leads reputation management and advisory - act as a trusted strategic communications expert for key government and private sector clients, utilizing regional geopolitical and/ or business intelligence to advise clients on opportunities and reputational challenges.
2. Leads communications strategy development and deployment – leverages research, insights and discussions with client to lead the creation of communications strategies, leveraging Teneo’s resources, offerings and expertise across business segments.
3. Overseeing communications planning and deployment – oversee the development and implementation of tailored narratives, integrated communications plans and innovative campaigns. Quality assures content development across diverse formats such as key messages, talking points, speeches and op-eds, media engagements etc.
4. Account management – lead on account delivery, managing a team of experts to deliver high quality client servicing and acting as the main point person with the client. Actively coach and mentor junior team members.
5. Client management – build and maintain strong relationships with the client, seeking growth opportunities where possible. Proactively manage the client and work to take advantage of opportunities/ resolve issues as needed.
6. Supporting new business development - actively building network of new client/ prospect relationships, working on new business opportunities including leading proposals and participating in client pitch meetings. Demonstrates commercial acumen in costing and managing the delivery or projects.
Furthermore, you will be expected to:
- Build strong relationships, fostering long-term partnerships and seeking organic growth opportunities through new business proposal development;
- Create advisory notes for client leadership, addressing media narratives, geopolitical risks, and reputational issues, while monitoring media coverage for clients and competitors;
- Provide support and insight to your client teams, proactively highlighting opportunities, and potential areas of concern;
- Build a strong network of effective relationships internally and externally;
- Proactively seek formal and informal learning and development opportunities to support your professional growth and contribute to the sharing of learnings across the wider team; and
- Actively coach and mentor Executives, Associates, Senior Associates and Vice Presidents on your account teams. Lead, manage and motivate more junior colleagues.
Skills and Experience
- A bachelor’s degree or higher in communications, journalism, political science, public policy, business or a related field
- 7-10 years of experience in a strategy or communications role – within agency or in-house
- Outstanding leadership skills, especially in multicultural and interdisciplinary settings
- Strong understanding of the region – its media and geopolitical landscapes
- Experience offering client senior client counsel across a broad range of corporate reputational or market-related topics
- Strong ability to grasp clients’ business objectives and relevant wider industry dynamics to enable drafting of compelling narratives and content
- Experience working with international media, including handling crises and issues
- Exceptional written and verbal communications skills
- Excellent presentation skills
- Analysis and data visualisation skills
- Excellent command of Microsoft Office (PowerPoint and Word)
- Excellent project management skills
- Client and team management skills
- Experience coaching, mentoring and developing more junior colleagues
- Understanding of digital communications
- Excellent Arabic writing skills required
Characteristics and Attributes
- Strategic and critical thinker
- Collaborative and a team player
- Problem solver with a positive attitude
- Flexible and always willing to try
- Detail oriented and committed to high quality deliverables
- Intellectual curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit
- Humble, honest and respectful
- Resilient and performs well under pressure
- Comfortable with uncertainty
What we can offer
New joiners are supported by an induction programme, and continuous development is a key focus of life at Teneo - learning and knowledge sharing are at the heart of this. We have an environment and culture that is focused on supporting your development and career progression. We support this with a dedicated Learning Team who provide a range of learning opportunities and personal development support.
Given our client base you’ll be working on career-defining work that is exciting, rewarding and one where you can make a real impact to high profile projects.
Teneo works with clients on complex issues and challenges that often require a multidisciplinary approach that leverage our main business segments – Strategy & Communications, Management Consulting, Financial Advisory, People Advisory and Risks Advisory. You will have opportunities to work alongside our experts in these disciplines to develop and deliver an integrated solution.
Benefits
- Private medical insurance for employees and dependents
- Participation in the Company’s Group Life Assurance Scheme
- 25 days’ paid holiday leave, plus national holidays observed in UAE
- 5.83% contribution of basic salary to End of Service benefit plan, increasing with length of service, 8.33% of your basic salary after 5 years
- Enhanced sick leave – 60 days per year/rolling 12-month period first ten days paid at full salary, next 20 days paid at half salary and remaining 30 days unpaid