Company: Middle East Super App
Location: Remote-First (GMT+3/+4 overlap, optional UAE/KSA presence)
Employment Type: Full-Time Permanent
Reports To: Founding Team / CEO

Role Overview

You are not a campaign manager or social media scheduler. You are the architect of how a generational platform:

• Enters the MENA market
• Acquires its first 10M users
• Builds lasting cultural relevance across 6+ countries
• Sustains market dominance as the region's digital commerce ecosystem

This role has full marketing ownership: buyers, sellers, brands, organic, paid, content, influencer, WhatsApp commerce, community, in-app advertising, analytics, and team building.

Platform Overview

Middle East Super App is a vertically integrated digital ecosystem spanning commerce, community, finance, real estate, recruitment, and gaming. It is a native multi-layer ecosystem for MENA, not a retrofitted single-vertical product.

Key Verticals:

• Multi-Vendor E-Commerce: New goods marketplace, escrow-protected checkout, vendor ratings, structured product conditions.
• Used Goods Market: C2C resale, buyer protection, social trust signals (MENA eBay alternative).
• Auction Engine: Mobile-first live and timed auctions.
• Real Estate Marketplace: Listings, geo-targeted browsing, agent profiles, inquiry flows.
• AI-Powered Recruitment: Embedded job matching and employer posting.
• Freelance Services: Escrow-protected gig marketplace (Arabic-first Fiverr/Upwork).
• Social Community Layer: Stories, shared channels, geo-targeted feeds.
• Paid Advertising System: Sponsored listings, geo-targeted ads, organic discovery protection.
• Internal Digital Currency: Token system for retention.
• Free Zone Commerce: Cross-border trade hub leveraging MENA free zones.
• Referral & Smart Recommendations: AI-powered retention engine.
• Interactive Game: Gamification integrated with commerce.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Marketing Ownership:

• Define and own go-to-market strategy, launch sequencing (UAE KSA Egypt Jordan Kuwait/Qatar/Bahrain), positioning, channel mix, and budget allocation for $50M GMV Year 1.
• Build the brand from zero: voice, visual identity, tone across Arabic and English, cultural relevance across MENA markets.
• Own organic and content marketing: Arabic-first content strategy, SEO across 6+ countries, seller success stories, WhatsApp commerce campaigns.
• Lead paid advertising campaigns: Meta (FB/IG), Google, TikTok, Snapchat, programmatic — owning ROAS targets, CAC benchmarks, and budget allocation.
• Build seller acquisition campaigns: communicate 0% commission launch, recruit first 10,000 active sellers.
• Lead influencer and creator partnerships: Arabic micro-creators, regional lifestyle influencers, commerce-adjacent content.
• Execute in-app advertising product go-to-market, balancing revenue generation with organic discovery protection.
• Build and manage regional marketing team across performance, brand, content, and partnerships.
• Own marketing analytics end-to-end: attribution modeling, LTV/CAC analysis, seller acquisition funnel, buyer retention curves, marketing P&L.
• Collaborate with Product & Engineering on growth loops: referral systems, digital currency rewards, gamification, community engagement, checkout conversion.

Market Context & Opportunity

Market SignalImplication for Marketing$163B+ MENA e-commerce (2025), no dominant multi-category platformOpportunity for first-mover brand positioning65% population under 35, mobile-nativeWhatsApp & TikTok commerce-first strategyAmazon seller costs 35–45%, platform 5–8%Communicate structural seller value propositionHigh smartphone penetration (97% GCC)Mobile-first marketing baseline

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years marketing experience, 3+ years in senior leadership (CMO, VP Marketing, Head of Marketing).
• Proven track record building brands from scratch in MENA.
• Direct experience managing $1M+ paid media budgets with measurable ROAS and CAC performance.
• Experience marketing marketplaces or two-sided networks, understanding buyer & seller acquisition dynamics.
• Arabic fluency for strategic copy and campaign evaluation.
• Deep performance and brand marketing expertise.
• Experience building/managing multi-country marketing teams.
• Strong analytical grounding: marketing P&L, LTV:CAC, attribution modeling, data-driven decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Growth marketing experience in two-sided marketplaces (e-commerce, gig economy, food delivery).
• GCC-specific marketing knowledge: Ramadan, National Day, Hajj season, Saudi Vision 2030.
• Experience in in-app advertising product launches.
• Regional creator & influencer program experience.
• Digital currency, loyalty, or gamification marketing expertise.
• Understanding of Islamic finance marketing principles (Shariah-compliant, zero-interest framing).
• Existing network in MENA e-commerce, retail, SME communities.

Marketing Domains Owned

DomainScopeKey MetricsBrand StrategyPlatform positioning, voice, visual identity, cultural identityBrand recall, NPSPaid AdvertisingMeta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat, programmaticROAS, CAC, CPM/CPCBuyer AcquisitionCampaigns for buyers across MENACAC buyer ($8–$12), activation rateSeller AcquisitionSME/vendor recruitment campaignsCAC seller ($15–$25), activation rateContent & SEOArabic-first content, multilingual SEOOrganic traffic, keyword shareWhatsApp & CRMLifecycle flows, re-engagement, churn preventionOpen rate, reactivation rateInfluencer & CreatorsCreator partnerships, micro-influencer programsCost per attributed acquisitionCommunity & SocialPlatform channels, UGC, moderationFollower growth, engagement rate, UGC volumeIn-App AdvertisingSeller onboarding to sponsored listingsAd revenue contributionMarketing AnalyticsAttribution, LTV/CAC, channel efficiencyROI, LTV:CAC ratioTeam BuildingHire/manage performance, brand, content, country managersTeam productivity, retention

Why This Role Is Different

• No incumbent to chase: You define the category in MENA before a dominant player exists.
• The product is the advantage: Lower platform commission than Amazon formalizes trade that previously happened on WhatsApp.
• WhatsApp commerce is critical: Key channel for buyer/seller engagement in MENA.
• Community + commerce integration: Create a coherent brand identity across transactional and social experiences.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive senior executive salary (benchmarked to regional CMO/VP Marketing).
• Full-time permanent employment — not consulting/project.
• Equity participation plan (structure and vesting discussed in hiring).
• Remote-first with GMT+3/+4 overlap.
• Meaningful marketing launch budget.
• Authority to build and structure the marketing team.