The Senior Field Marketing Manager, Middle East will establish and execute field marketing across priority defense and government accounts in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. This person will drive account-based marketing programs, support strategic capture efforts, and generate measurable pipeline impact in close partnership with regional sales and business development teams.
This is a hands-on role in a high-growth environment. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable developing account strategies and executing field programs, thrives in complex government sales environments, and understands how to align marketing efforts with long-cycle defense procurement processes across these priority markets.
What you'll do:
- Lead and execute field marketing across priority defense and government accounts in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan, aligned with regional go-to-market priorities.
- Develop and execute account-based marketing strategies for primary accounts, mapping buying centers and orchestrating multi-touch engagement across executive briefings, targeted campaigns, industry events, and owned customer programs.
- Demonstrate deep understanding of regional defense procurement environments, acquisition cycles, and country-specific stakeholder landscapes across Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan.
- Engage key ministries and agencies including, but not limited to:
- Saudi Ministry of Defense and General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI)
- UAE Ministry of Defence and Tawazun Council
- Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) and Ministry of Defense
- Own strategy and execution for major defense and aerospace events across the region (e.g., IDEX, World Defense Show, SOFEX), prioritizing high-value account engagement and executive-level meetings over brand presence alone.
- Plan and execute owned customer events, private briefings, and targeted engagements in partnership with sales and capture teams to accelerate opportunity progression.
- Align marketing programs with regional sales objectives, pipeline targets, and account plans to drive measurable revenue impact across all focus markets.
- Own Salesforce campaign execution, including creating and managing Campaign IDs, ensuring proper campaign structure, tracking member status, and maintaining data integrity in partnership with sales.
- Partner closely with sales to ensure correct opportunity association, contact mapping, and required CRM field completion to support accurate pipeline reporting and attribution.
- Build and execute programs within Marketo, including campaign flows, audience segmentation, nurture programs, performance tracking, and marketing-to-sales workflow alignment.
- Establish KPIs aligned to Middle East government sales realities, including account penetration, stakeholder engagement depth, opportunity influence, and deal acceleration.
- Bring structure, accountability, and operational rigor to field marketing execution across Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan.
Required qualifications:
- 8 to 12 years of experience in field marketing, demand generation, or integrated marketing roles, with significant exposure to government and defense markets in the Middle East.
- Demonstrated success marketing into Saudi Arabia and/or UAE Ministry of Defense environments; experience with Jordanian defense stakeholders is a plus.
- Strong understanding of defense procurement processes in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan, including long-cycle acquisition environments, offset considerations, and multi-stakeholder government account structures.
- Proven experience leading and executing account-based marketing programs within complex enterprise or government accounts; ABM must be a core area of expertise.
- Hands-on experience with Salesforce CRM, including campaign creation, Campaign ID management, opportunity alignment, required field governance, reporting, and partnership with sales on CRM hygiene and pipeline tracking.
- Hands-on experience with Marketo, including campaign build, segmentation, nurture programs, performance tracking, and marketing-to-sales workflow alignment.
- Experience executing trade shows, industry events, and owned customer programs in defense, aerospace, or national security sectors.
- Ability to engage credibly with senior military leaders, government stakeholders, and technical evaluators across Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan.
- Strong cross-functional partnership skills with Sales, Business Development, Capture, and Global Marketing teams.
- Fluent in English; Arabic proficiency is strongly preferred.
- Willingness to travel frequently within Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan.
Why join Shield AI:
- Help build the defining defence technology company of this century.
- Work at the forefront of AI, autonomy, and next-generation defence systems.
- Operate in a highly entrepreneurial and mission-driven environment.
- Make a direct impact on international growth and strategic defence partnerships.
- Collaborate with exceptional teams solving some of the world’s most complex operational challenges.
Skills Required
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills in English and Arabic
- 7+ years experience in marketing, communications, or business development (ideally aerospace, defense, or advanced technology)
- Demonstrated success developing and executing regional marketing programs across multiple Middle East markets
- Strong understanding of B2G and B2B marketing in regulated, defense, or high-security industries
- Position based in Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Deep understanding of regional defense ecosystems (EDGE Group, SAMI, GAMI, Tawazun, PIF)
- Ability to convert demos/tests/events into compelling shareable content within 24 hours
- Experience integrating marketing with business development and capture efforts
- Comfort operating in high-tempo environments such as major defense exhibitions and executive forums
- Strong creative instincts paired with operational discipline and cultural sensitivity
- Entrepreneurial, self-starting mindset able to mobilize resources quickly
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage alongside a mental‑health EAP. Site perks such as an onsite gym in DC and a gym discount in San Diego support a health‑focused offering.
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Retirement Support — Careers materials highlight a 401(k) with company match as part of the standard package. A Total Rewards overview emphasizes retirement features within a broader, transparent compensation view.
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Career-Linked Recognition & Rewards — Compensation for in‑demand technical and senior go‑to‑market roles is described as competitive, with visible engineering ranges and top‑end packages. This points to meaningful upside tied to role, level, and scarce skills.
Shield AI Insights
What We Do
At Shield AI, you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.
Why Work With Us
Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield AI builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.
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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
