Director - Corporate Innovation & RDI Partnerships

Life at

Dubai Future FoundationDubai Future Foundation (DFF) aims to realize the wise vision of Dubai’s leadership to institutionalize the envisioned future and forward-thinking methodologies, while positioning Dubai as the leading city of the future.

In partnership with its local and global partners from governments, companies, startups, and entrepreneurs, DFF drives joint efforts to collectively imagine, design, and execute the best possible future for humanity.

Under the supervision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of DFF, the DFF runs and oversees many futureproofing projects and initiatives, such as the Museum of the Future, Area 2071, The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE, Dubai Future Accelerators, One Million Arab Coders, Dubai Future Academy, Dubai Future Solutions, Dubai Future Labs, Dubai Future Forum, etc.

DFF’s efforts to share knowledge, adopt innovation, support entrepreneurs and innovative startups, build capacity, and promote forward-thinking and foresight principles contribute to Dubai’s ambitions to be a role model for the cities of the future through the power of unlimited imagination, innovation, foresight and disruptive mindset.

For more information on the initiatives, projects, and programs of Dubai Future Foundation, please visit the website:www.dubaifuture.aeWhere does this role fit into the bigger picture?

This role is critical to deepening industry participation in Dubai’s RDI ecosystem by designing corporate incentive offerings that attract private investment and accelerate research commercialization. It helps translate research into market-ready solutions and aligns corporate participation with Dubai’s RDI and economic priorities.

• Director
• Corporate Innovation & RDI Partnerships
• As Director
• Corporate Innovation & RDI Partnerships, you will define, integrate, and oversee programs that leverage corporate RDI incentives to attract private investment in Dubai-based RDI activities.
• This role focuses on transforming research into market-ready solutions and deepening industry participation in RDI activities.

The Director will collaborate with internal teams and external partners, including corporates and government entities, to drive alignment with corporate incentivization priorities and offerings.

Your Responsibilities

• You will define a corporate RDI incentive offering that encourages companies, both local and global, to invest in Dubai-based RDI activities
• You will approve incentive allocations to corporates following a thorough assessment of their RDI proposals
• You will identify and engage Dubai RDI ecosystem players that can offer complementary incentives, such as subsidized land and shared infrastructure
• You will align corporate acceleration incentives and broader corporate RDI activities with Dubai’s RDI and economic priorities
• You will monitor supported corporates’ performance against strategic metrics to track outcomes and impacts, and refine incentives based on derived insights
• You will represent the organization at high-level forums, showcasing corporate incentivization success stories
• You will lead efforts to attract global and regional corporates and innovation-driven enterprises to establish or expand RDI activities in Dubai.
• You will establish and manage strategic partnerships across government, industry, academia, investors, and innovation ecosystem stakeholders to strengthen Dubai’s RDI landscape.
• You will develop governance frameworks and evaluation criteria to ensure effective allocation of incentives and measurable economic impact.
• You will support commercialization pathways, regulatory readiness, technology adoption, and scalable market deployment of RDI outcomesWhy this role is important?
• This role is key to attracting and mobilizing private-sector investment into Dubai’s RDI ecosystem.
• By structuring corporate incentives, guiding commercialization pathways, and aligning company activity with strategic priorities, it accelerates innovation adoption, strengthens public-private collaboration, and translates RDI into measurable economic impact.
• What Dubai Future Foundation offers?
• We will offer you a unique opportunity to work with people who are passionate about the future and establishing Dubai as one of the leading cities of the world.
• You will have the chance to work on exciting and new projects, work in a highly diverse and fast paced environment that fosters creativity, disruptive ideas, and innovation.
• Who We're Looking For?
• You will have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, STEM, Policy, or a related field; advanced qualifications are preferred
• You will have
• 12+ years of experience leading large-scale innovation, corporate R&D, corporate business development, tech acceleration programs or economic development agencies.
• You will have a strong understanding of industry trends within RDI, emerging technologies, and best practices in corporate innovation
• You will have familiarity with public-private partnership models, corporate innovation funding mechanisms, or regulatory innovation
• You will have excellent leadership, project management, and strategic planning skills, with a record of driving measurable outcomes
• You will have a demonstrated history of executive stakeholder management in a multinational landscape and ability to influence C-suite stakeholders.
• You will have familiarity with financial models and performance metrics for evaluating corporate RDI impact
• Proficiency in Arabic is a plus