Chief of Staff & Director – Cultural Affairs Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Posted on 10/29/2026
Black Pearl Consult is looking for an accomplished Chief of Staff & Director – Cultural Affairs to provide strategic leadership across executive operations, cultural affairs, government relations, and international partnerships in the UAE. Reporting directly to the CEO, this senior leadership opportunity is suited to a professional with exceptional stakeholder management skills and experience navigating high-level institutional relationships and international collaborations.
Therole carries the highest level of institutional representation in externalaffairs. The Director represents the organization with full authority at thesenior-most levels of government and diplomacy, engaging ministers,ambassadors, and heads of major international counterpart entities as a trustedrepresentative.
Thisrole leads the organization's strategic external and cultural affairs: managingkey governmental and ministerial relationships within the UAE andinternationally, cultivating diplomatic missions, opening new avenues forstrategic collaboration, and leading complex project delivery that convertshigh-level partnerships into tangible results.
Key Responsibilities 1. Office of the CEOSupport: - Manage thestrategic priorities, agendas, and engagements of the CEO to optimize executiveleadership time and focus.
- Preparecomprehensive briefing notes, talking points, stakeholder profiles, andrecommended positions prior to every official engagement.
- Serve as theprincipal point of follow-through on decisions made by executive leadership:record actions, track departmental progress, and report on delivery.
- Draft high-levelcorrespondence, statements, policy briefings, and official communications.
- Accompany the CEOto official meetings, international forums, government delegations, andsummits.
- Work in closecoordination with the CEO’s Office Manager to streamline schedules, travel, andexecutive logistics while handling confidential matters with absolutediscretion.
2. StrategicPartnerships, Institutional Diplomacy & Government Relations - Oversee andnurture relationship frameworks with UAE strategic partners and key governmentministries (including Foreign Affairs, Education, and Culture).
- Represent theorganization with full authority at the highest levels of government, engagingministers, ambassadors, and diplomatic attachés across the UAE andglobally.
- Monitor thediplomatic, governmental, and regulatory landscape; gather intelligence andanalyze key developments relevant to institutional positioning.
- Arrangehigh-level bilateral visits, incoming official delegations, and diplomaticoccasions..
3. InternationalPartnerships - Identify andnegotiate strategic partnerships with leading global institutions andcounterpart entities in alignment with organizational goals.
- Lead high-levelpartnership discussions through to agreed legal and operational frameworks(e.g., Memoranda of Understanding, co-productions, and internationalinitiatives).
- Manageinternational strategic partnerships led by the CEO, ensuring all commitmentsare met and outcomes are comprehensively reported.
- Drivecross-departmental projects from concept to final delivery, establishing cleartimelines, milestones, and budget alignments.
- Gatherintelligence on global trends in public policy and institutional engagement,translating insights into actionable assessments for executive leadership.
- Lead thedepartment by setting clear KPIs, maintaining strict adherence to governanceand ethical frameworks, and reporting regularly on risks and milestones.
Requirements - Bachelor'sdegree in Arts, Arts Management, Cultural Policy, Education, BusinessAdministration, or a related field.
- Master'sdegree or PhD in Arts Management, Cultural Governance, Education, or ExecutiveBusiness Administration (strongly preferred).
- 12to15+ years of progressive senior leadership experience within majorinstitutions, diplomacy, government entities, or the executive office of asenior leader.
- Priorexperience as a Chief of Staff, Head of Office, or Director in a Private Officeis strongly preferred.
- Demonstratedexpertise in managing complex international networks and high-level stakeholderecosystems.
- Proventrack record of high-level diplomatic engagement, stakeholder management, andbuilding multi-stakeholder partnerships.
- Thoroughunderstanding of the UAE’s governmental, diplomatic, and institutionallandscape.
- Exceptionalwritten and spoken English; French strongly preferred; Arabic an advantage.
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