Bilingual Studio Head/Creative Lead

Bilingual Studio Head/Creative Lead

Abu Dhabi

AED 27,500 per month

Our client is seeking an experienced Creative Lead who will be the person who makes our clients’ work real. When a client brief lands, this person turns it into a film, a workshop series, a podcast, a campaign, on time, at quality, and within budget. They manage the full production ecosystem: in-house team, freelancers, suppliers, and post-production partners. Must be fluent in English and Arabic. Our client is not looking for a creative director who does not want to manage logistics. This role requires both creative vision and operational execution Please respect the criteria requirements and only apply if you meet these as you will not be considered if you do not. This role is not open to candidates who do not currently reside here.

Description:

  • Receive client briefs and convert them into production plans
  • Bring campaign ideas to the table based on a sharp read of the market, the client, and the cultural moment
  • Stays close to the UAE audience, understands the people the work is made for, because every campaign is catered to them
  • Direct and produce film, podcast, graphic, and editorial projects end to end
  • Manage simultaneous delivery of multiple projects without dropping quality
  • Source, veto, and manage specialist freelancers for each production need
  • Maintain production standards across Arabic and English content
  • Work with the Engagement Strategist to ensure content serves behavioural objectives, not just creative ones
  • Lead discovery sessions with clients to understand their policy objectives and audience realities
  • Propose campaign ideas proactively, read the market, spot the behavioural gap, and bring the concept to the client
  • Design engagement programmes from scratch: Ramadan community sessions, employee campaigns, school curricula
  • Facilitate workshops in Arabic and English with diverse community groups
  • Work alongside the Head of Production to ensure every piece of content serves a strategic objective
  • Develop the post-delivery measurement reports that demonstrate behaviour change outcomes to clients
  • Stay current on UAE climate policy, Net Zero 2050 priorities, and relevant government initiatives

Criteria:

  • 7+ years of production experience, including film production in a lead role
  • Fluent in English and Arabic
  • Commercial instinct, comfortable owning a revenue number and thinking like a business, not only a craft lead
  • Deep cultural fluency in the UAE understands Emirati identity, the wider community landscape, and how culture shapes what moves people here
  • UAE-based production experience understanding of local filming permits, suppliers, and logistics
  • Experience managing both in-house teams and freelance networks simultaneously
  • Bilingual production capability: comfortable directing Arabic-language content
  • Strong project management discipline can hold multiple timelines without a system failing
  • Portfolio of work that demonstrates range: documentary, branded content, short-form social
  • Experience producing government or public sector communications campaigns would be an advantage
  • Podcast and audio production experience would be an advantage
  • Familiarity with sustainability, climate, or social impact content would be an advantage
  • Must currently reside in the UAE and must be prepared to reside in Abu Dhabi

Please respect the criteria requirements and only apply if you meet these as you will not be considered if you do not. We thank you for your application, however due to the high volume of candidate applications, we only accept online applications in the first instance. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted, however if you are not successful on this occasion, your CV will be stored on our database but to make sure you do not miss out, keep checking our website, follow us on Twitter and follow our Sapphire Recruitment LinkedIn page.

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