Business Development Manager - Asset Management

Kaizen Asset Management Services · Dubai, covering the UAE · Full-time · Mid level
Kaizen is seeking a commercially driven, Arabic-speaking Business Development Manager to grow its asset management portfolio across the UAE. This is a newly created role with a mandate to win new asset management mandates from landlords, family offices, private capital, institutional owners and developers with rental stock, and to generate pipeline for Kaizen’s owners association, unit management and capital markets teams.

Key Responsibilities:

Business development and pipeline

• Identify and target whole-building residential and mixed-use assets across the UAE, focusing on landlords managing their own buildings or using smaller local operators, family office portfolios, institutional owners and developers’ retained stock.
• Build and manage a structured pipeline in the CRM, converting relationships into signed asset management mandates.
• Make the case for outsourced asset management: NOI and value growth, compliance, reporting and governance.
• Attend building handovers, developer launches and industry events to secure opportunities ahead of the market.

Asset reviews, proposals and contracts

• Sell the paid asset review, Kaizen’s entry point for new clients, delivered by the Director of Asset Management.
• Develop tailored proposals, presentations and fee structures with the Director, Finance and operations, and take every deal through Kaizen’s deal desk.
• Negotiate contracts and hand each client cleanly to the asset management team, with a full handover pack and a warm introduction.

Cross-service referrals

• Introduce owners association, handover, unit management and capital markets opportunities to the relevant Kaizen teams.

Market intelligence and client relationships

• Track new supply, competitor activity, ownership changes and rental trends across the UAE, and report pipeline and market intelligence to the Chief Revenue Officer.
• Build long-term, trust-based relationships, and act as a cultural and linguistic bridge to the Arabic-speaking landlord and family office community.

Requirements

• At least 5 years in UAE real estate, including at least 3 in business development for property or asset management, leasing or investment.
• An established network of landlords, family offices and developers across the UAE.
• A solid grasp of property and asset management economics: rent roll, NOI, yields and service charges, and the regulatory differences between emirates.
• Proven ability to manage long sales cycles: block mandates typically take three to six months from first meeting to signature, family offices longer.
• Fluent Arabic and English.
• Strong negotiation, presentation and proposal skills; CRM discipline (Pipedrive; Yardi or Goyzer an advantage); Microsoft Office.
• Valid UAE driving licence.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary plus commission on mandates when they go live.
• A newly created role at the start of Kaizen’s asset management growth, with direct access to senior leadership.
• Part of an international asset management group.
• Professional development and training support.