Managing Director - Egypt, Iraq & Syria

Job Description

We help the world run better
At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed.

Role Overview

SAP is seeking a Managing Director (MD) to lead our operations across Egypt, Iraq, and Syria — a high-priority, high-complexity cluster within the MEA North Market Unit. This senior leadership role is responsible for accelerating cloud adoption, driving sustainable revenue growth, and building SAP's long-term strategic presence across these three distinct markets.

The successful candidate will bring exceptional general management capability, deep experience operating in emerging and high-growth markets across the Middle East and North Africa region, and a proven ability to navigate complex geopolitical, regulatory, and cultural landscapes while delivering results.

Responsibilities & Objectives

Strategic Market Leadership

• Assume full P&L ownership for the Egypt, Iraq, and Syria market cluster, driving strategic planning aligned with MEA North and overall SAP strategy.
• Develop and execute differentiated go-to-market strategies tailored to each country's economic maturity, regulatory environment, and digital readiness.
• Identify and capitalise on greenfield cloud opportunities, positioning SAP as the preferred enterprise technology partner across public sector, energy, financial services, and large enterprise segments.
• Navigate country-specific political and regulatory dynamics with agility, ensuring SAP's commercial interests are protected and advanced.

Operational Excellence

• Implement a structured, disciplined annual go-to-market execution model with robust pipeline management, forecasting accuracy, and accountability mechanisms.
• Drive scalable management practices adapted to the varying maturity levels of each market within the cluster.
• Ensure compliance with SAP's global governance frameworks while accounting for local business practices and legal requirements across all three territories.

Talent Development & Team Leadership

• Build and lead a high-calibre, diverse team capable of operating effectively across Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, with sensitivity to local culture and talent availability.
• Foster a high-performance culture grounded in accountability, inclusion, and continuous development.
• Identify and grow the next generation of SAP leaders within the cluster, investing in succession depth and capability building.

Stakeholder & Partner Ecosystem

• Cultivate executive-level relationships with key customers, government stakeholders, and strategic partners across the cluster.
• Develop and expand SAP's partner and channel ecosystem in markets where indirect coverage is critical to scale.
• Serve as SAP's senior executive face to market in Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, representing the company at industry forums, government engagements, and major customer events.

Holistic Business Leadership

• Lead all business functions within the cluster in a matrix environment — spanning sales, presales, customer success, professional services, and partner management.
• Ensure seamless collaboration and strong alignment with MEA North leadership and global functions.
• Contribute actively to regional business planning and broader MEA strategy development.

Required Qualifications & Skills

Sales Leadership & Revenue Delivery

• Demonstrated success in senior sales leadership roles within the technology or enterprise software industry, ideally with cloud transformation experience.
• Proven track record of driving revenue growth and exceeding targets in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Strong ability to inspire and lead high-performance sales teams in challenging market conditions.
• Deep customer orientation with the ability to build long-term strategic relationships at C-suite and government levels.

Regional Market Expertise

• Strong understanding of the Egypt, Iraq, and/or broader MENA market landscape, including key industries, public sector dynamics, and the competitive technology environment.
• Experience operating across markets at varying stages of digital maturity, with the ability to adapt strategy and approach accordingly.
• Familiarity with local business culture, partner ecosystems, and government engagement norms across the cluster.
• Arabic language skills are a significant advantage.

Drive for Execution

Demonstrated ability to set ambitious goals, simplify complexity, and maintain clear execution focus across multiple geographies simultaneously.

Strong accountability mindset — holds self and others to high standards with effective consequence management.

Ability to operate with speed and determination in ambiguous and rapidly evolving environments.

Team Collaboration & Engagement

• Proven track record of building engaged, productive teams in multicultural and geographically dispersed settings.
• Strong cross-functional collaborator with the ability to leverage the full SAP matrix to deliver for customers.
• Celebrates team successes and fosters a culture of knowledge sharing and collective ownership.

Motivation & Leadership Presence

• Ability to energise and inspire teams across diverse cultural contexts through empowerment, recognition, and authentic leadership.
• Communicates SAP's purpose and strategic direction with clarity and conviction.
• Motivates individuals by understanding their unique drivers and creating the conditions for peak performance.

Work Experience

• Extensive experience in large, multinational software or technology organisations, with a track record of leading complex, multi-country operations.
• Demonstrated success driving cloud adoption and digital transformation in emerging markets, with specific MENA or Levant market experience strongly preferred.
• Experience managing P&L and leading teams across multiple countries, ideally within a matrix organisational structure.
• Track record of building and expanding business in markets with significant public sector and state-owned enterprise weight.
• Experience navigating high-complexity operating environments including markets subject to sanctions, currency controls, or significant political risk is advantageous.
• Proven ability to build SAP's (or a comparable technology brand's) presence in under-penetrated markets through partner development and direct enterprise engagement.

Prior experience running an application software business is preferred but not mandatory. Candidates from adjacent technology sectors with strong general management credentials and deep MENA market expertise are encouraged to apply.

Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.

We win with inclusion
SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone – regardless of background – feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: Careers@sap.com.

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local legal requirements.

Successful candidates might be required to undergo a background verification with an external vendor.

We are ethical and compliant
Our leadership credo: Do what’s right. Make SAP better for generations to come. We believe that great leadership extends far beyond the mere pursuit of business goals. We value and foster leadership that is driven with purpose and integrity. Our leaders are role models who uphold SAP’s values and shape SAP’s culture of integrity, by demonstrating and championing ethical and compliant behavior towards all stakeholders.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: 450194 | Work Area: Sales | Expected Travel: 0 - 10% | Career Status: Management | Employment Type: Regular Full Time | Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid