Head of Business Development

Alpaca is seeking a Head of Business Development, Middle East to lead our commercial and strategic expansion across the region spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the broader GCC. You'll own the relationships, deals, and ecosystem presence that bring fintechs, exchanges, brokerages, banks, primes, regulators, and government institutions into Alpaca's orbit across the Middle East. This is a rare opportunity to build Alpaca's regional presence largely from the ground up, at the firm that pioneered instant tokenized equities. You'll work cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product, and executive leadership to grow Alpaca's footprint in one of the world's most active capital markets and digital asset hubs. This role reports into the Director of Business Development and offers significant scope for ownership as Alpaca builds out its regional footprint. Things You Get To Do Strategic Relationship & Business Development Build and maintain trusted relationships with fintechs, exchanges, brokerages, banks, primes, and ecosystem partners across the Middle East Serve as a key executive interface with prospective and existing clients in the region, identifying opportunities to deepen partnerships and expand adoption Navigate high-stakes engagements with regulators, government agencies, and public sector institutions to support Alpaca's regional expansion Nurture client relationships across the region from initial opportunity scoping through ongoing strategic engagement and partnership growth Identify and pursue new commercial opportunities in collaboration with Sales, Marketing, Product, and the Director of Business Development Support account conversion by partnering with the sales team on lead nurturing and referral follow-up Ecosystem Development & GTM Execution Drive Alpaca's go-to-market execution across Middle East geographies and verticals through engagement with local fintech communities, regulators, founders, and institutional partners Collaborate closely with the Director of Business Development and Head of Sales to execute against revenue targets and regional expansion priorities Champion Alpaca's product value proposition by deeply understanding the platform and translating regional customer pain points into strategic solutions Analyze CRM data and business performance metrics to inform regional sales strategy and uncover growth opportunities Industry Representation & Brand Advocacy Represent Alpaca at high-profile regional industry conferences, regulatory roundtables, and ecosystem events Serve as a public-facing spokesperson for Alpaca in government meetings, webinars, client workshops, and strategic media engagements across the region Host and organize regional networking events and client briefings to showcase Alpaca's leadership and reinforce customer trust Prepare and deliver high-impact sales presentations and regular performance reports, translating data into actionable insights for leadership Desired Candidate Profile 8+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or institutional sales within financial services, fintech, capital markets, or digital assets, with substantial experience in the Middle East An existing network of relationships among fintechs, exchanges, brokerages, banks, primes, or regulators in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or the broader GCC Experience engaging directly with regulators and government agencies, and familiarity with regional regulatory frameworks (e.g. DIFC, ADGM, VARA, CMA, SCA) Strong understanding of (or strong appetite to quickly learn) brokerage infrastructure, tokenization, blockchain-based settlement, and digital asset market structure Track record sourcing and nurturing strategic relationships that convert into commercial opportunities over time Excellent executive presence and communication skills, comfortable acting as a public-facing representative of the firm with clients, regulators, and media Comfortable working cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product, and executive leadership in a fast-moving, remote-first environment Self-starter mentality with strong organizational skills, a bias toward action, and comfort building a region largely from scratch Fluency in English required; Arabic fluency strongly preferred Willingness to travel regularly within the region Prior experience at a broker-dealer, exchange, market maker, prime broker, or crypto-native firm operating in the Middle East Experience working on tokenization, RWA (real-world asset), or on-chain market infrastructure projects Existing relationships with regional regulators or government agencies Based in or with deep ties to the UAE or Saudi Arabia