The posting
The opportunity
Control Risks is strengthening its Advisory & Risk Consulting presence in Saudi Arabia. We are seeking a senior consulting leader who can combine high-quality client delivery with business development, key account leadership and practice building. Based permanently in Riyadh, the Associate Director will be the in-country senior lead for our risk and resilience consulting work and an important bridge between Saudi clients, the Middle East and EMEA team and our wider global network.
This is a hands-on leadership role. The successful candidate will lead complex engagements, develop trusted senior client relationships, convert opportunities into sustainable mandates and help build a scalable and highly profitable Saudi practice. The role will initially focus on organisational resilience, including enterprise risk management, security management, business continuity and crisis management, while connecting clients to the wider capabilities of Control Risks where relevant.
Success in this role means: excellent delivery on current mandates, strong direct client relationships, a growing and well-managed Saudi business pipeline, and a capable in-country team that can scale with demand.
Role purpose
To lead the origination, sale and delivery of Advisory & Risk Consulting engagements in Saudi Arabia, with primary responsibility for enterprise risk management, business continuity, crisis management and organisational resilience. The Associate Director will own key client relationships and opportunities end-to-end, ensure engagements are commercially and technically successful, develop junior colleagues and help establish Control Risks as the specialist risk and resilience adviser of choice in the Kingdom.
Client delivery and technical leadership
- Lead complex consulting engagements from scoping and mobilisation through delivery, quality assurance, closure and follow-on work.
- Act as engagement lead and senior client adviser across organisational resilience, including enterprise risk management, , security management, business continuity, crisis management and emergency preparedness.
- Translate recognised standards and good practice into pragmatic, locally relevant solutions that work in the client’s operating environment.
- Facilitate executive interviews, workshops, simulations and decision-making sessions with boards, C-suite leaders and senior management.
- Maintain strong control of scope, quality, resourcing, budget, schedule, risk and client expectations.
- Remain actively involved in delivery, providing visible senior leadership while enabling consultants to take meaningful responsibility.
Business development and account growth
- Lead business development for Advisory & Risk Consulting in Saudi Arabia, working in strong collaboration with the Middle East practice leader and in close partnership with in-country colleagues and other business lines.
- Build trusted relationships with senior decision-makers and position Control Risks around the client’s strategic, operational and regulatory priorities.
- Own opportunities end-to-end: qualification, solution design, teaming, proposal development, pricing, negotiation, conversion and transition into delivery.
- Develop and execute focused account plans for priority Saudi clients and identify opportunities for repeat, programme-based and multidisciplinary work.
- Maintain accurate and timely pipeline, forecast and client activity information, and contribute to disciplined commercial decision-making.
- Represent Control Risks in relevant client events, roundtables and thought-leadership activities in the Kingdom.
Practice building and people leadership
- Help establish a sustainable in-country delivery model and contribute to the growth of the Saudi Advisory & Risk Consulting team.
- Coach, mentor and provide real-time feedback to consultants, strengthening technical capability, consulting skills and commercial judgement.
- Plan resource requirements across the Saudi portfolio and draw effectively on regional and global expertise when specialist support is required.
- Capture and protect Control Risks intellectual property, embed lessons learned and improve the reuse of methods, tools and high-quality deliverables.
- Contribute to recruitment, onboarding, performance management and succession planning as the practice grows.
- Promote a collaborative “one firm” culture across Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East and global teams.
- Work under the direction of the EMEA Head and the Middle East Leader of Advisory & Risk Consulting, while actively contributing to the EMEA and global Advisory & Risk Consulting teams.
Innovation, technology and risk management
- Advance the responsible use of data, automation and emerging technology in our consulting propositions, methods and delivery toolkits.
- Identify opportunities to connect risk and resilience work with cyber, technology, intelligence, security and other Control Risks capabilities.
- Ensure engagements comply with applicable legal, risk, contracting, information-management and professional standards.
- Model sound commercial judgement, professional integrity and disciplined management of sensitive client information.
Requirements
Essential experience
- A strong track record in a consulting environment, with substantial experience, typically 8-10 years’, leading enterprise risk, security management, business continuity, crisis management or organisational resilience engagements.
- Demonstrated experience leading multiple complex client engagements and being accountable for delivery quality and commercial outcomes.
- Proven ability to originate work, grow accounts and convert opportunities through trusted senior relationships and compelling proposals.
- Credibility with executive and senior management stakeholders, including the confidence to challenge constructively and influence decisions.
- GCC experience and a strong understanding of how to deliver consulting work in Saudi Arabia; prior experience working with Saudi clients is essential.
- Experience managing, coaching and developing consultants in a high-performance, collaborative environment.
- Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to produce concise, high-quality executive materials.
- Willingness and ability to be based permanently in Riyadh and travel within the Kingdom and wider region as required.
Preferred experience
- Saudi nationals are strongly encouraged to apply. Preference may be given to suitably qualified Saudi nationals in line with applicable localisation requirements and hiring laws.
- Fluent Arabic speaking and writing.
- Experience in one or more priority sectors such as government, sovereign and Vision 2030 entities, technology, entertainment, financial services, energy, critical infrastructure, industrials or logistics.
- Experience delivering multidisciplinary programmes that integrate risk, resilience, technology, intelligence or security expertise.
- Experience building a consulting capability, proposition or team in a growth market.
- Familiarity with technology-enabled risk and resilience solutions, analytics and responsible uses of AI.
Qualifications and professional standing
- Relevant bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
- Recognised professional qualifications in risk, security management, business continuity, crisis management or a related field, such as IRM, MBCI/CBCI, CBCP or equivalent.
- A relevant master’s degree or postgraduate qualification is advantageous.
Capabilities and behaviours
- Commercial and business intellect
- Client-centric judgement
- Executive presence and personal impact
- Structured problem-solving
- Clear, persuasive communication
- Ownership and accountability
- Inclusive people leadership
- Collaboration across disciplines and geographies
- Adaptability and tenacity
- Integrity, discretion and professionalism
Benefits
- Control Risks offers a competitively positioned compensation and benefits package that is transparent and summarised in the full job offer.
- Private medical insurance
- Annual Housing Allowance
- Compulsory monthly employer contributions to the DIFC Employment Workplace Saving Scheme
- As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us and are fully committed to equal treatment, free from discrimination, of all candidates throughout our recruitment process.
