Corporate Development Director, KSA - GEMS School Management (GSM)

Purpose

The Corporate Development Director will contribute to the development of GEMS School Management's (GSM) strategic expansion across the Kingdom and play a key role in supporting, strengthening and accelerating the execution of the Saudi strategy while shaping the future footprint and success in the country.

This individual will lead the identification, evaluation, structuring, and execution of growth initiatives across the four pillars indicated below (M&A, school management contracts, public private partnerships, and greenfield development) working in close partnership with government entities, private investors, school operators, real estate developers, and other internal stakeholders.

This role is reserved for an individual with a deep market knowledge, extensive network, and a solid business development track record in the Kingdom. Ideally, they would be familiar with the education space and its players such as school operators, real estate developers, and family offices with an appetite for education assets, or investors seeking to deploy capital in the sector. The successful candidate will bring sharp commercial instincts, the ability to spot and shape opportunities before they become public tenders, and the credibility to open doors across both government and private sectors.

Key Accountabilities 

Strategic Leadership

•      Develop and execute a growth strategy, in collaboration with the GEMS’ Team, focused on expanding GEMS footprint in KSA.

•      Devise an origination and execution plan, which includes all the pathways and models listed below.

        i.     Mergers & Acquisitions

·     Source and screen acquisition targets, private K-12 schools across KSA, against strategic and financial criteria

·     Support HQ in all aspects of the M&A execution process including financial modelling, valuation, due diligence (academic, regulatory, financial, and operational), structuring, negotiation and post acquisition integration.

       ii.     School Management Contracts

·     Build and execute a growth strategy in collaboration with GSM CEO focused on expanding GSM’s presence in KSA.

·     Create and manage an actionable pipeline of third-party school owners open to outsourcing management under the GEMS brand, with clear stage definitions, probabilities, next actions and expected value.

·     In collaboration with HQ, execute management agreement frameworks, from the development of business cases to negotiation of terms and legal arrangements and post closing value creation for both GEMS and the school owner.

        iii.     Greenfield School Development

·     Identify high-demand catchment areas for new school development in partnership with real estate and market research teams.

·     In coordination with HQ relevant teams, structure and lead commercial negotiations on Propco/Opco arrangements, where a property developer finances and builds the school, GEMS holds the education licence and operates the school.

·     Oversee project milestones from site selection through to school opening, working with internal teams and external advisors. 

      iv.     Public Private Partnership (PPP)

·     Build and maintain relationships with the Ministry of Education (MoE), National Centre for Privatisation (NCP), and related government bodies.

·     Coordinate with GEMS’ academic and operations teams to articulate the delivery value proposition to government partners.

·     Identify PPP tenders and unsolicited proposals for government school improvement programmes and work with GEMS internal teams to structure risk-sharing models and negotiate PPP. agreements aligned with Saudi regulatory frameworks.

 Market Intelligence and Insight

·     Conduct market research to understand industry trends, customer needs, competitor activities, and regulatory insights.

·     Proactively map the KSA education landscape to identify private school operators, real estate developers, family offices, and institutional investors with interest or assets in the education sector.

·     Originate proprietary deal flow through personal relationships and market presence, ahead of formal tender processes.

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Qualifications and Expected Experience

·     Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Education, or related field; MBA or equivalent strongly preferred

·     8 to 10 years of progressive experience in business / corporate development or senior commercial role within a corporate OR a financial institution (ideally with exposure to education / real estate)

·     Saudi national is a mandatory requirement given the nature of the role and its reliance on local market access with deep, demonstrable network across the KSA private sector (covering school operators and education providers, real estate developers and Propco investors, family offices and private equity with education or infrastructure appetite), and government and quasi-government entities (MoE, NCP, PIF ecosystem).

·     Fluency in Arabic and English is a key requirement for this role

*Desirable:

·     Prior experience in the K-12 private education sector, education management organisations (EMOs), or EdTech.

·     Familiarity with Saudi Ministry of Education licensing, NCP PPP frameworks, or NEOM/Giga-project education requirements.

·     Prior exposure to international education operators or premium school brands, giving an understanding of both the commercial and academic dimensions of the sector.

Job-Specific Knowledge & Skills

·     Strong commercial instincts and a track record of originating opportunities through relationships, not just responding to public tenders

·     Demonstrated ability to structure and close complex transactions or partnerships (from origination through execution) supported by solid analytical capabilities and financial acumen

·     Strategic thinking, ability to develop and articulate business cases with problem solving and outside-the-box thinking

·     Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and negotiate agreements

·     Collaborative mindset and approach

GEMS Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all of its students and staff. A UK-enhanced DBS or equivalent police check is a pre-requisite for all appointments.