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Senior Regional Sales Manager - Inflight Entertainment / Avionics (After Sales)
senior · Sales & Business Development
Location: Dubai, Emiratos Árabes UnidosThales people architect solutions that enable two-thirds of planes to take off and land safely. We create in-flight entertainment systems that engross 50 million fliers every year and we develop the avionics that control the world’s largest commercial aircrafts. Our simulators train the next generation of pilots for fighter jets, transporters and search and rescue helicopters. And, together, each and every member of our aerospace team makes a difference.For over 50 years, Thales has been a trusted partner of the United Arab Emirates, providing innovative and cutting-edge solutions in Defence, Aeropsace and Cyber & Digital, aligned with the nation’s long-term vision. With a strong local presence and more than 500 employees across three offices, Thales is deeply embedded within the UAE’s ecosystem. Thales Emarat Technologies plays a pivotal role as a key industrial enabler, fostering national sovereignty, self-reliance, and innovation. Through localization, strategic collaboration, and exporting ‘Made in the Emirates’ technologies to global markets, we contribute significantly to the UAE’s ambitious growth and development while helping build a future we call all trust.About Thales Aviation Global Services (AGS)
Thales Aviation Global Services (AGS) is the Business Line within Thales AVS (Avionics) dedicated to the through-life support and services of Avionics, In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) and AEC products for airlines, operators and aircraft manufacturers worldwide. AGS covers maintenance and repair contracts, linefit and retrofit programs, spares provisioning, and an expanding range of digital services, delivered through a global network of regional hubs.
Position Summary
The Senior Regional Sales Manager is a senior sales professional within AGS Middle East, Africa & Turkey (MEA), responsible for leading the region’s most complex, high-value captures (typically exceeding €50M), from early positioning through to negotiation and contract close. The role requires strong engagement with customers up to C-level, and the ability to build a compelling win-win value proposition. It also requires strong influencing skills to align a range of internal stakeholders – including central teams working across different time zones, the IFE Business Line, and the wider Thales international organization – in order to secure organizational accountability and advance commercial and customer satisfaction topics.
Job Objective
In the framework of the strategic growth of AGS in the Middle East, Africa & Turkey region, the Senior Regional Sales Manager:
- operates as a senior, experienced sales professional, with a high degree of autonomy on the region’s most complex sales captures;
- personally leads and closes major captures, with a track record on opportunities exceeding €50M across the region;
- builds and maintains trusted relationships with customer stakeholders up to C-level, translating technical and commercial value into a compelling win-win value proposition;
- autonomously runs bids and leads cross-functional bid teams, coordinating central and remote stakeholders across time zones to deliver competitive, on-time offers;
- contributes directly to the region’s growth objectives (10% CAGR, over $100M USD order intake) through the sustained conversion of major opportunities;
- works in close alignment with the Area Directors responsible for the region’s strategic accounts and the General Manager.
Roles & Key Responsibilities
The Senior Regional Sales Manager:
- Leads capture strategy and execution on complex, high-value opportunities (typically >€50M), from qualification and lobbying through to negotiation and contract signature;
- Engages and builds trust with customer stakeholders up to C-level, tailoring the value proposition to their strategic and operational priorities;
- Develops and articulates a clear win-win value proposition, capturing the technical and commercial value of AGS offers and explaining it in terms that resonate with the customer;
- Leads negotiations and drives captures to closure, balancing customer expectations with AGS commercial and margin objectives;
- Autonomously organizes and leads bid teams, coordinating central functions (Programs, Engineering, Finance, Legal, Contracts) that often work remotely and across different time zones;
- Builds strong working alignment with the IFE Business Line and the wider Thales international organization, ensuring consistent positioning and coordinated customer engagement across product lines;
- Exercises strong influencing skills, without formal authority over most stakeholders involved, to secure organizational accountability and gain traction on commercial and customer satisfaction topics;
- Works closely with the Area Directors responsible for the region’s strategic accounts and the General Manager, aligning capture strategy with account plans;
- Identifies and develops business opportunities for new and adjacent digital services (e.g. Flight Optim, Electronic Flight Bag solutions, cybersecurity), alongside the core Avionics and IFE captures;
- Maintains rigorous pipeline, forecast and CRM discipline for the captures under direct responsibility;
- Represents AGS at industry events, customer forums and internal business reviews.
Financial Impact
- Track record leading and closing key captures across the region;
- Direct contribution to the region’s order intake objective of over $100M USD and its 10% CAGR growth target.
Supervisory Responsibilities
- No formal direct reports;
- Autonomously leads virtual, cross-functional bid teams on a matrix basis for the duration of each capture, drawing on central and remote functions across the Thales organization.
Other Customers & Regional Specificities
- Interfaces with multinational customers with differing expectations, often linked to their cultural background, including premium Middle Eastern carriers;
- Requires the ability to work under pressure and to adapt to all levels of contacts within airlines, up to CEO level;
- Requires close coordination with the wider Thales regional organization (VP Region, Country Directors, SAM/KAM, Finance, HR, Operations).
Travel
- Up to 50% of the time;
- Up to 12 hours’ time difference with AGS worldwide locations, requiring flexibility in working hours.
Qualification, Certification & Educational Requirements
- Engineering and/or Business degree (Bachelor’s or Master’s);
- Minimum 10 years’ professional experience in sales/commercial roles, with a strong, demonstrable track record in the aviation sector, specifically in Avionics and/or In-Flight Entertainment (IFE);
- Proven track record leading and closing key captures across the region;
- Demonstrated ability to autonomously run bids and lead cross-functional bid teams through to successful closure;
- Strong experience engaging and negotiating with C-level customer contacts;
- Excellent negotiation skills, with a proven track record of closing complex captures;
- Very strong influencing skills, with the ability to drive accountability and gain traction across internal stakeholders without formal authority;
- Fluent English and Arabic required; French is a plus.
Preferred Skills
- Ability to build and articulate a win-win value proposition, capturing the value of a proposal and explaining it clearly to the customer;
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, adapted to internal and customer audiences;
- Comfortable operating across time zones with central and remote teams, and in aligning stakeholders across the IFE Business Line and the wider Thales international organization;
- Customer-oriented, quick learner with a problem-solving and positive mindset;
- Accountability, adaptability and strong work ethic;
- Leadership skills in line with Thales values and purpose, including the ability to lead without formal authority.