Fractional Chief Marketing Officer – JAP

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer – JAP (Remote)

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (2 Days/Week) at j. awan & partners. Reports to CEO. Direct reports: Advisory relationship to Head of Marketing. Location: Remote (GCC‑aligned hours) or Dubai.

About j. awan & partners

j. awan & partners is the largest home‑grown GRC advisory firm in the GCC. Eight service lines: regulatory authorisation, outsourcing, advisory services, tax and accounting, corporate services, recruitment and HR solutions, training and education, and assurance. 50+ compliance specialists across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Karachi, London, Toronto, Singapore, and South Africa. The firm serves banking, fund and asset management, capital markets, fintechs, crypto and digital assets, government and sovereign wealth funds, and family offices across 40+ regulators in 97 countries.

Two growth vectors: deepening market share in the GCC where the firm is already the most recognisable independent GRC advisory brand; and capturing international firms from London, Singapore, Hong Kong and Africa that require regulatory authorisation and compliance to establish operations in the Middle East. Both require strategic marketing that the firm does not currently have.

Culture and Values

• Client‑first philosophy: every interaction reflects the accuracy, depth, and professionalism that define j. awan & partners’ advisory heritage.
• Practitioner credibility over marketing polish. The firm’s reputation is built on the quality of its people and the depth of their regulatory expertise. Marketing amplifies that, it does not replace it.
• Trust and credibility built through consistent follow‑through, transparency, and candid communication—including with senior leadership.

Mission

j. awan & partners generates 80 inbound leads per month. The target is 200 with increasing international share, firms outside the GCC seeking regulatory authorisation, compliance outsourcing, and advisory to enter the UAE, KSA, and the broader Middle East. The firm’s reputation in the GCC is strong. Its visibility to international firms considering Middle East entry is not.

This role exists because the marketing function can execute but cannot define the strategy that turns practitioner depth into a systematic lead‑generation engine. Thought leadership is published but not programmatic. Events happen without pipeline attribution. The firm’s positioning against the Big 4 and regional competitors is understood internally but not articulated in the market. The CMO defines the strategy, builds the positioning, and coaches the Head of Marketing to execute it.

What This Role Is Not

This role does not manage the marketing team day‑to‑day, write content, design collateral, or run events. A Head of Marketing and specialist team handle execution. The CMO owns what sits above: how to position the firm in the GCC and internationally, which thought leadership topics build authority, where events should be prioritised, and how to convert reputation into measurable pipeline. At 2 days per week: define the strategy, deliver the frameworks, coach the HoM, review performance, course‑correct. The team executes independently the other 3 days.

6‑12 Month Mission Outcomes (What Success Looks Like)

• GCC Market Authority
  • Competitive positioning and differentiation against Big 4 and regional firms articulated in a framework used in proposals, pitches, and client conversations.
  • Competitive positioning document delivered and adopted by BD; BD confirms positioning used in live deals.
  • Win rate on competitive bids tracked and improving.
• International Inbound Strategy
  • International inbound tracked as a distinct lead source from Month 1.
  • Content and thought leadership targeting the regulatory authorisation and market entry journey published and generating enquiries.
  • International leads growing to 20‑30% of total leads by Month 10.
  • Source markets (London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Africa and others) identified and tracked individually.
• Thought Leadership Programme
  • Editorial calendar live by Month 2 with topics mapped to service lines and jurisdictions.
  • Minimum two thought leadership pieces published per month.
  • Inbound enquiries from thought leadership tracked as a distinct source.
  • Thought leadership‑sourced leads growing to 10%+ of total leads by Month 8.
• Service Line Positioning
  • Messaging frameworks delivered for all eight service lines.
  • Regulatory authorisation, outsourcing, and advisory lead the narrative.
  • Cross‑sell pathways documented and used in proposals.
  • BD confirms messaging current and used; leads attributed to at least three service lines.
• Event Strategy and Pipeline Attribution
  • Events selected based on where target clients and international prospects gather, not geographic convenience.
  • Pre‑event outreach, on‑site engagement, and post‑event follow‑up systematised.
  • Pipeline attributed to events quarterly.
• Lead Growth and Quality
  • Leads growing from 80 to 200/month.
  • Lead‑to‑meeting conversion tracked by source and improving.
  • Sources reported separately: thought leadership, events, referrals, organic, and international inbound.
  • Quality assessed by BD feedback and meeting conversion, not just volume.
• Head of Marketing Uplift
  • HoM producing quarterly marketing plans independently by Month 4.
  • HoM presenting marketing performance to SLT without CMO drafting by Month 6.
  • Coaching sessions held weekly; CMO hours on operational decisions reduced quarter‑over‑quarter.
  • Assessed by Group Director.
• SLT Commercial Narrative
  • Monthly marketing performance report delivered to SLT on time covering leads by source, lead‑to‑meeting rate, event ROI, thought leadership impact, and international pipeline.
  • At least one SLT investment decision per quarter informed by marketing data.

Key Accountabilities

• Market Positioning and Competitive Strategy – Define how j. awan & partners is positioned in the GCC and internationally; articulate differentiation against Big 4 and regional competitors; build messaging frameworks by service line, jurisdiction, and client segment; own the narrative that makes the firm the first call for GRC advisory in the Middle East.
• International Inbound and Market Entry Positioning – Design the strategy that makes j. awan & partners visible to international firms considering Middle East entry; define content and thought leadership targeting the regulatory authorisation journey; identify where international prospects research and ensure the firm is present; build the “gateway to the GCC” narrative.
• Thought Leadership and Practitioner Visibility – Design the thought leadership programme: editorial calendar, regulatory commentary topics, jurisdiction guides, practitioner visibility plan, executive ghostwriting direction; ensure content converts expertise into pipeline, not just awareness; map topics to service lines and target jurisdictions.
• Event Strategy – Define where the firm should be present, prioritised by commercial opportunity; design pre‑event, on‑site and post‑event playbooks; own pipeline attribution for events.
• HoM Coaching and SLT Advisory – Coach the Head of Marketing on strategic thinking, positioning, and commercial narrative; challenge content quality and thought leadership direction; shape the marketing performance narrative for SLT; advise on investment decisions.

This Role is Not for You If…

• You have never marketed a professional services or consulting firm. This is not SaaS demand generation; advisory marketing is reputation marketing, thought leadership, practitioner credibility, and relationship conversion over months, not days.
• You do not understand the GCC regulatory landscape. You need to understand why DFSA, FSRA, CBUAE, VARA, SAMA, and CMA are relevant to every client conversation.
• You spread across too many clients to go deep on any one. At 2 days per week, every hour must move the business forward.
• You think thought leadership means blog posts. At this firm, thought leadership means regulatory commentary that compliance officers and C‑suite forward to their teams.
• You have no experience marketing to international firms entering new markets. A significant portion of the growth opportunity is firms in London, Singapore, and Hong Kong looking for GRC advisory.
• You default to digital‑first for everything. Professional services lead generation runs on reputation, referrals, events, and thought leadership. Paid digital has a role but is not the primary engine.
• You cannot coach without taking over. The HoM needs to grow, not be replaced.

Core Competencies

• Professional Services and Consulting Growth – Has grown a professional services, consulting, or advisory business; understands how firms win mandates via credibility, thought leadership, referral activation, and trust building; delivered measurable lead growth.
• GCC Market Mastery – Deep understanding of the GCC business environment, regulatory landscape, and buyer culture; knows how decisions are made across UAE, KSA, Qatar, and Bahrain; understands relationships, trust, and institutional credibility.
• International Market Entry Positioning – Has marketed to international firms entering new markets; knows where they research, who influences decisions, and what content converts consideration into enquiry.
• Thought Leadership as Commercial Engine – Designs thought leadership programmes that convert regulatory expertise into pipeline; understands difference between content marketing and genuine authority.
• Multi‑Service‑Line Positioning – Builds messaging across multiple service lines that connects client pain to firm capability without dilution.
• Event Strategy and Relationship Marketing – Understands that for professional services firms, events are pipeline events, not brand events; designs strategies based on where target clients gather.
• Competitive Positioning Against Established Firms – Has positioned an independent or boutique firm against larger competitors; articulates depth vs breadth, senior practitioner involvement, and genuine regulatory relationships.
• Coaching and Capability Building – Elevates a Head of Marketing from execution‑focused to strategically capable; builds lasting strategic muscle.
• Commercial Strategy and SLT Communication – Reports in commercial language; converts marketing into leads by source, lead‑to‑meeting conversion, event ROI, and thought leadership impact; trusted by SLT.
• Fractional Operating Discipline – Operates with intensity and decision speed that 2 days per week demands; delivers frameworks the team executes independently on the remaining 3 days; communicates asynchronously with precision and never becomes a bottleneck.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field; MBA is a plus but not required; proven commercial results valued more than formal credentials.
• 10–18 years in B2B marketing.
• Minimum five years at VP/CMO level (or equivalent).
• Demonstrated success growing a professional services, consulting, or advisory business through strategic marketing.
• Experience marketing to or within the GCC (required).

Preferred

• Background in GRC, compliance, regulatory advisory, legal, or financial services consulting.
• Experience targeting international firms entering new jurisdictions.
• Multi‑region experience across GCC, UK, Africa, and Asia.
• Event‑driven pipeline development experience.
• Familiarity with HubSpot marketing automation.

Rewards and Engagement

• Competitive day rate for 2 days per week; initial 3–6 month engagement with extension based on impact; defined deliverables per period; typical rhythm: weekly strategy session with HoM, bi‑weekly SLT touchpoint, monthly deep‑dive review.
• Path to full‑time – if the engagement delivers and the strategic function proves its value, this role can convert to a permanent full‑time CMO position within the first year.
• Strategic influence over the largest home‑grown GRC advisory firm in the GCC; define how the firm is positioned in the market and internationally.
• Direct access to the CEO and SLT; recommendations drive investment decisions on markets, events, and thought leadership.
• Build something visible – the firm has practitioners, regulatory relationships, and client base; what it lacks is a strategic marketing engine that converts depth into systematic lead generation; you build it.

Job Title

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer – JAP (Remote)

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Tagged as: HubSpot, Pipeline Management