Business Development Director Artificial Intelligence

About Front End Limited Company

Front End is a Saudi-based technology and industrial innovation company focused on the energy and industrial sectors. The company provides advanced solutions across energy, industrial facilities, geoscience, offshore, space, and mining, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030. Front End's Artificial Intelligence practice delivers domain-specific AI solutions, integrating predictive analytics, operational optimization, anomaly detection, and autonomous decision systems into industrial and energy operations.

Role Overview: Business Development Director – Artificial Intelligence

Front End is seeking a Business Development Director – Artificial Intelligence for a full-time, on-site role in Al Khobar. This role is responsible for the growth strategy, pipeline, and revenue of Front End's AI practice within the energy, oil & gas, and industrial sectors. The Director will translate domain-specific AI capabilities into commercial solutions for clients across the Kingdom and the wider region. This is a domain-led commercial position requiring the ability to understand technical and operational challenges within industrial environments and articulate the value of AI-driven solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the business development strategy for AI offerings across energy, oil & gas, and industrial process automation markets.
• Build and convert a qualified pipeline with upstream, midstream, downstream, and industrial/manufacturing clients, including national oil companies and tier-one industrial accounts.
• Translate domain problems (*, reservoir workflows, drilling efficiency, refinery optimization) into scoped AI solutions and commercial proposals.
• Partner with technical and delivery teams to shape solution architecture, proofs of concept, and use cases.
• Lead complex, consultative sales cycles involving engineering, operations, procurement, and C-suite decision-makers.
• Develop and manage strategic partnerships and channel relationships to extend Front End's AI reach.
• Own commercial negotiations, contracting, and revenue targets for the AI practice, collaborating with finance and legal.
• Represent Front End as a domain authority at industry forums, client engagements, and technical discussions.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 10+ years of experience in business development, commercial, or technical-commercial roles, with a substantial portion in energy, oil & gas, or subsurface.
• Demonstrable technical fluency in at least one core domain: upstream operations and subsurface workflows, downstream and refinery/process operations, or industrial process automation for manufacturing.
• Proven ability to map AI and data capabilities (predictive analytics, machine learning, anomaly detection, optimization) onto specific oil & gas and industrial use cases and quantify business impact.
• Track record of closing complex, high-value B2B deals within the energy or industrial sector in Saudi Arabia or the GCC.
• Strong command of the technical vocabulary, operating constraints, regulatory context, and decision-making structures of energy and industrial clients.
• Excellent stakeholder management across technical, operational, and executive audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Existing senior-level network within Saudi/GCC national oil companies, operators, or major industrial players.
• Experience selling or delivering digital transformation, Industry , or AI/analytics solutions specifically within energy or industrial environments.
• Postgraduate qualification (MBA or technical Master's) combining technical and commercial depth.
• Familiarity with Front End's solution areas: AI operations and optimization, predictive maintenance, drilling automation, and industrial anomaly detection.

Work Environment

This is a full-time, on-site position based in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.