Strategy Consultant – Research, Insights & Strategic Planning (UAE Based)

About MC&Co.

MC&Co. is a creative firm headquartered in the UAE, specializing in strategy, experience design, cultural initiatives, and creative development. Combining strategic analysis, creativity, and local insights, the company delivers impactful projects for clients and communities throughout the UAE.

Role Overview

We are inviting applications for the position of Strategy Consultant on a project basis. The role is dedicated to conducting research, deriving insights, and crafting strategic plans. You will collaborate closely with senior leadership as well as creative and experiential teams to translate complex project briefs into clear, actionable, and persuasive strategic recommendations. This position requires a proactive, hands-on approach where you independently lead research, organize data, identify key insights, and develop strong strategic pathways.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and execute qualitative and quantitative research activities where pertinent.
• Investigate market trends, cultural factors, and audience behaviors.
• Compare and analyze relevant local and international case studies.
• Extract and integrate significant insights from collected data.
• Create strategic frameworks and actionable recommendations.
• Design audience, customer, or visitor journey maps and experience strategies.
• Assist in planning programmes and activation strategies.
• Formulate KPIs and evaluation frameworks for measuring success.
• Facilitate stakeholder interviews and interactive workshops.
• Develop compelling presentations and strategic documentation.
• Draft strategic roadmaps for future implementation phases.
• Collaborate with creative and experiential teams to align strategy with design concepts.

Candidate Profile

• At least 5 years of professional experience within the UAE market.
• Current residency in the UAE, preferably Abu Dhabi.
• Strong expertise in strategy, consulting, research, innovation, or experience strategy.
• Deep understanding of UAE’s cultural landscape and stakeholder ecosystem.
• Proficient research, analysis, and synthesis capabilities.
• Skilled at transforming ambiguous briefs into structured strategic frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and spoken.
• Effective presentation and storytelling talents.
• Able to work independently and manage workstreams autonomously.
• Prior experience engaging senior clients and stakeholders directly.
• Arabic language proficiency is highly desirable.

Experience related to cultural projects, community engagement, visitor experience, placemaking, creative sectors, or government/public sector projects will be advantageous.

Desired Attributes

The ideal candidate will be strategic, inquisitive, commercially savvy, culturally sensitive, analytical, and pragmatic. You should comfortably navigate between research, strategic thinking, and execution, adeptly simplifying complex information into practical, impactful solutions.