Digital Engagement Strategist - Short Term Contract

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary digital engagement lead across one or more strategic accounts, guiding clients through Discovery, Strategy, Design, Development and Delivery
• Proactively identify improvement opportunities on live platforms, promoting a Continuous Improvement (CI) mindset
• Translate complex business needs into phased, outcome-led roadmaps for both near-term delivery and long-term transformation
• Serve as the internal voice of the client and external voice of the product, tying delivery to a defined product vision, prioritised roadmap, and measurable business value
• Provide strategic direction to delivery teams, ensuring cross-department alignment on capacity, velocity, and value
• Support clients in shaping go-to-market (GTM) strategies, service propositions, and business design initiatives, especially during discovery or early-phase engagements
• Help shape commercial models and prioritisation trade-offs, aligning budgets and investment phasing across multi-stage programmes
• Build credibility and trust with senior stakeholders and operate as a connector across delivery, strategy, design, content, data, and technology
• Lead and facilitate workshops, stakeholder interviews, and discovery engagements
• Collaborate with technologists and platform specialists to determine technical solutions
• Support proposal writing, scoping, and pre-sales activities
• Stay informed on AI, emerging technologies, composable platforms, and customer experience best practices

Requirements

• ~10+ years experience in digital strategy, product, delivery, or consulting in an agency environment
• Proven ability to lead complex transformation and CI programmes
• Strong understanding of agile and waterfall delivery models; comfortable with both traditional and adaptive methodologies
• Hands-on knowledge of DXP & MarTech ecosystems; extensive experience with enterprise CMS (Sitecore, Adobe, Optimizely, Acquia, LifeRay)
• Relevant platform certification or qualification preferred
• Experienced in managing senior stakeholders and high-stakes conversations
• Comfortable with hybrid working: on-site client days, agency days, and work from home
• Strong collaboration, communication, and presentation skills
• Experience with service blueprints, customer journey mapping, and organisational change facilitation
• Curiosity for AI, emerging technologies, and customer experience trends
• Two recent case studies to demonstrate impact

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in hospitality, tourism, logistics or transport industries
• Agency background with history of on-site client work in UAE
• Strong professional network in the UAE
• Strategic acumen with commercial instinct and delivery discipline

Benefits

Not specified in the job description.

About the Company

Horizontal Digital is an experience-forward consultancy that builds exceptional website, mobile, ecommerce and portal experiences that meet customers with the right message, at the right moment. We deliver on this promise by fusing every digital touchpoint with customer data from sales, service, ecommerce and marketing programs we design and implement. Our unwavering focus on delivering meaningful digital experiences at every touchpoint has allowed us to successfully solve complex challenges for some of the world's most recognizable brands.