Frieze Abu Dhabi Communication Senior Specialist

Job Requirements

Frieze Abu Dhabi is a new international art fair developed in partnership with Abu Dhabi’s leading cultural institutions, bringing Frieze’s curatorial approach and global reach to the UAE. The fair will sit within a wider cultural ecosystem that includes museums, foundations, artists and galleries from across the region and internationally.

Role Overview

The Communications Senior Specialist will successfully promote Frieze Abu Dhabi to local and international audiences, responsible for delivering day-to-day communications activity for Frieze Abu Dhabi, across media relations, messaging, and content coordination. The role requires a bilingual communications professional with strong regional knowledge, experience working with external agencies, and the ability to connect press activity with wider content and social strategies.

This role sits at the intersection of local delivery and global alignment, ensuring Frieze Abu Dhabi’s narrative is consistent, culturally fluent, and impactful across all channels.

Key Responsibilities

Communications & Media Relations

• Support the development and execution of the communications strategy for Frieze Abu Dhabi, in alignment with Frieze’s global communications framework
• Act as a day-to-day press contact for regional and international media, managing enquiries, interviews, and media briefings
• Draft and adapt press materials in Arabic and English, including press releases, announcements, Q&As, and briefing documents
• Manage press accreditation, media attendance, and on-site press activity during the fair

Agency & Partner Management

• Work closely with external PR agencies, ensuring clear briefing, strong execution, and alignment with Frieze’s tone and positioning
• Coordinate communications activity with key partners and stakeholders, including cultural institutions and sponsors, ensuring clarity and consistency

Content & Social Connectivity

• Act as a key point of connection between the communications, content, and social media teams
• Ensure press narratives are reflected coherently across editorial content, digital platforms, and social channels
• Contribute to content planning by identifying strong media angles, stories, and moments that translate across channels
• Write copy in both English and Arabic for articles and captions on website and socials.

Internal Coordination

• Report to Frieze Director, Communications. Ensure successful delivery of PR campaign
• Work closely with Frieze’s global communications, editorial, and digital teams to ensure alignment across markets
• Support internal briefing and information flow, ensuring teams are equipped with clear messaging and up-to-date information

Work Experience

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Mass Communications, or a related field
• Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience in communications, PR, media relations, or related roles
• Fluent in Arabic and English, with the ability to write and edit confidently in both languages
• Proven experience in communications, PR, and media relations, ideally within arts, culture, or major international events
• Strong experience managing external agencies and working with multiple stakeholders
• Clear understanding of regional media landscapes, with an international outlook
• Comfortable working across press, content, and social, with a joined-up approach to storytelling
• Highly organised, calm under pressure, and confident managing multiple deadlines around key moments
• An interest in art is highly desirable.
• Experience in planning and implementing multi-channel communications campaigns including across online coverage, broadcast and print media

Skills and Abilities

• Copywriting in both Arabic and English
• Experience in planning and implementing PR campaigns
• Creative problem solving
• Attention to detail
• Experience working with art fairs or other cultural events is a plus

Benefits

As a Senior Specialist joining the inaugural framework of Frieze Abu Dhabi, you will operate at the highest level of the global art market in a vibrant, multilingual environment. While this is an agile freelance contract, the unique professional perks and project benefits include:

• Elite International Networking: Gain direct exposure and build deep professional relationships with leading international galleries, major global museums, foundations, and high-profile artists.
• High-Impact Cultural Legacy: Play a pivotal role in launching and shaping the narrative of one of the most significant and prestigious international contemporary art events in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
• Prestigious Working Environment: Work on-site at the iconic Manarat Al Saadiyat cultural hub, situated at the heart of Saadiyat Island’s world-renowned cultural district.
• Top-Tier Institutional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with elite stakeholders and senior leadership cross-functionally within Frieze’s global structure and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT).
• Creative and Editorial Autonomy: Drive localized PR, communication strategies, and dual-language brand storytelling with external agencies, allowing you to showcase elite creative problem-solving on a global stage.

Salary range

• Minimum Salary: 120,000 AED
• Maximum Salary: 200,000 AED

Please note that weekend work may be required before and during the fair period.