Hiring Desk Monthly report
October 2026 review. Four roles, and the market around them.
A sample report. Invented figures, not market data. No client, candidate or employer in it is real.
1 The month in brief
Three findings, where each came from, and what we propose. You decide what to change.
- From the salary benchmark
The Director of Product offer is 13% below the survey median for base salary.
Proposed Consider a base near the median, AED 55,000, for the next offer.
- From the recruitment data
5 of 8 withdrawals happened while candidates waited for a second interview.
Proposed Hold second interviews within 5 working days of the first.
- From the interview notes
Engineering finalists relocating from abroad ask about schooling first.
Proposed Decide whether to add schooling support to the Head of Engineering package.
2 Hiring progress
How far each role reached this month: the number of people at each stage. 2 roles reached an offer.
3 Salary benchmark: Director of Product, Dubai
Base salary, AED a month. Allowances are compared separately. Three sources, kept apart and never pooled.
Your base offer: AED 48,000 a month, 13% below the survey median.Proposed A base near the median, AED 55,000, for the next offer.
4 Package terms
Your package for the Director of Product, term by term, against what we found in the market. Bonus is a share of annual base; leave is in working days unless the row says otherwise.
Proposed Lead with hybrid work, and decide on schooling for the family.
5 Competitor hiring
Employers advertising the same profile, read from their public job ads and careers pages: what they look for and what they lead with. 37 ads from 12 employers hiring the same profiles.
Proposed Lead your ad with the product, its impact and your hybrid days.
6 A trend to watch
4 of 10 product director ads in Dubai ask for AI product experience, up from 2 of 10.
Job ads, last 6 months, against the same months a year earlier.
Proposed Hire for product judgement and plan AI training, or widen the search.
7 Where candidates drop out
The average wait before each stage, in working days, and why 8 candidates withdrew.
5 of 8 withdrawals happened while candidates waited for a second interview.Proposed Hold second interviews within 5 working days of the first.
8 What next month starts from
The next search is a Marketing Director in Dubai. Before anything is reused, we checked role, seniority, location and date: different role, same level, same market, a month later.
Sources and method
Every figure in this report names its source and date. Salary surveys, job ads and candidate expectations are kept apart. Pay is base salary in AED a month unless a row says otherwise, and allowances are compared separately.
Your business keeps the research, reports, assessments and recommendations we deliver, to use again. Candidates' personal data stays protected by privacy law and their consent, and licensed third-party data by the terms of its licence.