Jobs and programmes for women in the UAE
Open roles, speaking calls, mentoring, accelerators and awards women in the UAE can apply to — with the cycle each one runs on.
Individual job adverts rot within weeks, so this page lists careers pages and job boards instead — places that are still worth opening in six months.
Speaking calls work differently. Most UAE stages are invitation-only or open without announcement, so what matters is the calendar: two of the conferences here open their calls in late April for events in November.
Jobs
6 entries
Government jobs across the UAE u.ae
One page linking every official portal: federal, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah, plus the Ministry of Community Development recruitment platform for people of determination.
Impactpool — UN, NGO and international organisation jobs impactpool.org
Roles at the UN, the World Bank, the EU institutions and international NGOs. Use the country filter on their search page to narrow it to where you are. Also runs career coaching and a fellowship for getting into the sector, which is the harder part. These jobs are almost impossible to find on ordinary job boards.
Hub71 Job Board jobs.hub71.com
Hundreds of live roles across the startups in Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 ecosystem, most listing a salary range and equity up front — rare in this market. Filter on-site or remote, or set an alert.
Nafis — Emiratis into the private sector nafis.gov.ae
Federal programme running to 2040. Register with UAE Pass for an automatic eligibility check, then salary support, training and job matching into private-sector roles. Emiratis only. 800 62347.
Dubai Careers — government roles dubaicareers.ae
The official Dubai Government jobs portal. Vacancies across 45+ government entities, filtered by field and by experience level, including tracks for fresh graduates and for people of determination. Set an email alert rather than checking back.
NAMA Women Advancement — open roles namawomen.ae
Six roles listed now: corporate communications, human resources, finance, logistics and support services.
Speaking calls
4 entries
TED — nominate a speaker ted.com
TED searches year-round and says plainly: if you know someone who belongs on that stage, or if you belong there yourself, tell them. Free, always open, and you can nominate yourself or another woman.
TEDx events directory ted.com
Every upcoming TEDx event worldwide, filterable by country, including TEDxWomen events. Each one is organised locally and runs its own speaker call — find the ones near you and approach the organiser directly.
GESS Dubai — apply to speak gessdubai.com
The Middle East’s largest education exhibition and conference, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. An open call, judged on the proposal rather than on who you know.
Experts Live Emirates — call for speakers expertslive.ae
A Dubai technology conference on AI, Microsoft Cloud, security and the modern workplace. Sessions are chosen from open submissions alongside invited global speakers.
Mentoring
4 entries
Jessica Huns — free one-to-one coaching hunsagency.com
Coaching on the Seasons method: name the exact thing you want, decide what a season of chasing it will cost, and run it. Free, a small number of places at a time. Board certified through the NBHWC.
MicroMentor micromentor.org
Free one-to-one business mentoring from volunteers who have built companies themselves. Run by Mercy Corps, open worldwide. They say plainly that they give advice, not money.
Lean In Circles leanin.org
Small peer groups that meet regularly, with research-backed material to work through. Free. Join one near you or start your own. Lean In reports that Circle members get promotions and raises at twice the rate of the general population.
Mentor Her mentorher.global
A six-week online programme, one hour a week with a matched mentor, plus workbooks and workshops. Paid — but more than a third of mentees on each round are matched free through their scholarship places, so ask before you assume you cannot afford it.
Fellowships & programmes
4 entries
Vital Voices Global Fellowship vitalvoices.org
Multi-year fellowship: leadership development, network, and venture support.
Vital Voices VV Venture — AI for Impact vitalvoices.org
Fully funded programme for women social entrepreneurs working with AI.
Echoing Green Fellowship echoinggreen.org
Seed funding and two years of leadership development for people at the very start of a social venture — education, climate, human rights, health. Thirty-five years of it. Fellows stay in the community for life.
Global Good Fund Fellowship globalgoodfund.org
Twelve months, worldwide. A dedicated executive coach, a C-suite business mentor, and USD 10,000 to spend on your own leadership development rather than on the business. Unusual, and the point.
Accelerators & incubators
2 entries
Antler antler.co
Founder programmes in Dubai and Riyadh, plus London, Bangalore and three US cities. It takes people pre-idea and pre-team — co-founder matching, coaching and early-stage investment. One of the few doors open before you have a company at all.
MassChallenge masschallenge.org
A global accelerator network running since 2009, across healthcare and life sciences, security, food systems, climate and financial systems. What it offers is access — to corporates, customers, regulators and funders — more than money.
Scholarships & training
1 entry
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women goldmansachs.com
Free online business education, open worldwide, in English, French, Hindi, Brazilian Portuguese and Latin American Spanish. More than 320,000 entrepreneurs across 150+ countries since 2008. There is also in-person teaching in India, and a route to credit through the IFC.
Awards & nominations
3 entries
Emirates Women Award dqg.org
Running since 2003, now in its 22nd cycle, under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Open to Emirati women and residents both, as individuals or through a company. You submit against a published award model rather than waiting to be noticed.
Female Fusion Awards femalefusionnetwork.com
For women-led businesses across the UAE, from solopreneurs upward. Entries are scored by an independent panel against a published framework — results, leadership, innovation and impact — so it rewards what you can evidence.
Abu Dhabi Awards — nominate someone abudhabiawards.ae
Under the patronage of the UAE President, honouring people who have quietly given to others. You nominate someone else, and one nomination is enough for her to be considered. Any age, any nationality, citizen, resident or not. The one on this page you use for another woman rather than yourself.
More for the UAE
Every link on this page was opened and checked by hand. Last reviewed 04 October 2026.