Automotive recruitment agency · Dubai and Saudi Arabia
Automotive is all we do, and has been since 2014. Executive search and recruitment for dealer groups, OEMs, manufacturers and government-backed entities across the GCC, from our offices in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
Pure automotive since day one
Placements across the GCC
Years' combined experience
Offices: Dubai and Saudi Arabia
Our expertise
We started in retail in 2014 and added manufacturing in 2021. More than 750 of our placements are in automotive retail, from technicians to CEOs, and we now recruit for OEMs, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers and rental companies too.
Leadership, sales, aftersales and network roles for distributors and dealer groups.
Plant, engineering, quality and supply chain roles for OEMs and Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.
Country leadership, commercial and corporate roles for brands entering or growing in the region.
Board, C-suite and senior appointments, with pay benchmarking by location.
From the workshop floor to the boardroom. Recruiting in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, KAEC, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Why choose GMS
GMS was set up to fill a gap. Recruiters in the region did not understand automotive, and too few of them put the client first. We built the firm to fix both, and our clients stay with us because of it.
The region's longest-standing specialist. We know the roles, the companies and the candidates, because we have never recruited anywhere else.
Based in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, with placements in every GCC country.
Lauren leads every client account personally, from the first brief to the check-in after your hire starts.
75+ years of combined experience, and a team that stays. The people who start your search will finish it.
2025
Automotive Executive Search Firm of the Year - MENACorporate Vision Automotive Awards
2023
Best Automotive Talent FirmBusiness Concept Magazine
National talent
We work to Saudisation, Emiratisation and every other GCC nationalisation target. Our Saudi projects alone have built a network of several hundred Saudi national candidates across engineering, manufacturing, construction, finance, HR and retail.
We take your nationalisation target at kick-off, alongside salary banding, language needs and visa quota. On project hiring, we report against it every week.
Our network runs from technicians to the C-suite, including nationals in other manufacturing sectors who move well into automotive.
A GCC national consultant on our team runs interviews in Arabic where the candidate prefers.
If a technical role cannot be filled locally at the level you need, we say so early rather than run a search that cannot succeed.
How we work
A clear process from the first conversation to the check-in after your new hire starts, whether you are filling one senior role or staffing a whole site.
01
A kick-off meeting for every role, then a written summary so you can confirm we have understood it.
02
Direct headhunting and market mapping, our own automotive network and database, and advertising where it helps.
03
Every candidate is interviewed by GMS before you see them. Shortlists come with formatted CVs and a written overview.
04
Lauren keeps you updated as the search moves. For project hiring, we add a weekly review of every open role and a shared tracker showing every candidate at every stage.
05
We schedule interviews, prepare candidates fully, and handle offer negotiation and acceptance.
06
We manage notice, documents and relocation to the start date, then check in with you both after the first month.
Contingency feesYou pay when we place, with no retainer.
Three-month guaranteeA replacement guarantee as standard, subject to the terms we agree.
Volume pricingExclusive and tiered options for project and plant hiring.
Leadership
Founder and Managing Director
Lauren has 25 years of recruitment experience. She trained in the UK with the country's largest independent recruitment agency, and at 22 became the youngest Branch Manager in the company. She moved to Dubai in 2012, saw the need for a more customer-centred approach, and founded GMS in 2014.
She is your single point of contact on every account, and has personally run the firm's largest programmes in the region, including a full greenfield plant launch. Around 45,000 people follow her on LinkedIn, where she writes about automotive hiring, nationalisation and the GCC talent market.
Questions
Something else you want to know? Ask us through the form and we will reply within 24 hours.
What does an automotive recruitment agency do?
We find and assess people for automotive businesses, from workshop technicians and engineers to managing directors and CEOs. GMS works only in automotive, for dealer groups, OEMs, Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers, rental companies and government-backed entities across the GCC.
Do you recruit in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. Saudi Arabia is our largest market and we have an office there as well as in Dubai. We have recruited in Riyadh, Jeddah and KAEC, including more than 250 hires for one greenfield vehicle plant.
Which countries do you cover?
All six GCC countries: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. We source candidates locally and internationally, depending on the role.
How do your fees work?
We work on a contingency basis, so you pay when we place someone and there is no retainer. A three-month replacement guarantee is standard, subject to the terms we agree. We also offer exclusive and volume pricing for project and plant hiring.
Can you help us meet Saudisation or Emiratisation targets?
Yes. We take your nationalisation target at the start of every brief, and we have a large network of Saudi and GCC national candidates. A GCC national on our team runs interviews in Arabic where the candidate prefers.
Do you recruit outside the automotive industry?
No. Automotive is all we have done since 2014, which is why we know the roles, the companies and the candidates as well as we do.
I am looking for a new role. How do I apply?
Follow GMS on LinkedIn, where we post new automotive roles, or send us your CV through the contact form. Every candidate who applies hears back from us.
Contact
Tell us the role, the location and the approved salary range. We respond within 24 hours.
We place people at every level, from the workshop to the boardroom. Follow GMS on LinkedIn for new roles, or send us your CV through the form.