Associate Director, Cross Border (GCC)

noon; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 320,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

noon seeks an Associate Director - GCC to lead cross-border logistics strategy and scale end-to-end operations in the GCC. You will drive growth, optimize P&L, and align with customs authorities and 3PL partners to enable seamless cross-border movements.

You will mentor high-performing teams, implement tech-driven processes, and report to senior leadership on strategic outcomes across the UAE, KSA, and wider GCC.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in operations management, supply chain logistics, or engineering.
• Master's degree or MBA is highly preferred.
• Extensive leadership experience in large-scale e-commerce or cross-border logistics.

Responsibilities

• Formulate and execute the long-term GCC cross-border logistics roadmap for growth and efficiency.
• Oversee end-to-end GCC cross-border operations across UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.
• Define KPIs and improve SLAs across internal and external networks.
• Lead strategic partnerships and commercial negotiations with 3PLs, carriers, and vendors.
• Operationalize bonded operations in UAE and KSA with customs authorities.
• Ensure customs clearance at ports and build capabilities across GCC.

Skills

Analytical capability

Problem solving

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Technical acumen

Domain expertise

Data-driven decision support

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in operations management, supply chain logistics, or engineering

Master's degree or MBA

Tools

SQL

BI tooling

AI in supply chains

Job description

We’re building an ecosystem of digital products and services that power everyday life across the Middle East—fast, scalable, and deeply customer-centric. Our mission is to deliver to every door every day. We want to redefine what technology can do in this region, and we’re looking for an Associate Director - GCC who can help us move even faster.

noon’s mission: Every door, every day.

What you'll do:

Team noon has some of the fastest, smartest, and hardest-working people we've encountered. As the Associate Director of Cross-Border Operations (Destination), you will lead the GCC cross-border strategy, scaling, and end-to-end execution.

• Formulate and execute the long-term strategic roadmap for noon's GCC cross-border logistics network, driving growth, operational efficiency, and market expansion.
• Oversee end-to-end GCC cross-border operations across all lanes (the UAE and KSA to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, and the UAE to KSA), ensuring seamless integration with destination processing centers and last-mile vendors.
• Define, monitor, and elevate macro-level KPIs (TAT, process adherence, FIFO, and connection times) while improving global SLAs and ensuring adherence across internal and external networks.
• Lead strategic partnerships and high-value commercial negotiations with 3PL providers, international line-haul carriers, airlines, charter operators, and last-mile vendors.
• Operationalize, scale, and optimize bonded operations in the UAE and KSA in coordination with customs authorities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia.
• Oversee customs clearance at all ports of entry (primarily air and land) in the UAE and KSA, and build equivalent capabilities across the rest of the GCC.
• Champion organizational leadership by supervising, mentoring, and scaling high-performing operations teams, ensuring robust workforce planning aligned with forecast volumes.
• Sponsor the development and implementation of new technology-driven processes, specialized SOPs, and cross-functional product rollouts in collaboration with central excellence teams.
• Take full ownership of lane-level and network-level financial performance, optimizing P&L metrics, validating comprehensive vendor billing frameworks, and leading cost-control initiatives.
• Institutionalize rigorous compliance frameworks, ensuring full adherence to multi-country regulatory, customs, and international documentation requirements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional executive leaders to drive alignment, resolve complex operational roadblocks, and enable frictionless end-to-end execution.

What you'll need:

• Education: A bachelor's degree in operations management, supply chain logistics, or engineering. A master's degree or MBA from a premier business school is highly preferred.
• Experience: At least 12 years of professional experience, including at least five years in senior leadership roles managing large-scale e-commerce, cross-border, or international supply chain logistics operations.
• Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of global cross-border freight forwarding, customs clearance, international line-haul networks, and 3PL vendor ecosystems.
• Analytical Capability: Advanced capabilities in data analysis, financial modeling, and strategic reporting. Expertise in data-driven decision-support systems is essential.
• Technical Acumen: Proficiency in leveraging technology, such as AI, to optimize supply chains and improve transparency, along with foundational SQL knowledge or experience collaborating with business intelligence teams.
• Problem Solving: Structured problem-solving capabilities, exceptional analytical precision, and deep commercial acumen, with the ability to transform data insights into executive-level strategic initiatives.
• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional interpersonal and multi-stakeholder management skills, with a proven ability to present to, negotiate with, and influence senior executive leadership.
• Leadership Philosophy: A proven track record as a passionate, people-centric leader capable of driving exceptional results, structural accountability, and a high-performance culture in fast-growing environments.

Who will excel?

• We are looking for individuals with uncompromisingly high standards who truly understand that hard work matters.
• You need to be relentlessly resourceful, possess high emotional intelligence, and operate with a deep, instinctive bias for action.
• We need visionary leaders with the courage to be fiercely original and disrupt conventional paradigms.
• noon is not for everyone; an absolute readiness to adapt, pivot, and continuously learn is vital for success.