Director of Operations

Optimal Innovation; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic startup in Abu Dhabi seeks a highly organized Director of Operations to oversee daily operations, manage cross-functional teams, and implement efficiency measures. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in high-growth environments and a proven track record of designing operational systems. Strong analytical skills and a proactive approach are essential for success in this role.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in operations or project management, 2+ in a high-growth environment.
• Experience with KPIs and dashboards.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to manage priorities.

Responsibilities

• Overseeing day-to-day operations and managing department heads.
• Designing and implementing operational processes.
• Leading cross-departmental collaboration.

Skills

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional team management

Operational system design

Proactivity

HR and finance understanding

Tools

Notion

ClickUp

Slack

GSuite

Job description

We are a fast-growing startup with a passionate, agile team working across diverse functions—from software development and marketing to customer support, HR, and business development. As we scale, we're seeking a highly driven and organized Director of Operations to ensure smooth execution across all departments and serve as the operational backbone of the company.

Role Summary:

The Director of Operations will report directly to the CEO and will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations across all functional areas of the business. This includes managing department heads, ensuring accountability, tracking deliverables, standardizing internal processes, and driving cross-functional execution.

As the company scales, this person will be expected to establish operational systems that support rapid growth, drive execution rhythms across departments, and act as a critical integrator—translating strategy into action. The ideal candidate has successfully navigated early-stage to growth-stage transitions (e.g., Series A to C), thrives in high-ambiguity environments, and has a strong bias for action and structure.

Key Responsibilities:

·Lead and coordinate the operations of all internal departments including HR, Product, Engineering, Marketing, Customer Support, Sales, Training, and Admin.

·Lead implementation of Organization wide KPI dashboards and reporting frameworks, ensuring real-time visibility into departmental performance

·Track department KPIs and operational metrics to identify areas of risk, inefficiency, or underperformance.

·Design, implement, and continuously improve operational processes and workflows to maximize efficiency and scalability.

·Design and roll out scalable systems for project tracking, issue escalation, and cross-team collaboration and communication. Report progress to CEO as per defined cadence.

·Facilitate weekly/Monthly operations review meetings with department leads and ensure clear communication across teams.

·Support the HR function in workforce planning, training coordination, and resource allocation.

·Ensure adherence to company policies, compliance standards, and best practices across departments.

·Act as a problem-solver and escalation point for cross-team challenges and operational bottlenecks.

·Prepare weekly and monthly executive summaries and dashboards for CEO review.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in an operations, general management, or project management role, with at least 2+ years in a high-growth startup or tech environment.
• Proven experience managing cross-functional teams or departmental leads, building operational systems from scratch, and owning project/accountability tracking.
• Strong analytical and data driven decision making.
• Demonstrated experience of creating and deploying Org wide KPIs and dashboards.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and drive results under tight timelines.
• Strong understanding of business operations including HR, finance, project management, and team dynamics.
• Hands-on experience with productivity tools (e.g., Notion, ClickUp, Slack, GSuite, etc.) and project tracking dashboards.
• Familiarity with OKRs, quarterly planning cycles, and driving alignment across leadership on execution priorities
• Highly proactive with a bias for action and accountability.