Director of Operations & Development (Hands-On PMO)

Course; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 260,000 - 380,000; Full time

Job summary

Course is seeking a hands-on Director of Operations & Development to lead the establishment and continuous improvement of the organisation0s operating framework in Abu Dhabi. The role will translate strategic priorities into disciplined execution with measurable results and drive performance dashboards, budget controls and cross-functional coordination.

Initially hands-on, you will build core workflows, implement project management disciplines and monitor progress against timelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Operations, Finance, Engineering or a related discipline.
• Master's degree or MBA is advantageous.
• Ideally 15+ years of relevant professional experience, including significant responsibility for operations, PMO, programme management, business management or organisational performance.
• Demonstrated experience establishing operational processes, project management disciplines and performance frameworks.
• Strong experience managing multiple projects and organisational priorities simultaneously.
• Experience managing or coordinating budgets and financial performance.
• Experience overseeing multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in an evolving or fast-growing organisation.
• Experience within government, semi-government, institutional, communications, media or similarly fast-paced environments is advantageous.
• Media experience is preferred but not mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Establish and manage the organisation's overall operating model, workflows, governance and operational rhythms.
• Develop practical processes, procedures and controls that support efficient day-to-day operations.
• Personally lead the implementation of operational tools and disciplines during the organisation's development stage.
• Identify operational gaps and recommend improvements to systems, structures and resources.
• Build scalable operating practices capable of supporting future organisational growth.
• Establish and maintain a central view of all strategic projects, initiatives, programmes and deliverables.
• Develop project trackers, implementation plans, milestones, dependencies and accountability mechanisms.
• Monitor progress against agreed timelines and proactively address delays, risks and delivery challenges.
• Coordinate priorities across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Ensure clear ownership and accountability for key initiatives.
• Drive development of management dashboards and performance reporting.
• Establish regular operational and performance review meetings.
• Track organisational performance against objectives.
• Provide management with visibility of progress, risks, and interventions.
• Drive follow-through on decisions and actions.
• Coordinate annual operational planning and budgeting.
• Monitor budgets, expenditure, commitments and financial performance.
• Ensure resources are allocated against priorities.
• Work with finance, procurement and support functions.
• Identify efficiencies and optimise operating costs.
• Coordinate operational performance of the Club team.
• Ensure collaboration and information flow across functions.
• Support General Manager in setting priorities and monitoring delivery.
• Identify organisational capability and manpower requirements as operations grow.
• Develop clear roles and accountability structures.
• Establish governance, escalation and decision-making processes.
• Prepare management reports and executive updates.
• Maintain documentation of key decisions and performance.
• Identify risks and dependencies and escalate accordingly.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, productivity and quality.
• Introduce tools and technology to improve visibility and execution.
• Support partnerships and new capabilities where required.

Skills

Operations leadership

PMO

Programme management

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Performance dashboards

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Management/related

Master's degree or MBA (advantageous)

Job description

Course is seeking a hands-on Director of Operations & Development to lead the establishment and continuous improvement of the organisation0s operating framework in Abu Dhabi. The role will translate strategic priorities into disciplined execution with measurable results and drive performance dashboards, budget controls and cross-functional coordination.

Initially hands-on, you will build core workflows, implement project management disciplines and monitor progress against timelines.