Director of Operations - Hospitality Division

Confidential Company; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 500,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Company is seeking an experienced Director of Operations for its Hospitality Division to oversee the performance of the group's hotel portfolio in the UAE. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution across multiple properties, aiming to drive growth, guest satisfaction, and value creation.

You will work closely with senior management, general managers and corporate functions to set standards, monitor KPIs, and lead pre-openings, acquisitions and portfolio

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Hospitality Management, Hotel Management, Business Administration or related field.
• 10–15 years of progressive hotel operations experience with significant senior management exposure.
• Proven track record in operations leadership across multiple hotels or portfolios and in acquisitions, pre-openings and portfolio expansion.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across the Group's hotel portfolio and Hospitality Division.
• Oversee the operational performance of multiple hotels as a cluster group.
• Develop and implement growth strategies for the hospitality portfolio.
• Identify acquisition, management, lease and partnership opportunities aligned with growth strategy.
• Support due diligence, financial performance assessment and operational risk review during acquisitions.
• Lead or support hotel pre-openings, openings and transitions.
• Establish and monitor SOPs, KPIs, budgets and performance targets.
• Collaborate with General Managers, Hotel Managers and Corporate functions to drive efficiency and profitability.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Operations management

P&L management

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management or related

Tools

PMS

Microsoft Office

Reporting systems

Job description

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and results-driven Director of Operations Hospitality Division to oversee the operational performance and strategic growth of the Group s hotel portfolio. The role will provide strategic and hands-on leadership across multiple hotels within the Group while supporting the expansion of the Hospitality Division through new property acquisitions, hotel openings, operational integration and portfolio growth. The successful candidate will work closely with Senior Management, General Managers, Hotel Managers and Corporate functions to drive operational excellence, financial performance, guest satisfaction, asset performance and sustainable growth of the Group s hospitality portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across the Group s hotel portfolio and Hospitality Division
• Oversee the operational performance of multiple hotels as a cluster group
• Develop and implement strategies for the growth and expansion of the Group s hospitality portfolio
• Identify and evaluate potential hotel acquisition management lease and partnership opportunities in line with the Group s growth strategy
• Support Management in assessing potential hospitality acquisitions including operational due diligence property assessments financial performance manpower contracts facilities service standards and operational risks
• Participate in acquisition evaluations feasibility assessments business cases and investment recommendations from an operational perspective
• Support the successful integration of newly acquired hotels and properties into the Group s operational structure systems standards and culture
• Lead or support hotel pre-opening opening takeover renovation repositioning and transition projects
• Establish and monitor operational standards KPIs budgets and performance targets across the hotel portfolio
• Work closely with General Managers and Hotel Managers to drive operational efficiency and business performance
• Monitor hotel performance across Front Office Housekeeping F B Engineering Sales Reservations Finance and HR
• Drive improvements in guest satisfaction service quality operational efficiency and profitability
• Review hotel P Ls budgets forecasts payroll costs departmental expenses and overall financial performance
• Monitor key hotel performance indicators including occupancy ADR RevPAR GOP revenue and cost ratios
• Develop and implement SOPs operational policies quality standards and performance improvement initiatives
• Conduct regular property inspections operational reviews and performance assessments
• Identify operational gaps risks cost-saving opportunities and revenue enhancement initiatives
• Monitor guest feedback online reviews complaints and service recovery initiatives
• Work with Sales Marketing and Revenue teams to maximize hotel revenue market positioning and commercial performance
• Review manpower requirements organizational structures productivity and staffing levels across properties
• Ensure compliance with Group policies operational procedures regulatory requirements and health and safety standards
• Develop and mentor General Managers Hotel Managers and senior operational leaders
• Establish a culture of accountability service excellence teamwork and continuous improvement
• Work closely with Corporate Finance HR Procurement Engineering Sales Marketing Legal and other support functions
• Prepare regular operational financial and portfolio performance reports for Senior Management
• Provide operational input into the hospitality portfolio strategy expansion plans investment decisions and long-term growth objectives
• Identify opportunities to improve asset performance increase profitability enhance property value and strengthen the overall hospitality portfolio
• Lead special projects and other strategic initiatives assigned by Senior Management

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Hotel Management, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field
• Minimum 10–15 years of progressive hotel operations experience, including significant senior management experience
• Proven experience in a Director of Operations, Director of Hospitality, Regional Operations, Cluster General Manager, or equivalent role
• Strong experience managing multiple hotels, hotel clusters, or hospitality portfolios
• Proven experience in hotel acquisitions, property takeovers, pre-openings, operational integration, or portfolio expansion is highly preferred
• Strong understanding of hospitality due diligence and operational assessment for potential acquisitions or new properties
• Proven track record in hotel operations, financial performance, guest experience, service quality, and operational improvement
• Strong understanding of hotel P&L, budgeting, forecasting, GOP, RevPAR, ADR, occupancy, payroll, and cost control
• Strong commercial and strategic acumen with the ability to evaluate opportunities and support hospitality investment decisions
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, decision-making, and stakeholder management skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
• Proficiency in hotel PMS, reporting systems, Microsoft Office, and other relevant hospitality technologies

Preferred Profile

The ideal candidate will be a strategic, commercially focused, and hands-on hospitality leader with proven experience managing multiple hotels and senior hotel leadership teams. The candidate should have a strong understanding of the UAE hospitality market and demonstrated experience supporting hotel acquisitions, property takeovers, new hotel openings, operational integration, and portfolio expansion. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute not only to the operational performance of existing hotels but also to the identification, evaluation, acquisition, integration, and growth of new hospitality assets. A proven ability to improve hotel profitability, strengthen operational standards, enhance asset performance, and build a larger and more competitive hospitality portfolio will be highly valued.