Experience Delivery Lead UAE & Cairo

KOFISI; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

KOFISI is seeking an Experience Delivery Lead in the UAE to own the master delivery programme for new locations from concept sign-off to handover. You will drive Uniform OS&E, Music & Scent, Art, F&B, Signage, Internal Comms and Marketing on a single timeline and defend each swimlane budget with the Programme Director.

You will lead cross‑department coordination, manage 12‑week to 3‑month critical paths, and ensure rapid mobilization and operational readiness while preserving design intent and

Qualifications

• Background in Design and Build, Architecture, or Experience Production.
• Ability to hold many parallel workstreams on a single timeline.
• Proven budget ownership and cost modelling capability.
• Strong scheduling, dashboard, and budget-control skills.
• Appreciation for craft, proportion and experience quality.

Responsibilities

• Lead master delivery programme from concept to handover with 12-week and 3/6/12-week paths.
• Define swimlane budgets and track committed spend and forecast costs.
• Coordinate cross‑department delivery rhythms and governance forums weekly.
• Translate design intent into build and procurement requirements.
• Mobilize teams for opening and ensure operational readiness.

Skills

Programme Leadership

Financial Fluency

Scheduling & Systems

Experience Sensibility

Cultural Intelligence

Teamwork

Professional Demeanor

Education

Degree in Architecture/Interior Design/Project Management

PM Certification (PMP/PRINCE2/MSP/CAPM)

Tools

Scheduling tools

Programme dashboards

Cost trackers

Job description

The Experience Delivery Lead owns the master delivery programme for every new KOFISI location from concept sign-off to operational handover. The role drives the product swimlanes Uniform OS&E Music & Scent Art F&B Signage Internal Comms and Marketing against a single timeline sets and defends the budget for each swimlane alongside the Programme Director and holds every department to the number and the date.

Key Responsibilities

1. Programme Leadership

Own the master delivery programme for each new KOFISI location from concept sign-off to operational handover and the critical path within it.

Build and maintain the swimlane view: every product department mapped against the same timeline with dependencies lead times and float made visible rather than assumed.

Maintain and communicate 12- 6- and 3-week critical paths per project anticipating risk early enough that it is still cheap to fix.

Sequence long-lead items fabric and tailoring runs art commissioning kitchen equipment scent and OS&E sourcing against build milestones so nothing arrives after the doors open.

Run the governance rhythm: weekly swimlane review monthly programme review and a live dashboard that gives one version of the truth across all workstreams.

2. Budget Definition & Financial Control

Work with the Programme Director to define the budget for each swimlane at the outset translating experience ambition into a number that survives contact with Finance.

Track committed spent and forecast cost per swimlane knowing the variance before the finance report does.

Challenge specification and scope on cost grounds without allowing value engineering to quietly erode the experience.

Build the cost model for repeat openings: what each swimlane costs per square meter and per seat so the next location is priced from evidence rather than memory.

Partner with Procurement on purchase orders vendor payments and payment timing so cash flow matches the programme.

3. Cross-Departmental Coordination

Drive the product departments to a single delivery rhythm: Uniform OS&E and Styling Music & Scent Art F&B Signage and the Brand & Comms and Marketing teams that carry launch.

Hold each department to its deliverables dates and budget without owning them on the org chart. Influence is the instrument; the programme is the authority.

Align the product swimlanes with the parallel programmes: Environments Design Operations Finance and Sales. Openings fail at the seams between teams not inside them.

Chair the weekly coordination forum: capture decisions resolve conflicts close actions and elevate early and once.

Give Sales and Marketing the dates they can sell against and protect those dates or renegotiate them honestly and early.

4. Creative & Experience Integrity

Partner with Environments Design and the Product team so experience intent survives the build.

Translate design intent into build and procurement requirements specific enough that nothing is lost in interpretation.

Act as the voice of experience through every trade-off: how members and staff will actually feel and function in the space.

Hold the Signatures and Standards framework as the acceptance test for handover not a nice-to-have.

5. Mobilization & Operational Readiness

Lead the transition from build completion to opening: environment systems and people ready from day one.

Coordinate with People Operations and Digital so recruitment training and service activation land against the opening date not after it.

Run snagging and acceptance to a documented standard with a clear definition of done per swimlane.

Maintain and evolve the Opening Playbook so each location is faster and cheaper to deliver than the last.

Run post-occupancy reviews and feed findings back into Formation and the Improvement & Innovation process.

6. Team & Culture

Mentor the coordinators across the product departments and raise the standard of programme practice across the division.

Build a culture of clarity accountability and calm under pressure within the programme team.

Make it normal to surface bad news early: a late date told in week two is a problem; told in week ten it is a crisis.

Requirements

Qualification & Skills

Background: Design and Build or Architectural Practice; Film Set or Event Production; Luxury Retail or Hotel Development; Hospitality or Co-working Rollout; or Creative Agency and Experience Production. What matters is a track record of making complex multi-workstream creative projects happen on a number with people who do not report to you.

Programme Command: Demonstrated ability to hold many parallel workstreams in one timeline see dependencies before they become delays and maintain a 12-week critical path across multiple concurrent projects.

Financial Fluency: Demonstrable budget ownership you have held a capital or production budget not just reported on one. Able to build a cost model read a variance and argue a cost case with Finance.

Scheduling & Systems: Strong competency with scheduling tools programme dashboards cost trackers and budget control systems. Advanced spreadsheet skill is assumed.

Experience Sensibility: Appreciates craft proportion and experience quality and protects design intent through to reality without being precious about it.

Cultural Intelligence: Comfortable operating across geographies cultures and disciplines from Nairobi to the GCC.

Qualifications: Degree or diploma in Architecture Interior Design Project or Programme Management Quantity Surveying or a related field. Certification in project or programme management (PMP PRINCE2 MSP CAPM or Agile) is preferred but not essential. Equivalent experience in creative or production management is highly valued.

Required Skills:

Previous experience in a fine dining or high-volume restaurant is preferred. Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced high-pressure environment. Strong attention to detail and commitment to luxury service standards. Excellent teamwork and communication skills. Physical stamina to stand for long periods carry trays and move quickly. Professional demeanor with a polished appearance. Flexibility to work evenings weekends and holidays.