Food Trading Manager: Retail Operations Leader

AlFuttaim; Dubai; On-site; AED 201,000 - 312,000; Full time

Job summary

Al-Futtaim in Dubai, UAE, seeks a Food Trading Manager - Retail Operations to translate commercial priorities into practical store-level execution across the food business. Lead trading calendars, merchandising standards, and operating guidelines while partnering with store teams, regional leaders, and support teams to boost consistency and performance.

The role emphasizes transformation, coaching, and delivering strong customer experience during product launches, seasonal activity, and major

Qualifications

• Strong leadership and store management background, preferably gained with established food retailers.
• Demonstrated experience managing commercial or trading activity within a high-volume retail environment.
• Strong understanding of food retail operations, merchandising standards, and customer-facing store execution.
• Proven capability in visual merchandising and the ability to coach teams on presentation standards.
• Experience leading transformation, rollout, or store improvement projects.
• Comfortable managing several projects simultaneously while maintaining deadlines and quality.
• Strong coaching skills with the ability to improve team capability and consistency.
• Confident engaging with Store Managers, Regional Managers, support functions, and senior stakeholders.
• Able to influence and challenge constructively when commercial or operational decisions require adjustment.
• Strong commercial awareness balancing customer experience and financial outcomes.
• Capable of informed decisions under pressure in fast-moving retail environments.
• Strong communication and organizational skills across field and support-centre teams.
• Experience operating across multiple stores, markets, or regional environments.
• Practical understanding of store launches, promotional campaigns, seasonal trading, and merchandising implementation.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a structured trading calendar covering key food retail activities, seasonal priorities, launches, promotions, and events.
• Produce trading management information that gives stores and leadership teams clear visibility of priorities, execution, and performance.
• Establish practical trading guidelines that create a consistent operating cadence across food hall locations.
• Ensure store teams understand merchandising, trading, and execution standards.
• Coach retail teams to deliver right first-time implementation across routine trading activity and transformation initiatives.
• Lead the rollout of best in class trading standards across stores and major retail projects.
• Review store execution and identify gaps in merchandising, layout, communication, or commercial implementation.
• Work with Regional Managers and Store Managers to resolve trading issues quickly and maintain momentum.
• Support transformation projects from concept through implementation and post-launch review.
• Manage multiple live projects with different priorities, dependencies, and delivery timelines.
• Adjust plans when operational challenges, trading conditions, or customer needs change.
• Maintain a strong customer-focused approach shaping retail trading initiatives and store improvements.
• Champion the retail perspective within the Food Business Unit and ensure commercial decisions remain practical for store operations.
• Deliver strong visual merchandising standards for new product launches, seasonal activity, and promotions.
• Ensure products are presented clearly and commercially on sales floor and backstage areas.
• Coach teams on merchandising techniques to improve product visibility, customer navigation, and selling opportunities.
• Monitor execution quality and provide feedback to improve store-level performance.
• Build productive relationships with store leadership, support centres, and senior stakeholders.
• Influence stakeholders when trading priorities or project requirements need adjustment.
• Use commercial judgment to evaluate opportunities, solve operational problems, and support profitable trading decisions.
• Review completed initiatives and capture lessons to improve future trading programs and store execution.
• Promote consistency while allowing flexibility for different markets and store environments across the MENA region.

Skills

Food retail trading

Retail operations

Store management

Trading calendar development

Trading management information

Commercial planning

Retail transformation

Visual merchandising

Store execution

Product launches

Promotional implementation

Seasonal trading

Retail coaching

Team development

Store standards

Customer experience

Commercial decision-making

Project management

Change management

Regional retail operations

Stakeholder management

Senior stakeholder influencing

Store performance

Retail communication

Merchandising guidelines

Trading guidelines

Sales floor execution

Backstage retail operations

Operational problem solving

Commercial acumen

Performance improvement

Retail leadership

MENA retail operations

Job description

Al-Futtaim in Dubai, UAE, seeks a Food Trading Manager - Retail Operations to translate commercial priorities into practical store-level execution across the food business. Lead trading calendars, merchandising standards, and operating guidelines while partnering with store teams, regional leaders, and support teams to boost consistency and performance.

The role emphasizes transformation, coaching, and delivering strong customer experience during product launches, seasonal activity, and major