General Manager Operations - Visa Application Centre

VFS Global; Dubai; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

VFS Global seeks a General Manager of Operations to lead the Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine and Syria region, accountable for commercial performance, service delivery, governance, compliance and people outcomes across 31 Visa Application Centres and 600+ staff. The role interfaces regional strategy with country execution, balancing growth with risk management and stakeholder engagement.

The ideal candidate will have 10–15 years of senior leadership experience in operations, a strong background

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Economics, International Relations, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10–15 years of progressive leadership experience in operations, strategy, business management, consulting, outsourcing, government services, or related sectors.
• Proven experience managing multi-country operations and complex service delivery environments.
• Strong experience engaging with ministries, government authorities, diplomatic missions, boards, executive leadership teams, and strategic partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional operations and commercial performance across multiple countries.
• Oversee governance, compliance, risk management, and people outcomes.
• Drive transformation, growth, and operational improvement initiatives.
• Engage with government authorities, strategic partners, and clients to ensure service delivery and delivery excellence.

Skills

Leadership experience

Multi-country operations

Governance & risk management

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Management/Economics/International Relations

Job description

The General Manager Operations is responsible for leading the Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine and Syria region with accountability for commercial performance, service delivery, governance, compliance and people outcomes. The role is accountable for delivering financial, operational, customer experience, compliance and people objectives across a complex regional footprint comprising 31 Visa Application Centres, 41 Government clients and over 600 employees and partner resources. As a key member of the regional leadership team, the role serves as the critical link between regional strategy and country execution, balancing growth, operational control, risk management, transformation and stakeholder engagement across complex markets.

Key Performance Indicators

• Revenue
• EBITDA
• Cost optimisation
• Budget adherence
• Cash discipline
• Margin improvement performance
• Application volumes
• Productivity
• Appointment availability
• Turnaround times
• Service levels
• Operational throughput
• Client and customer satisfaction
• Complaint resolution
• Service recovery effectiveness
• Client retention indicators
• Audit outcomes
• Compliance performance
• Control effectiveness
• Incident closure
• Data protection adherence
• Risk mitigation progress
• Employee engagement
• Attrition
• Leadership bench strength
• Training completion
• Workforce productivity
• Succession readiness

Key Responsibilities

• Scope
• Accountability
• Operational Leadership
• Service Delivery
• Financial Management
• Business Performance
• Client Management
• Government Relations
• Client Growth
• Market Development
• Enterprise Strategy
• Performance Management
• Project Management
• Transformation
• Governance Risk
• Compliance
• Stakeholder Management
• Governance Cadence
• Customer Experience
• Quality
• Leadership
• People Management

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Economics, International Relations, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10–15 years of progressive leadership experience in operations, strategy, business management, consulting, outsourcing, government services, professional services, or related sectors.
• Proven experience managing multi-country operations and complex service delivery environments.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale transformation, growth, and operational improvement initiatives.
• Strong experience engaging with ministries, government authorities, diplomatic missions, boards, executive leadership teams, and strategic partners.
• Experience in governance, enterprise risk management, compliance, and performance management frameworks.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in business development, account growth, and market expansion.
• Ability to travel 40%–60% of the time throughout the region.