Hospitality Operations Manager - Food Retail

AlFuttaim; Dubai; On-site; AED 246,000 - 357,000; Full time

Job summary

Al-Futtaim is hiring an experienced Hospitality Operations Manager - Food Retail in Dubai to lead bakery, cafe, hospitality, and food counter operations across regional markets. This role focuses on strengthening sales performance, customer experience, food quality, and cost control, while supporting Marks and Spencer hospitality initiatives across MENA and Saudi Arabia.

You will guide Cafe Managers, drive seasonal campaigns, improve stock accuracy, and coordinate with HR and regional leadership

Qualifications

• Role requires at least five years of substantial hospitality business experience across food and beverage, cafe, restaurant, bakery, or food retail operations.
• Proven background managing complex retail hospitality environments with food hygiene certification expected.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery of regional sales plans for hospitality, bakery, and food counter operations across departments and markets.
• Examine sales results regularly to identify performance gaps and opportunities for incremental revenue.
• Work with operational teams, Food Buying, UK specialists, and other stakeholders to convert insights into practical actions.
• Strengthen stock accuracy and product availability through disciplined inventory and operating practices.
• Coordinate accurate implementation of seasonal campaigns, corporate updates, promotions, and food initiatives.
• Maintain a consistently strong customer experience across cafes and service counters through observations and walkthroughs.
• Lead and develop teams through regular communication, performance reviews, coaching, and succession planning.

Skills

Hospitality operations management

Food retail operations

Cafe operations

Restaurant management

Bakery operations

Food counter management

Regional operations

Sales performance management

Customer experience management

Ready To Trade assessments

Food hygiene compliance

Food safety standards

Stock accuracy

Product availability

Bakery equipment planning

Process improvement

Operational transformation

Category management

Capex planning

Cost control

Labor cost management

Waste reduction

Packaging optimization

Commercial analysis

Sales data analysis

Operational KPI management

Seasonal trading execution

Service quality management

Team development

Performance coaching

Cross-functional operations

Job description

Job Snapshot

Hospitality Operations Manager - Food Retail Job Snapshot Role: Hospitality Operations Manager - Food Retail Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Industry: Retail Function: Restaurant Management Experience: Minimum 5 years Job Type: Full-time

Position Overview

Hospitality Operations Manager - Food Retail in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a Retail leadership opportunity overseeing in-store bakery, cafe, hospitality, and food counter operations across regional markets. Al-Futtaim is hiring an experienced hospitality operations professional to strengthen sales performance, customer experience, food quality, operational efficiency, cost control, and commercial execution while supporting the continued development of Marks and Spencer food and hospitality operations across MENA and Saudi Arabia.

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates City: Dubai Industry: Retail Function: Restaurant Management Salary: 22000-32000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Hospitality Operations Manager provides strategic and operational direction for a complex portfolio of bakery, cafe, and food counter activities. Rather than concentrating on a single location, the position influences regional operating standards, commercial performance, equipment strategy, service delivery, innovation, and food operations across multiple markets. The role connects frontline execution with longer-term business priorities. By working alongside Food Buying, store operations, UK specialists, HR, and regional leadership, the manager will identify opportunities to increase revenue, improve product availability, reduce waste, control costs, and create a consistent hospitality experience across the network.

Key Responsibilities

• Own delivery of regional sales plans for hospitality, bakery, and food counter operations by identifying growth opportunities across departments and markets.
• Examine sales results regularly to identify performance gaps, commercial risks, and opportunities for incremental revenue.
• Work with operational teams, Food Buying, UK specialists, and other stakeholders to convert performance insights into practical improvement actions.
• Strengthen stock accuracy and product availability through disciplined inventory and operating practices.
• Coordinate accurate implementation of seasonal campaigns, corporate updates, promotional events, and food initiatives.
• Maintain a consistently strong customer experience across cafes and service counters through operational observations and customer walkthroughs.
• Conduct Ready To Trade assessments and use findings to address service, presentation, availability, and execution issues.
• Guide Cafe Managers in managing till points, service counters, customer flow, and other critical service areas.
• Coach operational teams to demonstrate strong hospitality standards and recognize examples of exceptional customer service.
• Maintain and adapt the M and S Way operating framework to suit regional requirements across MENA.
• Lead improvements to bakery equipment, layouts, workflows, and production processes with a focus on productivity and consistency.
• Champion bakery innovation covering product development, operating efficiency, sustainability, and evolving customer requirements.
• Maintain safe and legally compliant food operations while ensuring required standards, controls, and food hygiene practices are followed.
• Lead and develop teams through regular communication, performance reviews, coaching, succession planning, and structured career development.
• Partner with HR to strengthen recruitment, training, capability development, and employee engagement plans.
• Manage staffing costs and operational expenditure with careful attention to store profitability.
• Review trading feedback and cost performance to identify opportunities for more efficient resource deployment.
• Introduce cost-saving measures through packaging optimization, waste reduction, process improvements, and stronger operational controls.
• Contribute to Capex planning for bakery and hospitality equipment while balancing operational requirements with investment returns.
• Use financial, sales, labor, waste, and operational data to support regional business decisions.

Ideal Profile

The role requires at least five years of substantial hospitality business experience, ideally gained across food and beverage, cafe, restaurant, bakery, or food retail operations. A proven background managing complex retail hospitality environments and relevant food hygiene certification is expected. Candidates should bring detailed technical understanding of bakery, hospitality, and food counter operations together with the ability to improve processes at scale. Experience leading operational transformation, major projects, Capex planning, cost optimization, and category-related initiatives will be particularly valuable. Strong commercial awareness is important, including an understanding of the financial levers affecting cafe and restaurant profitability. The successful candidate should be comfortable interpreting complex performance data and translating findings into actions that improve sales, margins, productivity, stock availability, and operating costs. The position also calls for confident leadership, effective stakeholder management, strong interpersonal skills, and the resilience to manage priorities across multiple teams and markets.

Skills Set

• Hospitality operations management
• Food retail operations
• Cafe operations
• Restaurant management
• Bakery operations
• Food counter management
• Regional operations
• Sales performance management
• Customer experience management
• Ready To Trade assessments
• Food hygiene compliance
• Food safety standards
• Stock accuracy
• Product availability
• Bakery equipment planning
• Process improvement
• Operational transformation
• Category management
• Capex planning
• Cost control
• Labor cost management
• Waste reduction
• Packaging optimization
• Commercial analysis
• Sales data analysis
• Operational KPI management
• Seasonal trading execution
• Service quality management
• Team development
• Performance coaching
• Cross-functional operations

Why Join Us

This position offers the opportunity to influence hospitality and food retail performance beyond an individual cafe or store, with responsibility spanning regional operating standards, bakery innovation, customer experience, commercial delivery, and operational transformation. It provides valuable scope for an experienced hospitality leader to shape how established food concepts evolve across MENA and Saudi Arabia. Working within Al-Futtaim Retail also brings exposure to large-scale international brand operations and a diverse regional customer base. The combination of hospitality growth, food retail demand, operational innovation, and cross-market responsibility creates a strong platform for further progression in regional operations and commercial leadership.

About the Company

Al-Futtaim is a Dubai-headquartered diversified regional business operating across retail, automotive, financial services, real estate, and healthcare. Al-Futtaim Retail manages major international brand partnerships across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, including extensive Marks and Spencer operations offering fashion, food, cafe, bakery, and hospitality experiences.