Operations Director

Ember Lifestyle Travel LLC; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 500,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

ember - Luxury Travel & Experiential Design in Dubai / Abu Dhabi, UAE, is seeking an accomplished Operations Director to serve as the strategic right-hand to the CEO. You will guide day-to-day management, build operational workflows, and set the foundation for scalable growth in a premium experiential studio.

The role emphasizes governance, process design, and cross-functional alignment to ensure excellence, efficiency, and consistency across all functions while supporting business development

Qualifications

• 5+ years of senior operations experience in a startup or scale-up.
• Strong background in luxury travel, hospitality, or high-end experiences.
• Experience working in B2B and B2C environments for luxury brands and institutions.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct line management and mentorship to leadership, ensuring a high-performing, structured organization.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, contracts, and performance management activities.
• Develop and implement company-wide operational workflows, SOPs, and governance.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Process design

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Operations Director | Dubai / Abu Dhabi, UAE

Location: Dubai / Abu Dhabi, UAE
Company: ember - Luxury Travel & Experiential Design
Position: Operations Director

About ember

ember is a luxury experiential studio shaping the future of travel, lifestyle and guest experience. We are the Middle East's first luxury experiential brand, endorsed by Forbes Travel Guide. From transformative journeys for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families to high-impact experiences for governments and global corporations. We design journeys, worlds and moments people remember forever.

We create stories that you'll tell forever.

The Opportunity

ember is seeking an accomplished Operations Director to act as a strategic right-hand to the CEO & Founder. This role will be responsible for implementing the overarching vision through day-to-day management of the team, building operational workflows, and laying the foundations for scale.

This role is central to the business and is designed to build a high-performing organization, strengthen operational foundations, and ensure excellence, efficiency, and consistency across all functions.

The Operations Director will focus on team alignment, process design, governance, execution quality, and outcomes, ensuring that people, systems, and partners operate cohesively in support of ember's growth and service standards. In addition to driving internal organization and operational leadership, the role will play a meaningful part in supporting business development and revenue growth initiatives.

What You'll Do

People Management

• Provide direct line management and mentorship, supporting leadership in maintaining a high-performing, structured, and accountable organization.
• Oversee operational aspects of recruitment, onboarding, contracts, and performance management (including performance improvement plans and talent development).
• Ensure internal policies and procedures are implemented consistently and professionally.
• Foster a culture of ownership, discretion, and service excellence.

Operational Leadership

• Oversee and continuously improve company-wide operational workflows, ensuring clarity, efficiency, and accountability across departments.
• Establish and maintain robust operational frameworks, SOPs, and governance structures aligned with ember's brand and scale.
• Act as a central integrator across teams, ensuring smooth coordination and execution.
• Ensure operational readiness and service excellence across all client engagements and projects.
• Identify operational and commercial risks and implement mitigation strategies.

Process Improvement

• Ensure that financial, legal, HR, and administrative processes function efficiently, compliantly, and in line with leadership expectations.
• Monitor outcomes, risks, and performance indicators, addressing gaps proactively.
• Implement approval structures, reporting mechanisms, and internal controls to support decision-making.
• Ensure documentation discipline, accuracy, and operational transparency.

Technology Direction & Innovation

• Spearhead the evaluation, adoption, and integration of tech platforms to streamline internal operations and elevate the client experience.
• Partner with leadership to digitize workflows, optimize the company's tech stack, and drive data-driven decision-making across departments.
• Lead digital transformation initiatives, ensuring scalable, secure, and future-proof systems tailored to high-end experiential services.
• Ensure ember is AI ready and utilizing the correct tools to enhance workflows and output.

Revenue Enablement

• Support business development initiatives through operational planning, pricing structures, and execution readiness.
• Ensure operational capabilities align with growth ambitions and new opportunities.
• Collaborate with leadership to improve efficiency, margins, and scalability.
• Contribute to the refinement of service offerings, partnerships, and commercial processes.

What You'll Need

• 5+ years of experience in senior operations, commercial operations, or a similar role in a start-up or scale-up business.
• Strong background in luxury travel, hospitality, private client services, or high-end experiential environments.
• Experience working in a B2B and B2C environment and able to manage complex requirements from luxury brands, financial services institutions, and tourism boards.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-functional operations with discretion and precision.
• Solid understanding of the UAE business and regulatory environment.
• Bachelor's degree required; postgraduate qualifications are advantageous.

The Details

Position: Operations Director
Location: Dubai / Abu Dhabi, UAE
Company: ember - Luxury Travel & Experiential Design

If you believe your experience and capabilities align with this opportunity, we would love to hear from you.