Operations Director

Independent Food Company; Dubai; On-site; AED 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

Independent Food Company seeks an Operations Director to own end-to-end performance for its restaurant brands, translating strategy into execution at the brand and restaurant levels. Lead Area Management, oversee growth, and ensure top-tier guest experience and operational excellence.

You will collaborate across Finance, HR, Marketing, Projects, Design, and Supply Chain to optimize sales, labor, food cost, and service quality across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business Administration, or related field.
• Significant experience in multi-unit restaurant operations with senior operational leadership.
• Proven ability to manage a brand or large restaurant portfolio through Area Management teams.
• Strong leadership, analytical, communication, and cross-functional management capabilities.
• Ability to balance brand thinking with strong operational and commercial execution.

Responsibilities

• Own the operational ownership of assigned brands and restaurants; translate strategy into execution.
• Lead Area Management and restaurant teams to deliver brand performance and guest experience.
• Drive brand growth, profitability, and cost control across locations.
• Establish KPIs, conduct performance reviews, and develop leadership succession.
• Oversee new openings, modernization, and post-opening stabilization.
• Collaborate with Finance, HR, Marketing, Design, and other functions to ensure brand standards.

Skills

Strong leadership

Analytical

Communication

Cross-functional management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business Administration, or related field

Job description

Independent Food Company is home to some of the region's most recognised hospitality concepts, including SALT, Somewhere, Parker's, Shalwa, Somewhere, and Public. We are a fast-growing organisation with an expanding portfolio of concepts, an active acquisition strategy, and ambitious plans for growth across new and existing markets. As we scale, the quality of our people remains central to everything we build. That is where you come in.

Role Summary

The Operations Director is responsible for the end-to-end operational performance of assigned brands, ensuring each brand delivers against its commercial, operational, people, and guest experience objectives.

The role acts as the operational owner of the brand, translating its strategy and positioning into consistent restaurant-level execution. The Operations Director leads the Area Management and restaurant teams, owns brand performance, supports growth and new openings, and works cross-functionally to ensure the brand continues to evolve while maintaining strong operational standards.

Key Responsibilities

1. Brand Operational Leadership

• Take full operational ownership of assigned brands and their restaurant portfolio.
• Translate brand strategy, positioning, and business objectives into operational priorities and execution plans.
• Ensure consistent execution of the brand experience across all locations.
• Establish clear priorities and operating rhythms for each assigned brand.
• Act as the primary operational point of accountability for brand performance.
• Own brand-level and restaurant-level sales, profitability, labor, food cost, and controllable expenses.
• Review brand and restaurant P&Ls and identify opportunities to improve performance.
• Develop action plans for underperforming locations and ensure timely execution.
• Drive initiatives to increase sales, productivity, efficiency, and profitability.
• Work closely with Finance on budgets, forecasts, targets, and performance reviews.
• Ensure all restaurants consistently meet operational, food, service, cleanliness, and brand standards.
• Maintain strong field presence and regularly review restaurant performance and execution.
• Ensure operational issues are identified, escalated, and resolved quickly.
• Drive consistency across locations while addressing individual restaurant performance requirements.
• Continuously identify opportunities to simplify and improve restaurant operations.

4. Guest Experience

• Own the operational delivery of the intended guest experience for assigned brands.
• Monitor guest feedback, complaints, ratings, and key experience indicators.
• Identify recurring guest experience gaps and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure teams consistently deliver the required service and hospitality standards.
• Work with relevant departments to continuously elevate the overall brand experience.

5. Operations Team Leadership

• Lead and manage Senior Area Managers, Area Managers, and restaurant leadership teams.
• Establish clear KPIs, responsibilities, and performance expectations.
• Conduct structured performance reviews and coaching with the Area Management team.
• Build accountability and strong leadership capability across the brand.
• Identify high-potential talent and develop succession plans for key operational roles.

6. Manpower, Recruitment & Development

• Own operational manpower requirements and workforce planning for assigned brands.
• Work with HR and Recruitment to ensure vacancies are filled in line with business requirements.
• Participate in the selection of key operational and restaurant leadership positions.
• Monitor turnover, retention, vacancies, productivity, and manpower efficiency.
• Partner with L&D to ensure operational teams receive the required technical, service, and leadership training.

7. Brand Growth & New Openings

• Lead operational readiness for all new openings under assigned brands.
• Ensure manpower, training, equipment, systems, stock, SOPs, and operational requirements are ready before opening.
• Represent Operations throughout the development and pre-opening process.
• Coordinate with Projects, Design, Culinary, Marketing, HR, Supply Chain, IT, Finance, and other departments.
• Lead post-opening stabilization and ensure new restaurants achieve expected performance and standards.

8. Brand Development & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Represent Operations in all discussions and initiatives relating to assigned brands.
• Work closely with Brand, Marketing, Culinary, Projects, Design, Supply Chain, QA/QC, Finance, HR, and other functions.
• Provide operational input into menu development, campaigns, pricing, promotions, design changes, and brand initiatives.
• Assess the operational impact and feasibility of proposed brand initiatives before implementation.
• Ensure approved initiatives are successfully implemented across the restaurant network.

9. Quality, SOPs & Compliance

• Ensure consistent implementation of brand SOPs, recipes, operational procedures, and company policies.
• Partner with QA/QC to maintain food safety, product quality, and compliance standards.
• Review operational and QA audits and ensure corrective actions are completed.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable municipality, food safety, health and safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Continuously review SOPs and processes to improve operational effectiveness.

10. Brand Performance Reporting

• Maintain clear visibility over the overall health and performance of assigned brands.
• Review sales, profitability, food cost, labor, guest experience, people, QA, and operational KPIs.
• Conduct structured weekly and monthly brand performance reviews.
• Present key performance updates, risks, challenges, and action plans to senior management.
• Ensure Area Managers maintain clear action plans and follow through on agreed priorities.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
• Significant experience in multi-unit restaurant operations with senior operational leadership responsibility.
• Proven ability to manage a brand or large restaurant portfolio through Area Management teams.
• Strong commercial understanding of restaurant P&Ls, sales, food cost, labor, and profitability.
• Experience with new restaurant openings and rapidly growing F&B brands.
• Strong leadership, analytical, communication, and cross-functional management capabilities.
• Ability to balance brand thinking with strong operational and commercial execution.