Senior Director - Food and Beverage Development

Accor Group; Dubai; On-site; AED 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Accor is seeking a Senior Director of Food and Beverage Development in Dubai to shape dining concepts across Raffles and Fairmont brands. You will drive brand strategy, market intelligence, and commercial targets into restaurant experiences for new hotels, renovations, and development projects.

The role demands 10–15 years in international luxury hospitality, with a track record of leading concepts through full lifecycle from pre-opening to post-launch and working with hotel owners and external

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of international luxury hospitality leadership experience.
• Led concepts through full lifecycle including pre-opening and post-launch.
• Experience working with hotel owners, executives, designers, chefs and external operators.

Responsibilities

• Direct the complete development cycle for new and renovated F&B outlets.
• Create commercially viable concepts reflecting Raffles and Fairmont brands.
• Define positioning, audience, guest proposition, and competitive advantage for each venue.
• Translate brand direction into detailed restaurant, bar, lounge, and experiential dining plans.
• Conduct international market research on consumer behavior and trends.
• Prepare business cases with revenue forecasts and capital considerations.
• Establish measurable objectives for proposed concepts before approval.
• Oversee budgets, schedules, quality, and milestones.
• Coordinate with Development, Design, Operations, Procurement, Marketing and culinary teams.
• Advise on workflow, capacity, and guest movement.
• Develop pre-opening plans including operating manuals and staffing assumptions.
• Ensure outlets meet brand standards and financial targets.
• Identify partnerships with chefs and operators; manage risk.

Skills

Concept development

Brand governance

Portfolio strategy

Market analysis

Forecasting

Pre-opening planning

Budget oversight

Stakeholder leadership

Menu direction

Service model

Performance review

Multi-property leadership

Operating-model design

Job description

Job Snapshot

Senior Director - Food and Beverage Development

Role: Senior Director - Food and Beverage Development

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Hospitality

Function: Business-Strategic Management

Experience: 10-15 years in international food and beverage leadership or development

Job Type: Full-time

Position Overview

Accor is hiring a Senior Director - Food and Beverage Development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a Hospitality leadership opportunity shaping distinctive dining concepts across the Raffles and Fairmont portfolios. This corporate role will transform brand strategy, market intelligence, and commercial targets into restaurants, bars, and guest experiences suitable for new hotels, renovations, and strategic development projects. The successful candidate will guide each concept from early positioning and business-case preparation through design, construction, pre-opening, and post-launch evaluation. The position carries significant influence over portfolio differentiation, owner confidence, guest satisfaction, operational viability, and food and beverage revenue.

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Dubai

Industry: Hospitality

Function: Business-Strategic Management

Salary: 40000-60000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in Dubai; please confirm the final offer with the employer.

Gender: Any

Candidate Nationality: Any

Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

This position provides strategic direction for food and beverage development across two internationally recognized luxury hotel brands. It connects creative concept building with financial discipline, technical planning, operational readiness, and brand governance. Every proposed venue must offer a clear market position while remaining practical to build, operate, scale, and promote. The Senior Director will therefore balance emerging dining trends and original ideas with investment expectations, local demand, service standards, and long-term commercial performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct the complete development cycle for new and renovated food and beverage outlets.
• Create commercially viable concepts that reflect Raffles and Fairmont brand identities.
• Define the positioning, target audience, guest proposition, and competitive advantage of each venue.
• Translate broad brand direction into detailed restaurant, bar, lounge, and experiential dining plans.
• Conduct international market research covering consumer behaviour, culinary movements, lifestyle trends, and competitor activity.
• Identify portfolio opportunities supported by credible market and commercial evidence.
• Prepare business cases incorporating revenue forecasts, operating requirements, capital considerations, risks, and expected returns.
• Establish measurable objectives for proposed concepts before approval and development begins.
• Once a project is approved, the Senior Director will maintain alignment between the creative vision and its operational delivery. This includes working through design decisions, construction requirements, equipment planning, service models, and opening preparations.
• Oversee project progress against agreed budgets, schedules, quality expectations, and approval milestones.
• Partner with Development, Design, Technical Services, Operations, Procurement, Marketing, and culinary teams.
• Advise design and construction stakeholders on workflow, capacity, operational efficiency, and guest movement.
• Ensure kitchens, bars, service areas, storage facilities, and customer spaces support the intended concept.
• Develop pre-opening plans covering operating manuals, service procedures, staffing assumptions, and outlet readiness.
• Coordinate initial menu direction with culinary leaders while protecting the concept 's market positioning.
• Identify operational risks early and lead practical resolution before they affect opening dates.
• Support project teams during testing, commissioning, training, and launch preparation.
• Owner engagement and disciplined governance are central to the appointment. Recommendations must be commercially clear, evidence-based, and understandable to stakeholders with different priorities.
• Serve as the principal food and beverage development contact for hotel owners and key partners.
• Present project direction, financial rationale, progress, risks, and required decisions.
• Secure stakeholder support while managing expectations throughout the project lifecycle.
• Establish governance standards for concept review, approval, documentation, and change control.
• Confirm that proposed outlets meet brand requirements, financial targets, and operational feasibility tests.
• Evaluate chefs, restaurateurs, consultants, and third-party operators for potential partnerships.
• Structure productive relationships with external specialists without weakening brand ownership or project accountability.
• Maintain a reliable decision trail across concept, design, investment, and operational discussions.
• The role will continue beyond opening by helping teams determine whether each concept is meeting its original objectives.
• Participate in post-opening performance reviews with hotel operations.
• Compare revenue, guest response, operational delivery, and market positioning against approved plans.
• Recommend refinements that strengthen profitability, service flow, and customer appeal.
• Develop repeatable concept frameworks that can be adapted for different destinations and property types.
• Share relevant innovation and best practices across the wider portfolio.
• Encourage disciplined experimentation and continuous improvement in food and beverage development.

Ideal Profile

This opportunity is intended for a senior food and beverage development leader with 10-15 years of international experience in luxury or premium Hospitality. Applicants should have held substantial leadership or corporate development responsibilities across multiple hotels, regions, or brands. A strong background in hotel-based dining is essential, supported by direct exposure to standalone restaurant or bar development. The preferred candidate will have taken concepts through the complete lifecycle, including research, positioning, feasibility, design coordination, pre-opening, launch, and performance review.

• Evidence of creating distinctive and financially sustainable dining concepts
• Experience leading new openings and major outlet renovations
• Strong understanding of luxury guest expectations and service design
• Ability to interpret financial projections and challenge weak commercial assumptions
• Confidence working with hotel owners, executives, designers, chefs, and external operators
• Sound knowledge of kitchen, bar, service, and back-of-house planning
• International market awareness and sensitivity to destination‑specific demand
• Structured decision‑making under complex project conditions
• Executive‑level presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management ability
• Willingness to travel in support of portfolio development and opening activity

Skills Set

• Food and beverage concept development
• Luxury restaurant and bar positioning
• Portfolio development strategy
• Market and competitor analysis
• Consumer trend interpretation
• Business‑case preparation
• Revenue and financial modelling
• Concept feasibility assessment
• Pre‑opening planning
• Hotel opening and renovation projects
• Design and construction coordination
• Operational workflow planning
• Brand standards governance
• Project budget oversight
• Risk and approval management
• Owner and investor presentations
• Third‑party operator evaluation
• Chef and restaurateur partnerships
• Menu concept direction
• Service model development
• Post‑opening performance review
• Multi‑property stakeholder leadership
• Scalable operating‑model design

Why Join Us

The position offers the opportunity to influence high-profile dining destinations across an expanding international hotel portfolio. Its scope reaches beyond individual outlet management, giving the successful candidate a platform to shape how new luxury food and beverage experiences are researched, funded, designed, opened, and improved. Continued investment in hotel development, renovations, destination dining, and lifestyle‑led guest experiences creates sustained demand for this expertise. The role also provides exposure to global owners, creative partners, technical specialists, and operating teams, supporting long‑term progression within international Hospitality leadership.

About the Company

Accor operates Raffles and Fairmont as part of its international portfolio of hotel brands. Raffles is known for landmark properties, culturally connected experiences, and highly personalized luxury, while Fairmont combines destination heritage with large‑scale global hospitality operations. Together, the brands are developing and renewing food and beverage experiences across established properties and future openings.