F&B & Retail Operations Manager

F&B & Retail Operations Manager Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE (on-site) Contract: Freelance, full-time – month-by-month rolling contract for up to 6 months Start: 9 November 2026 Reports to: F&B & Retail Unit Head About the role A leading cultural destination in Abu Dhabi is looking for a confident, hands-on and commercially sharp manager, bilingual in Arabic and English, to strengthen delivery across its F&B and Retail units. You will support the flagship F&B and retail operators, drive timely operator actions and reporting, and take the day-to-day lead on the F&B and retail pop-up programme. This is a delivery-critical, cross-functional role, with strategic, contractual and financial decisions escalated to the Unit Head. Key responsibilities Flagship F&B operator • Support day-to-day operator management, guest experience, staffing and service standards, menu implementation, compliance and operational readiness • Chair operational meetings when delegated, issue minutes and hold owners to actions, deadlines and corrective measures • Review sales, visitor conversion, transaction trends, feedback and contractual KPI submissions; follow up on discrepancies and prepare concise management updates • Oversee the operator's handling of F&B events, group bookings, catering and seasonal activations • Coordinate with HSE, FM, Security, Operations, Events and MarComms, and escalate material issues promptly Flagship retail operator • Support shop operations, visual merchandising, signage, stock availability, service standards, gift cards and POS escalations • Run product development and delivery meetings: approved SKUs, samples, approvals, milestones and launch readiness • Help bring collections, gifting, seasonal lines and exhibition merchandise to shelf on schedule • Enforce corrective actions on product quality, VM, staffing, training and e-commerce coordination F&B and retail pop-up programme • Lead the pop-up pipeline end to end: vendor outreach, proposals, approvals, onboarding, launch, trading reviews and offboarding • Maintain the vendor database, site allocation, activation calendar, agreements, checklists and trackers • Support commercial negotiations within approved parameters and prepare business-case comparisons • Lead site readiness: kiosks and fixtures, utilities, access, permits, insurance, HSE and food safety, deliveries, staffing and signage • Oversee trading compliance, performance reporting and end-of-activation reconciliation and handover Events, activations and delivery • Turn programming, exhibition and seasonal priorities into operational plans with schedules, budget inputs and staffing needs • Coordinate F&B and retail participation in major events, private functions and activations, including on-site troubleshooting • Lead assigned projects with status reports, risk registers, post-event results and lessons learned Governance and reporting • Maintain trackers, agendas and minutes, action logs, dashboards and submission calendars • Challenge incomplete or overdue operator submissions, verify data and escalate with practical recommendations • Prepare briefing notes, management slides, performance summaries, sales forecasts and vendor comparisons • Provide flexible cover to Specialists during peaks and absences Essential requirements • Fluent Arabic and English (written and spoken) – mandatory • 5–8 years' progressive experience, including manager-level ownership of hospitality/F&B operations, retail operations, vendor portfolios or high-volume destination/event projects • An established local network within the UAE hospitality industry • Strong hands-on F&B operations knowledge plus credible retail, merchandising and gifting experience • Proven management of external operators, concessions, brand partners or vendors, including performance reviews and issue resolution • Experience launching and running pop-ups, kiosks and events from onboarding to close-out • UAE experience with local vendor approvals, HSE, food safety and event/site processes • Based in Abu Dhabi or able to commute daily, and available to start 9 November Preferred • Government, cultural, museum, tourism, destination or major-events background • Familiarity with concession contracts, revenue share, retail POS, gift-card processes, sales/stock dashboards and e-commerce Core capabilities • Confident operator leadership: able to challenge poor performance and secure commitments without relying on positional authority • Highly organised and accountable; you close actions without being chased • Strong commercial and numerical skills • Excellent stakeholder management, meeting facilitation and judgement • Calm under pressure and happy to be on the floor during launches, peaks and events • Advanced Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook Contract terms – please read This is a month-by-month rolling freelance contract that may extend up to 6 months. Each extension depends on business needs, so the full term is not guaranteed and the contract may end at short notice. Please apply only if this arrangement works for you. Show more Show less