Chief Executive Officer - Healthcare Catering

About the role

A client is looking for a commercially astute, operationally focused and entrepreneurial CEO to set up, lead and grow its UAE operations. The role suits someone with extensive experience in healthcare catering, hospital catering, institutional food services or a closely related contract catering environment. It is a hands-on leadership position covering contract mobilization, operations, business development, procurement, food costing, finance, staffing, quality assurance and client relations. The main aim is to build a profitable, sustainable healthcare catering business; once established, the CEO will also support training and healthcare support service initiatives.

Key responsibilities

• Define and run the UAE business strategy, growth plans and operational roadmap, and build stakeholder relationships with clients, healthcare institutions and government entities.
• Lead day-to-day operations, working with catering, production, procurement, logistics, quality and service teams, and set up scalable operating systems and performance controls.
• Develop healthcare catering strategies targeting hospitals, rehabilitation centers, clinics and nursing homes, ensuring compliance with nutritional, dietary, clinical, cultural and religious requirements, and implementing food safety, HACCP, hygiene and quality systems.
• Set up procurement, supplier management, production and meal distribution, and lead contract pricing, tender preparation and mobilization.
• Own the P&L: prepare budgets and forecasts, monitor revenue, cash flow and costs, control food and labor costs, and report to the Board.
• Recruit, develop and lead management and operational teams, create KPIs and succession plans, and foster a multicultural environment.
• Pursue new business, present to clients, negotiate, assess risks and support expansion into training and healthcare support services.

Required profile

• Minimum 15 years of progressive leadership experience, including executive-level responsibilities.
• At least 4-5 years of recent UAE experience in healthcare, hospital or institutional catering or contract catering, with proven success in managing such contracts.
• Experience mobilizing new contracts and building operational frameworks, and managing large, multicultural teams.
• Experience in the UAE or wider GCC region.
• Preferred: healthcare catering and patient feeding, clinical and therapeutic diets, central kitchen operations, government or institutional contracts, training center operations, multi-site leadership and GCC regional exposure.

Required skills

• Food production, procurement, logistics, food safety and labor management.
• Tendering, costing, contract management and commercial negotiations.