Director of Operations – Housing Solutions

About the role

We are seeking a Director of Operations to lead the incubation, launch, and scaling of our new workforce housing, co‑living, and student housing business. You will own the end‑to‑end operational roadmap, from regulatory alignment and design integration to go‑live and stabilisation, acting as the single point of accountability for the programme.

Key responsibilities

• Lead pre‑opening business incubation and develop the full operational roadmap, including regulatory alignment, operating model design, team build‑out and executive reporting.
• Coordinate development, design and construction, embedding operability into design, MEP and construction decisions.
• Author SOP architecture, resident lifecycle procedures, KPI/SLA frameworks and launch the Human Empowerment Programme.
• Structure corporate block‑leasing and B2C bed‑leasing models, manage operator partnerships and drive revenue growth.
• Select and roll out PMS, CRM, booking engine and resident app ecosystem.
• Ensure full regulatory compliance (Ejari, visa, fire safety, RERA, DLD, data protection) and manage government relationships.
• Develop long‑term strategic plan and codify a playbook for scaling future assets.

Required profile

• 15+ years progressive operations experience in workforce co‑living, staff accommodation, purpose‑built student accommodation, serviced residential or hospitality‑led residential platforms.
• 5+ years at Director level with full P&L accountability.
• Proven pre‑opening/incubation track record, having mobilised at least one large‑scale residential or co‑living asset from construction handover to operational stabilisation.
• Direct experience structuring both B2B corporate block leasing and B2C bed‑leasing models.

Required skills

• Visa management
• RERA compliance
• Property Management System (PMS)
• Fire safety regulations
• Booking engine implementation
• Ejari registration
• DLD regulations
• Bed allocation software
• Regulatory compliance expertise
• CRM systems
• Data protection standards