General Manager - Interior Fit-Out

About the role

An established UAE construction group is seeking a General Manager - Fit-Out to lead the continued development and expansion of its interior fit-out division. This is a senior leadership appointment offering the chance to own a growing business unit, strengthen its market position and drive its next phase of growth. The successful candidate combines strong operational and commercial expertise with a proven ability to develop business, manage complex projects and lead multidisciplinary teams.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction, operational performance and commercial success of the fit-out division, and build a sustainable project pipeline
• Develop and execute a growth strategy to expand the project portfolio, market presence and profitability, securing new work in commercial, hospitality, residential and other high-end sectors
• Build strong relationships with developers, consultants, project managers and key clients
• Oversee delivery of multiple fit-out projects against programme, budget, quality and safety requirements, and provide senior leadership across project management, construction, procurement, commercial and technical functions
• Establish operational procedures, project controls and reporting structures, and manage subcontractors and project risks
• Assume full P&L responsibility, oversee tendering, estimating, procurement and commercial negotiations, and monitor costs, variations, claims and contractual risk
• Work with group leadership on annual budgets, business plans and growth targets
• Build and lead a management and project delivery team, and recruit key personnel as the division grows

Required profile

• Minimum 15 years of experience in construction and interior fit-out, with a substantial track record working directly for fit-out contractors
• Senior leadership experience, such as General Manager, Operations Director or Business Unit Director
• Experience delivering fit-out projects from tender and pre-construction through to completion and handover
• Strong knowledge of the UAE fit-out contracting market and established relationships with developers, consultants and clients
• A contractor-side background is essential; candidates mainly from design consultancies, client-side project management or interior design studios will not be considered

Required skills

• P&L management, tendering, contracts, procurement and project financial controls
• Project delivery across hospitality, commercial offices, retail and luxury residential
• Building and leading multidisciplinary teams