Operations Manager

Operations Manager – Restaurant Operations & Development

Company: Shape Restaurant Group

Location: Al Ain, UAE

Employment: Full-Time | On-Site

Career Level: Management

About Shape

Shape is a growing healthy casual dining restaurant group committed to delivering exceptional food quality, guest experiences, and operational excellence.

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Operations Manager who can lead, develop, and continuously improve both Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH) operations across our restaurant concepts.

This position goes beyond traditional restaurant supervision. The successful candidate must be capable of building operational systems from the ground up, developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), establishing performance standards, and creating a structured, scalable restaurant operation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Development & SOP Creation

• Develop, document, implement, and continuously improve SOPs covering all FOH and BOH activities.
• Establish operational manuals, workflows, checklists, quality standards, and control procedures.
• Identify operational weaknesses and develop practical solutions to improve efficiency and consistency.
• Build standardized systems that support existing restaurants and future business expansion.
• Conduct regular operational audits and implement corrective action plans.

2. Front of House (FOH) Excellence

• Develop guest service standards covering welcoming, order-taking, table service, complaint handling, and overall guest experience.
• Establish service sequences, staff grooming standards, and operational readiness checklists.
• Improve service efficiency, table turnover, order accuracy, and customer satisfaction.
• Train and develop restaurant teams to consistently deliver Shape's service standards.

3. Back of House (BOH) Excellence

• Work closely with the Executive Chef to develop and implement kitchen operational procedures.
• Establish food preparation, storage, hygiene, food safety, and quality-control standards.
• Improve kitchen workflow, production efficiency, inventory management, and waste reduction.
• Ensure consistent food presentation, portion control, and product quality.
• Monitor compliance with applicable food safety and hygiene requirements.

4. Team Development & Training

• Develop structured training programs for FOH and BOH employees.
• Establish competency assessments, performance evaluations, and accountability frameworks.
• Coach restaurant managers, supervisors, and operational teams.
• Develop training materials, onboarding procedures, and continuous improvement programs.

5. Performance Management & Cost Control

• Establish and monitor operational KPIs covering guest satisfaction, service speed, food quality, labor productivity, food waste, and cost efficiency.
• Analyze operational performance and recommend improvements.
• Optimize staffing, scheduling, inventory controls, and resource utilization.
• Prepare regular operational reports and improvement plans for General Management.

6. Business Growth & Operational Readiness

• Support new restaurant openings, menu launches, and operational improvements.
• Ensure operational readiness across staffing, equipment, training, and service procedures.
• Develop scalable operating standards that can be replicated across multiple locations and concepts.
• Collaborate with the General Manager, Executive Chef, Marketing, and other departments to achieve business objectives.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for an operational leader who combines hands-on restaurant experience, strong process-development capabilities, and a continuous improvement mindset.

The ideal candidate should not only manage daily restaurant operations but also be capable of building the systems, developing the people, and implementing the standards required to take Shape to the next level.

Candidates with demonstrated experience independently developing and implementing FOH and BOH SOPs will be strongly preferred.

Skills

Required Experience & Skills

• 6+ years of experience in restaurant or F&B operations, including at least 3 years in restaurant management or multi-unit operational leadership.
• Fluent Arabic speaker (mandatory) with strong English communication skills, both written and spoken.
• Strong understanding of both Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH) operations.
• Proven ability to create, document, implement, and improve restaurant SOPs, rather than simply following existing procedures.
• Experience developing operational manuals, workflows, checklists, service standards, and quality-control systems.
• Strong knowledge of restaurant service excellence, guest experience management, and complaint resolution.
• Practical understanding of kitchen operations, food safety, HACCP principles, hygiene requirements, and production workflows.
• Experience in staff training, coaching, performance assessments, and team development.
• Knowledge of restaurant cost control, inventory management, waste reduction, labor productivity, and operational budgeting.
• Ability to establish, monitor, and improve operational KPIs through structured reporting and corrective actions.
• Experience conducting operational audits, identifying process gaps, and implementing sustainable improvements.
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional coordination skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, reporting tools, restaurant POS systems, and operational documentation.
• Previous UAE/GCC restaurant industry experience is strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in premium casual dining, healthy dining, or multi-unit restaurant groups.
• Demonstrated involvement in restaurant openings, operational restructuring, or restaurant concept development.
• Previous experience building operational standards from scratch.
• Familiarity with delivery aggregators, restaurant technology, and multi-location operational performance management.

Mandatory Candidate Requirements

1. Arabic fluency is required to communicate effectively with employees, customers, and local stakeholders.
2. Demonstrated experience developing and implementing FOH and BOH SOPs.
3. Ability to provide examples of operational systems personally developed, including measurable improvements achieved.

We are seeking an operational leader who develops systems, people, and performance — not someone who only supervises daily activities.