Managing Director – Operations (Food & Beverage)

About the role

The Managing Director – Operations (Food & Beverage) is responsible for day‑to‑day performance across a multi‑brand restaurant portfolio operating in Kuwait and the GCC. The role owns end‑to‑end delivery across Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, Customer Experience, and Property Management, ensuring consistent brand standards, service quality, and profitable growth.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and implement operational strategies aligned with company mission and executive priorities.
• Drive operational excellence through SOPs, best practices, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Maintain a unified operating system across brands, including playbooks, service standards, escalation paths, and audit routines.
• Provide decision‑ready operational insight to executive leadership, highlighting changes, root causes, and corrective actions.
• Support evaluation and integration of new business opportunities, acquisitions, joint ventures, and market expansions.
• Own opening readiness and ramp‑up discipline for new locations, including pre‑opening checklists, training, supply readiness, and stabilization tracking.
• Govern prime cost across brands, overseeing labor efficiency, scheduling accuracy, overtime control, yield, portion discipline, and waste reduction.
• Collaborate with Finance on budget development, resource allocation, and cost‑saving initiatives.
• Lead restaurant operations performance across all formats (QSR, casual dining, catering, B2B food) ensuring consistent execution of brand standards.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading operational performance for multi‑brand restaurant portfolios.
• Ability to partner closely with C‑suite executives such as CEO, CFO, and Human Capital leaders.
• Demonstrated expertise in end‑to‑end delivery across Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, Customer Experience, and Property Management.
• Strong analytical skills to provide operational insight, identify root causes, and drive corrective actions.
• Experience managing prime‑cost governance, budgeting, and margin protection.

Required skills