Platform Operations Manager

About Dubai Founders HQ

Dubai Founders HQ (DFHQ) is a recently launched phygital platform created to support startups and scaleups, spearheaded by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) in collaboration with the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. This flagship initiative under the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) aims to provide a comprehensive ecosystem for innovation and growth.

Role Overview

The Platform Operations Manager plays a critical role in establishing and managing the day-to-day operations of DFHQ. This includes overseeing the physical space, operational procedures, founder onboarding, ecosystem events, commercial activities, and management reporting. The role demands designing and instituting operational frameworks that enable the platform's scalability, enhance efficiency, and ensure a consistently superior experience for all stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the daily operational functions of DFHQ’s physical campus, IT systems, member interactions, and platform-related activities.
• Develop and implement foundational processes, governance frameworks, and infrastructure to support sustainable growth.
• Create and maintain scalable operational models, comprehensive playbooks, and standard procedures for all platform functions.
• Convert strategic objectives into actionable implementation plans and oversee their execution across various teams.
• Coordinate operations across partnerships, programming, community engagement, marketing, and campus management to ensure unified efforts.
• Supervise the campus environment to deliver an excellent experience for members, visitors, and other stakeholders.
• Handle startup onboarding processes, workspace and meeting room allocations, facility usage, and visitor logistics.
• Organize and manage event spaces, including scheduling, logistics, and program delivery for workshops and partner engagements.
• Work with relevant teams to optimize and monitor campus-derived revenues such as office leases, event hosting, and retail collaborations.
• Constantly seek improvements in physical infrastructure, member experience, and operational mechanisms.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Hospitality, or a closely related discipline.
• 8 to 10 years of experience in roles involving operations, platform or business management, program direction, or operational leadership.
• Prior experience in expanding operations within startups, scaleups, coworking spaces, innovation hubs, or fast-scaling organizations is highly preferred.
• Solid track record in devising and executing scalable processes and systems in dynamic environments.
• Competence in managing various stakeholders including vendors and frontline operational teams effectively.
• Strong knowledge of financial monitoring and operational metrics such as occupancy rates and revenue streams.

Additional Information

Due to the anticipated volume of applicants, contact will be made exclusively with shortlisted candidates. The role demands a proactive, detail-oriented individual capable of working in ambiguous and fast-evolving contexts, liaising confidently with founders, investors, executives, and government representatives to maintain and elevate the platform’s operational excellence.