Full job description

Operations Manager — The Co-Kitchens (Dubai)

About the role
The Co-Kitchens is a food business incubator with three shared kitchen facilities across Dubai, supporting small food businesses with commercial kitchen space, while also running our own in-house food brands. We’re looking for an Operations Manager to oversee facility compliance, day-to-day operations across all three sites, and help manage our flagship in-house brand, Daily Dose (meal subscription service).

Key Responsibilities

Compliance & Facility Standards

• Ensure all three kitchen facilities consistently meet Dubai Municipality food safety regulations and HACCP standards
• Maintain and update HACCP documentation, food safety plans, and traceability records
• Schedule and manage Dubai Municipality inspections, audits, and renewals (trade licenses, food safety certificates)
• Conduct regular internal audits across sites; flag and resolve non-conformances
• Train kitchen staff and tenant businesses on hygiene protocols, allergen handling, and safe food handling practices
• Liaise with pest control, waste management, and other compliance-related vendors

Day-to-Day Operations

• Oversee daily operations across all three locations (scheduling, maintenance, tenant onboarding/offboarding, equipment upkeep)
• Manage facility staff — hiring, scheduling, performance, and training
• Act as the main point of contact for tenant food businesses using the shared kitchens
• Manage supplier and vendor relationships (equipment maintenance, utilities, cleaning, etc.)
• Monitor facility costs/budgets and identify efficiency opportunities
• Resolve operational issues quickly across sites (equipment breakdowns, scheduling conflicts, tenant disputes)

Daily Dose (In-House Brand) Support

• Support day-to-day running of Daily Dose’s production schedule, kitchen allocation, and staffing
• Coordinate with the subscription/delivery side to ensure production meets order volume and timelines
• Monitor food quality, consistency, and packaging standards for Daily Dose output
• Help identify and implement process improvements for the brand’s kitchen operations

Requirements

• 3+ years in food & beverage, commercial kitchen, or facilities operations management (UAE experience strongly preferred)
• Solid working knowledge of Dubai Municipality food safety regulations and HACCP certification
• Experience managing teams and multi-site operations
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills; comfortable working across compliance, ops, and a live food brand simultaneously
• HACCP Level 3 or Food Safety Supervisor certification a plus
• Arabic/English bilingual a plus, not required