About the Job
Design Strategy Manager leads identification, articulation and development of strategic design opportunities and initiatives for the end-to-end guest journey. This role collaborates closely with multiple stakeholders from brand, guest insights, ground operations, and crew & service to translate brand strategy into tangible experience design opportunities at every touchpoint of the guest journey.
Ready to apply for roles like this?
Unlock the company name and direct application link. Subscribers get instant access to fresh jobs across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, many with visa support.
Unlock employer & apply directly
The position requires the ability and proven track record of translating Brand and Customer Insights into compelling design strategies and tangible outcomes.
- Strategic Mindset: The candidate needs to see the big picture to form a strategic narrative across multiple experience touchpoints and clearly articulate and communicate the strategies and opportunities for guest benefit.
- Solution Oriented: The strategies must be grounded in operational realities and lead to implementable solutions both in the short and long term.
- Collaboration: This role demands a highly collaborative and proactive mentality to align with multiple stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
-
Translation of Brand into Experience Design Strategies for Guest Journey
- Lead the creation of experience design principles to form a holistic guest experience strategy aligned with our brand positioning and hospitality philosophy.
-
Identification of Experience Design Opportunities
- Utilize guest data and insights, market analyses, and industry trends to identify and form experience design opportunities across the guest journey to improve premium positioning and market leadership. This encompasses digital, physical, and service design across booking, airport, cabin, and post-flight.
-
Delivery Plan and Project Roadmap
- From the identified experience opportunities, create a prioritized roadmap with delivery timelines based on business impact.
-
Development of Tangible Solutions
- In close partnership with internal stakeholders, develop the opportunities into tangible solutions with a clear implementation plan agreed upon with the stakeholders that will improve NPS and other guest performance metrics.
-
New Tools and Methodology
- Identify and develop new tools, methods, and processes to capture and share trends, insights, ideas, and opportunities across the organization.
-
Governing Documentation
- Articulate and capture experience design principles and strategic design guidelines that serve as guardrails for product development and service implementation.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Design (Industrial, Interior, Transportation) with a focus on user research and design strategy, or a relevant degree in Design Research and Strategy with proven track record.
- 7+ years of experience in developing experience design strategies in a consultancy or in-house role, ideally in aviation, hospitality, or guest-experience-driven industries.
- Expertise in storytelling and articulation of concepts.
- Strong ability to turn insights into opportunities and value-driven solutions.
- Excellent visual, written, and verbal presentation skills.
- Ability to lead and command respect as the subject matter expert.
Job Posting Close Date
October 29, 2026
Additional Information
The company is more than the UAE’s national airline - we’re shaping the future of global aviation. From our hub in Abu Dhabi, we connect people across continents and cultures, while driving our “Journey 2030” ambition to double our fleet, expand our network, and grow our people for a new era of excellence. Join us and become part of a vision where the world is your workplace and extraordinary experiences take flight.
