Senior Operations Manager

About the Role
We are looking for a Senior Operations Manager to lead operations in Dubai as we transition most of our processes to AI and automation. You will play a vital role in building and strengthening the Dubai operations team while supporting day-to-day activities. Your responsibilities will include aligning global strategies with the Global Head of Operations and implementing them locally, acting as the primary operations contact for regulators, and ensuring that local requirements are translated into actionable operational tasks. Much of your work will involve coordinating with global functions to meet local needs, managing regional performance, and facilitating the integration of advanced technologies into our operations.

Responsibilities

• Build and strengthen the Dubai operations team and support it day to day.
• Agree global strategy with the Global Head of Operations and deliver it locally.
• Act as the main operations contact for the regulator, collaborating with the General Manager and Compliance to address local requirements through operational actions.
• Coordinate delivery across global functions, establishing service expectations, handovers, and escalation routes.
• Own regional performance by investigating service gaps, distinguishing local issues from broader process problems, and coordinating fixes with accountable teams.
• Manage the regional side of incidents and prepare operations for launches and major changes, proactively escalating gaps prior to launch decisions.
• Manage service dependencies, including vendors, and drive improvements through AI and automation in partnership with global process owners.
• Report clearly to regional and global leaders, escalating issues that require higher authority or resources.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in operations leadership within financial services, fintech, payments, or a similarly regulated environment.
• Proven experience in building and leading operations teams.
• Direct experience acting as an operations contact for a regulator.
• A successful track record of delivering results through global functions without direct management.
• Familiarity with operational KPIs, incident coordination, and launch readiness.
• Strong communication skills with senior leaders; must be based in Dubai or willing to relocate.

Nice to Have

• Experience in brokerage, trading platforms, or digital banking.
• Knowledge of the UAE regulatory environment.
• Hands-on experience introducing AI or automation into operations.