Operations Lead // Cultural Attraction Entity

About BLR WORLD

BLR WORLD is an award-winning global talent company for the culture, entertainment, and events sectors, enabling organisations to plan, staff, and operate unique permanent and temporary visitor experiences with 'Simply Brilliant People'.

Position Details

Position Title: Operations Lead
Department: Operations & Visitor Experience
Reports To: Project Manager
Location: Dubai, UAE
Contract Type: Full-Time (24-Month Fixed-Term Contract)
Contract Duration: 24 Months (August 2026 – July 2028)

About the Role

BLR WORLD is hiring an Operations Lead to oversee the day-to-day operational delivery of the Operations and Management Services contract across the Museum. Reporting to the Project Manager, the Operations Lead is responsible for ensuring the seamless execution of all operational activities across the museum’s pavilions, maintaining exceptional visitor experiences, and delivering operational excellence in accordance with the entity’s standards and contractual requirements.

The Operations Lead will provide direct leadership to the operational management team, including Coordinators, Chief Cultural Guides, and Cultural Guides, ensuring effective workforce deployment, visitor flow management, operational readiness, staff performance, and service quality. The role will work closely with the Project Manager to implement strategic initiatives while translating operational plans into consistent day-to-day delivery.

The Operations Lead will also coordinate closely with the Commercial Lead, Training Manager, Programming team, and Back Office Coordinators to ensure all visitor services, educational programmes, commercial activities, events, and operational requirements are delivered efficiently, safely, and to the highest professional standards.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

- Lead the day-to-day operations across all museum pavilions, ensuring operational consistency, service excellence, and delivery in line with contractual obligations, KPIs, and service level requirements.
- Ensure all Front of House and Back Office operations meet museum and the entity standards.
- Oversee the daily deployment of operational resources, staffing levels, and visitor-facing services.
- Ensure operational readiness for all museum opening hours, public programmes, workshops, tours, educational activities, and special events.
- Act as operational decision-maker on site and the day-to-day operational point of contact for the entity’s on-site team. Resolve challenges promptly and keep a professional, responsive, and transparent working relationship.
- Attend scheduled operational meetings, site walk-throughs, and reviews with the client, and follow up on agreed actions within set timelines.
- Support the entity’s audits, inspections, and mystery-visitor assessments, and lead corrective action plans where concerns are raised.
- Follow the entity’s approval processes for events, space bookings, programme changes, and operational variations through the designated focal points.
- Provide accurate operational data and supporting documents for monthly client reporting and invoicing within agreed deadlines.
- Be available during the entity’s working hours for approvals and escalations, and flag any risk of non-compliance to the Project Manager without delay.

Visitor Experience

- Ensure every visitor receives an engaging, welcoming, and world-class museum experience.
- Monitor visitor flow throughout the museum and implement improvements to optimise capacity and reduce congestion.
- Support the implementation of visitor service standards and continuously identify opportunities to enhance the visitor journey.
- Oversee the effective resolution of visitor complaints, incidents, and service recovery situations.

Team Leadership

- Directly manage the Operations Coordinator and operational supervisory teams.
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and leadership to Chief Cultural Guides and operational staff.
- Conduct regular operational briefings, performance reviews, and coaching sessions.
- Foster a positive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture.
- Support succession planning and leadership development across operational teams.

People Management & Staff Conduct

- Manage staff conduct and discipline in line with BLR WORLD policies and UAE Labour Law, including documentation of incidents and issuing of warnings where required.
- Handle staff grievances and welfare matters fairly and promptly, escalating to the Project Manager, Account Manager and HR where appropriate.
- Take part in recruitment, interviews, onboarding, and probation reviews for operational roles.
- Uphold uniform, grooming, and code-of-conduct standards across all operational teams.

Workforce Management

- Oversee daily staffing deployment, shift planning, attendance, and operational coverage.
- Review rosters to ensure sufficient staffing for seasonal demand, educational programmes, events, and visitor volumes.
- Monitor attendance, punctuality, leave balances, and Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) utilisation.
- Escalate staffing shortages or operational risks to the Project Manager with appropriate mitigation plans.

Operational Coordination

- Coordinate closely with the Programming Team to ensure all workshops, activations, outreach programmes, camps, and public events are operationally prepared.
- Liaise with the Commercial Lead regarding venue bookings, corporate events, tourism partnerships, and commercial activities.
- Work closely with the Training Manager to ensure operational training requirements are identified and delivered.
- Coordinate with Schools & Groups and Venue & Events Coordinators to ensure seamless visitor scheduling and programme delivery.

Quality Assurance & Compliance

- Ensure compliance with the company operational standards, policies, SOPs, safeguarding procedures, and health and safety regulations.
- Conduct regular operational inspections, audits, and quality assurance reviews.
- Monitor service quality across all operational functions and implement corrective actions where required.
- Ensure all operational documentation, procedures, and reporting remain accurate and up to date.

Performance Management

- Monitor operational KPIs, visitor satisfaction scores, staffing productivity, and service performance.
- Analyse operational data and recommend improvements to enhance efficiency and visitor experience.
- Support the implementation of continuous improvement initiatives introduced by the Project Manager.

Risk Management

- Identify operational risks and implement mitigation strategies.
- Ensure emergency procedures, incident management protocols, and business continuity plans are effectively implemented.
- Lead operational responses during emergencies, major incidents, or unplanned operational disruptions.

Reporting

Prepare and submit daily, weekly, and monthly reports to the Project Manager, including:

- Operational performance summaries
- Visitor statistics and trends
- Attendance and staffing reports
- Visitor feedback and complaint analysis
- Incident and health & safety reports
- Operational readiness assessments
- Programme and event operational summaries
- Continuous improvement recommendations

Required Experience

- Minimum 7 years’ experience in visitor operations, museum operations, hospitality, attractions, tourism, or cultural institutions.
- Minimum 3 years’ experience managing multidisciplinary operational teams.
- Proven experience leading visitor-facing operations in complex, high-volume environments.
- Experience managing workforce deployment, operational planning, and service delivery.
- Strong knowledge of visitor experience management, operational procedures, and service excellence.
- Experience preparing operational reports and performance dashboards.
- Demonstrated leadership, coaching, and people management skills.
- Strong organisational, communication, and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to make operational decisions under pressure while maintaining service quality.

Preferred Experience

- Experience working within museums, cultural institutions, heritage sites, or visitor attractions.
- Experience managing operations across multiple sites or facilities.
- Familiarity with UAE tourism, heritage, and cultural sectors.
- Experience working on government or semi-government contracts.
- Additional language skills are advantageous.

Required Education / Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Business Administration, Tourism, Hospitality Management, Cultural Management, Event Management, or a related discipline.
- Professional qualifications in Operations Management, Project Management, Health & Safety, or Leadership are desirable

Location and Commitment

- Full-time position.
- 24-month fixed-term contract.
- Working 5 days per week, with flexibility to support operational requirements, seasonal programming, public holidays, special events, and emergency operational needs.
- Regular presence across all Museum pavilions and facilities.
- Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Why Join BLR WORLD

BLR WORLD delivers tailored operational management, visitor experience, and workforce solutions for some of the region’s leading cultural institutions. As Operations Lead, you will play a key role in ensuring the seamless day-to-day delivery of museum operations across all pavilions. You will lead operational teams, oversee workforce deployment, enhance visitor experiences, and ensure service excellence, safety, and compliance with contractual requirements. Working closely with the Project Manager and other functional leads, you will drive operational efficiency, maintain high service standards, and contribute to the successful delivery of one of Dubai's leading cultural destinations.