Operations managers for small and mid-size companies in Dubai: trading, services, groups of clinics, e-commerce, hospitality and other businesses where the owner is still the person everyone calls when something breaks. The operations manager takes over the daily running of the business: processes, the team's schedules and workload, suppliers and deliveries, quality, simple KPIs and the problems that land on the owner's desk every morning. We assess candidates on a real operational case from your business.
Hire a operations managerLooking for a job?An operations manager who turns daily firefighting into simple processes, owns the numbers that matter and tells the owner what is going wrong before customers notice.
Operations is a broad title. Some candidates ran big teams with strong systems around them, some ran a small business alone. Check that the person can work at your size and with your level of chaos.
Typical hiring mistake: hiring an operations manager without giving authority over the team and suppliers, so they become an expensive coordinator. An operations manager runs the daily work of the business; a general manager is responsible for the whole business including sales and profit; an office manager runs the office itself. Another mistake: hiring a corporate operations person who needs a full team of analysts into a 30-person company.
| Level | Salary, AED/month |
|---|---|
| Operations manager, small company | 12,000 - 18,000 |
| Operations manager, mid-size company | 18,000 - 28,000 |
| Head of operations, several branches or units | 28,000+ |
Market estimate for Dubai in 2026, cross-checked with PayScale. Housing and transport allowances and a bonus change the full package.
Besides the salary, the employer covers the work permit and residence visa, medical test, Emirates ID and mandatory health insurance. By UAE law these costs cannot be deducted from the employee's pay.
Exact visa and insurance costs depend on company category, emirate and plan. See the full cost of hiring guide or ask us for a budget for your case.
Market estimate for 2026: about 12,000 - 18,000 AED per month in a small company, 18,000 - 28,000 AED in a mid-size company and 28,000 AED and more for a head of operations with several branches or units. Allowances and a bonus change the full package.
Usually when the owner spends most of the day solving daily problems instead of growing the business: delays, staff schedules, suppliers, complaints. If the business has two or more teams and the same problems repeat every week, an operations manager with clear authority and three goals for the first 90 days gives the owner that time back.
Our fee is fixed for each role and agreed before the search starts. A 10% prepayment of the fee starts the search, the rest is due once the person has started work. If it does not work out, we find a replacement free of charge within 1 month after the person starts. The employer makes the hiring decision.
A free 15-minute review: salary, requirements and timeline for your business.
I'm hiring: message us on WhatsAppSend us your CV. It is free for candidates: we keep it in our base and let you know when an employer has a matching vacancy.
Send my CVI'm looking for a job: WhatsApp us