F&B Team Leader

About the Role

We are hiring an experienced in-house Food & Beverage Consultant to support our development team in Dubai, UAE. This position is focused on F&B concept strategy and hospitality advisory rather than day-to-day restaurant operations. The role covers the planning, design, and delivery of commercially viable dining concepts across hospitality, mixed-use, residential, and commercial developments.

You will collaborate with architects, interior designers, project managers, operators, and senior leaders to shape F&B concepts that are commercially strong and operationally practical, taking projects from early feasibility through to launch and post-opening review.

Key Responsibilities

• Design original F&B concepts that suit each project’s market position and target audience.
• Carry out market studies, competitor benchmarking, and feasibility assessments.
• Build business plans, financial forecasts, and revenue estimates for F&B offerings.
• Advise on the right combination of restaurants, cafés, bars, beach clubs, lounges, kiosks, and entertainment-led venues.
• Draft concept documents covering cuisine, service model, guest experience, pricing approach, and operating needs.
• Review and improve kitchen layouts, back-of-house planning, workflow, storage, receiving, waste handling, and overall efficiency.
• Work alongside architects, interior designers, MEP consultants, and kitchen specialists during the design stage.
• Develop operating procedures, staffing frameworks, and pre-opening action plans.
• Prepare CAPEX and OPEX budgets and identify ways to reduce costs intelligently.
• Support the selection of operators, chefs, and hospitality partners when needed.
• Assess franchise and branded restaurant opportunities.
• Assist procurement teams by reviewing equipment specifications and operational needs.
• Contribute to value engineering efforts while protecting operational performance.
• Manage pre-opening readiness, operational launch activities, and opening support.
• Track performance after opening and suggest ongoing improvements.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Hotel Management, Culinary Management, Business, or a similar field.
• At least 7 years of experience in hospitality consulting, F&B development, hotel development, or multi-unit restaurant operations.
• Hands-on experience taking restaurants from concept development to opening.
• Strong knowledge of restaurant operations, kitchen planning, menu engineering, and financial performance.
• Exposure to luxury hotels, resorts, mixed-use projects, or lifestyle destinations is highly preferred.
• Solid commercial judgment and financial awareness.
• Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Ability to handle several projects at the same time.
• Prior work with international operators and hospitality brands is considered an advantage.

Preferred Background

• Hospitality consulting companies.
• Hotel development organizations.
• Mixed-use development projects.
• Luxury resort environments.
• Master-planned communities.
• Restaurant group operations.
• Asset owners and developers.

Projects You May Work On

• Hotels and resorts.
• Branded residences.
• Mixed-use developments.
• Waterfront destinations.
• Beach clubs.
• Fine dining restaurants.
• Casual dining concepts.
• Cafés.
• Food halls.
• Entertainment and lifestyle venues.