Head of Operations

About OrthoAI

OrthoAI is dedicated to developing AI-powered decision intelligence solutions in dentistry, primarily focusing on transforming multimodal clinical data into organized and explainable support for complex authorization workflows. Based in Abu Dhabi, OrthoAI targets the UAE and GCC regions, emphasizing clinical reliability, traceability, and user safety from inception.

Role Overview

The Head of Operations will play a pivotal role in bridging the human and machine elements of OrthoAI's functioning, ensuring clear translation of strategy into accountable outcomes, dependencies, performance metrics, and streamlined processes related to planning, recruitment, onboarding, vendor management, procurement, policies, and expenditures. This role centers on operational design rather than simple administrative tasks.

Success Milestones

• Within 30 days: Map the seven-RP operating framework including accountability, outcomes, decision rights, dependencies, commitments, record-keeping systems, and major risks.
• Within 90 days: Set up weekly and quarterly operational rhythms encompassing a commitments register, KPI clarity, decision logs, escalation mechanisms, and root cause standards.
• Within 6 months: Achieve stability in recruitment, onboarding, procurement, spend transparency, policy management, and advisor workflows.
• Within 12 months: Demonstrate quantifiable improvements in commitment dependability, decision-making speed, onboarding efficiency, vendor process cycles, and reduction of repeat failures.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer company-wide operating cadence and maintain a centralized source of truth for vital commitments and dependencies.
• Ensure every significant outcome has a designated owner, defined metrics, verified data source, and review timeline.
• Develop simplified operational workflows for hiring, onboarding, vendor relations, procurement, policy management, and administrative functions.
• Collaborate closely with Finance on budgeting, expenditure controls, commitments, and resource planning.
• Provide clear operational insights and evidence for executive leadership, partners, investors, and advisors.
• Investigate operational deficiencies prioritizing outcome definitions and system design prior to attributing to personnel issues.

Required Qualifications

• Possess an MSc or Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, finance, operations, or a related field, or demonstrate equivalent operational leadership experience. Formal project management certifications are advantageous but do not replace proven outcomes.
• Have around eight or more years' experience in startups, SMEs, or mid-sized companies across operations, business functions, program leadership, strategy implementation, or related roles.
• Possess a minimum of three years managing company-wide or multi-department operational systems in fast growth organizations.
• Experience working alongside founders or senior executives on priorities like budgeting, recruitment, vendor relations, and cross-functional project delivery.
• Track record of driving measurable performance improvements while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.

Technical and Functional Skills

• Experience establishing operational rhythms and execution frameworks in early-phase or ambiguous environments.
• Capability to define accurate metrics, validate source data, identify variances, and initiate corrective actions without conflating reporting with progress.
• Strong program leadership engaging both executives and specialists without dependence on hierarchical authority.
• Financial literacy encompassing budgeting, commitments, vendor management, and capacity planning.
• Proven ability to simplify or remove processes when the associated risks evolve.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in health-tech, insurance, medical devices, regulated software, or clinical operations.
• Experience with UAE operational frameworks including employment administration, procurement, and free-zone or mainland business coordination.
• Proficiency in preparing operational evidence for investors, partners, auditors, or regulated clients.

Notable Achievements

• Developed a 90-day operational design map covering seven accountable functions amid incomplete data and conflicting priorities.
• Successfully analyzed a missed objective by diagnosing outcome clarity, machine design, capability, and skill factors.
• Implemented process removal or simplification based on risk assessment and tracked effective results.

Working Principles at OrthoAI

• Clear ownership of outcomes with accountable individuals and transparent interfaces.
• Weighting ideas based on relevant proven success and logical reasoning rather than hierarchy or titles.
• Documentation of critical decisions, errors, root causes, and operational adjustments.
• Integration of clinical, scientific, engineering, commercial, and operational disciplines.
• Human accountability remains central; AI supports but does not replace human decision-making.

Core Values

• Prioritize truth over comfort by openly acknowledging difficult facts and updating views based on evidence.
• Own outcomes fully, including handling dependencies and recovery without excuses.
• Depend on evidence rather than opinions, distinguishing observations from assumptions.
• Maintain uncompromising patient and user safety by halting and escalating risks as needed.
• Deliver prompt actions balanced with necessary rigor and risk controls.

What We Offer

• Founding team scope with direct responsibility for a critical company outcome.
• Close collaboration with CEO and founding teams across clinical, scientific, engineering, and commercial areas.
• Significant influence over operational systems, standards, recruitment, and roadmap decisions.
• Work involving serious technical and operational challenges in healthcare workflows managing secured data.
• Above-market compensation including competitive base salary, meaningful equity through ESOP, and comprehensive benefits—fully disclosed at offer stage.

Candidate Selection Process

• Application and evidence screening based on role outcomes.
• Structured interviews focusing on candidate decisions, results, and learning.
• Paid, job-specific working session simulating a genuine OrthoAI challenge.
• Final interviews emphasizing alignment with company values and reference checks with candidate consent.

Location and Eligibility

This is a full-time position requiring on-site presence in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Applicants must have legal authorization to work in the UAE or clearly state their visa support requirements. Eligibility and authorization details will be reviewed strictly relevant to the position requirements.