Role Overview
A client of byteSpark.ai is seeking a commercially driven General Manager - Food Manufacturing to lead a Dubai-based food solutions business through its next phase of growth. The role will take full ownership of the business, with a strong focus on accelerating B2B revenue across foodservice, hospitality and retail channels, winning and expanding key customer accounts, strengthening pricing and commercial discipline, and improving profitability across a diverse product portfolio. The successful candidate will combine strong sales and customer-development capability with hands-on P&L leadership and sufficient operational depth across manufacturing, procurement, supply chain and working capital to make sound commercial decisions. This is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial leader to shape the growth of an established food manufacturing platform, build a high-performing organisation and create measurable value in a highly dynamic UAE market.
Requirements
- 15+ years of relevant experience, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership or equivalent P&L ownership role within food manufacturing, food distribution, FMCG, or foodservice.
- Proven track record of growing revenue and improving profitability across both foodservice and retail channels.
- Strong operational understanding across procurement, production, warehousing, supply chain, and management of a high-SKU product portfolio.
- Demonstrated experience leading or overseeing turnaround and transformation initiatives, with the ability to guide functional teams on operational efficiency, cost optimisation, margin improvement, and working-capital performance.
- Experience managing major retail and B2B customer accounts while maintaining demanding quality and service standards.
- Strong commercial capability with evidence of winning new customers, expanding key accounts, and developing sustainable revenue streams.
- UAE or GCC market experience strongly preferred, with established relationships across retailers, distributors, customers, and suppliers considered an advantage.
- Strong financial acumen with the ability to lead pricing and commercial decisions, understand profitability, cash generation, and working-capital drivers, and hold functional leaders accountable for business performance.
- Entrepreneurial and hands-on leadership style with the ability to build, develop, and lead a high-performing organisation.
- Ability to take full ownership of the business and operate effectively across commercial, operational, and financial functions.
Desirable
- Direct experience within a food manufacturing environment, particularly involving multi-SKU production, private label, ready meals, sauces, bakery, dairy, or related food categories.
- Previous leadership experience within the UAE or GCC food manufacturing, foodservice, FMCG, or distribution sector.
- Established relationships with major retailers, hotel groups, restaurant groups, catering companies, distributors, and foodservice customers in the UAE or GCC.
- Experience managing a business serving both foodservice and retail channels, including complex key-account relationships.
- Track record of leading growth, turnaround, or transformation initiatives that improved margins, costs, working capital, or overall profitability.
- Experience developing pricing strategy and improving profitability across products, customers, channels, or a high-SKU portfolio.
- Experience working with shareholders, Boards, investors, or private-equity-style ownership structures.
This vacancy remains open and applications are being reviewed. Originally posted .