The Food & Retail Services lead will be responsible for helping the Community Services Department to transform the Community into a place where residents are proud to work and live.
The role will be responsible to lead Food and Retail Services to work towards its vision for retail and food services, determine its values, and plan to meet assigned short/long-term goals. The role will be responsible for helping bring life to the community by providing multiple retail options and deliver food and dining options of the highest quality and that meet international food safety standards.
The role will work collaboratively with the applicable retailers, foodservice partners, and internal Community Services department to provide the NEOM Community with the highest level of service possible.
Responsibilities
- Manage the overall retail and food businesses and provide high-level strategic advice to management on department business, resource planning, financial sustainability, and compliance.
- Oversee the fiscal activities of retail and food services including budgeting, reporting, and auditing, and ensure to diversify funding sources for improving business sustainability.
- Monitor and evaluate the department’s functions as they relate to the NEOM community, its effectiveness, and its results.
- Develop and monitor all legal and contract documents for retail and food services and assure its compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
- Provide general oversight of all retail and food activities, manage its operations, and assure a smoothly functioning, efficient organization.
- Assure the retail and food operations follow the best international standards for service and quality, and establish the applicable controls, systems, and procedures and perform regular inspections and evaluations of the services being rendered.
- Initiate, develop, and maintain cooperative relationships with key agencies related to the retail and food services’ functions.
- Provide high-level advice on strategic planning and business opportunities, risk management, and continuous quality improvement.
- Establish and manage commercial strategy programs for retail and food services and related areas to potentially generate revenue for NEOM and to reduce operations costs.
- Manage all aspects of achieving the department’s overall operational, budgetary, and financial responsibilities and activities specific for Retail and Food.
- Manage and commercialize the Food Catering businesses to provide the best foodservice and catering.
- Manage food retailers/catering service providers to provide catering services for business and personal functions/events.
- Manage the quality and safety of all food and catering services.
- Manage all current and future retail developments.
- Undertake the development, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the retail operations.
- Improve Retail and Food Services operational systems, processes, and policies to support management reporting, information flow, business processes, and organizational planning.
- Lead the Retail and Food Services operations’ team and oversee operations’ functions, resources, and outputs.
- Manage customers’ relationships, contracts, compliance, and interface issues with the Retail and Food Services Department.
- Direct all leasing initiatives for retail space throughout the NEOM Community, prepare proposals for prospective tenants, and negotiate lease terms.
- Develop and implement appropriate marketing programs for retail and food services.
- Oversee and manage the retail development projects from conception through design, operation, lease-up, permitting, and opening.
- Performs other duties as needed and as assigned by the Director
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree
- Minimum of seven to 10 to 15 years of relevant experience including seven years in a similar senior management role
- Relevant certifications/credentials to display professionalism in the field.
- Superior and current knowledge of the Food & Retail industry
- Highly customer-oriented and ability to work professionally and diplomatically with individuals at all levels.
- Excellent business and financial acumen
- Possesses strong conflict management and problem-solving abilities
- Very adaptable and can effectively function in a highly dynamic environment
- Demonstrates maturity and excellence in communication, ability to build effective teams, effective interpersonal communication and the ability to initiate and model positive change.
- Proficient computer skills, particularly in the MS Suite applications,
- Leadership skills to motivated and provide guidance
- Excellent communication skills sufficient to express ideas and agreements concisely and persuasively, both orally and in writing, to a variety of constituencies.
- Demonstrated integrity, dependability, sound judgment, teambuilding, and resourcefulness to establish and maintain collaborative, positive, and effective working relationships with multiple and diverse constituency groups.