Manager - Community Engagement, AD Food Hub

Role Overview

Manager - Community Engagement at Abu Dhabi Food Hub (ADFH), part of the Economic Cities & Free Zones Cluster at AD Ports Group. The role ensures the operational integrity, safety, and compliance of the live market environment while serving as the primary client-facing representative.

Company Overview

Abu Dhabi Food Hub (ADFH) is part of the Economic Cities & Free Zones Cluster at AD Ports Group and operates as a premium food trading hub in the region.

Role Purpose

The Manager - Community Engagement is responsible for embedding a safety-first culture among tenants and clients, overseeing outsourced operational functions, and maintaining high standards of cleanliness and compliance every trading day. The role safeguards ADFH's premium positioning by delivering a differentiated, safe, and clean market experience that encourages tenant retention and service charge renewal. By proactively managing revenue protection and health, safety, and environment (HSE) oversight, the manager prevents incidents and trading interruptions, ensuring continuous market activity and occupancy.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Oversight & Compliance

• Monitor daily market operations to ensure cleanliness, safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Embed and promote safety culture among tenants, clients, and contractors.
• Execute and enforce training and induction training for tenants and contractors.
• Conduct regular inspections and audits to identify and mitigate risks associated with assets, behaviors, and bad practices within the community.

Contractor & Service Level Agreement Management

• Oversee outsourced service providers, ensuring delivery aligns with contractual service level agreements (SLAs).
• Enforce performance deductions and cost controls to optimize operating expenses.
• Track and report contractor performance, escalating issues as necessary.
• Operate under strict cost discipline, directly impacting the largest controllable operating costs and protecting the service-charge recovery ratio.

Client & Tenant Engagement

• Act as the primary point of contact for tenants and clients, addressing operational concerns and feedback.
• Facilitate onboarding and orientation for new tenants, emphasizing safety and compliance requirements.
• Build strong relationships to encourage service charge acceptance and unit occupancy renewals.

Revenue Protection & Market Differentiation

• Implement strategies to maintain a clean, safe, and well-run market that supports revenue retention.
• Monitor and prevent incidents or stoppages that could disrupt trading activities.
• Support initiatives that enhance ADFH's premium positioning versus competitors.
• Maintain ADFH's reputation as the safest, cleanest, and most compliant food trading hub in the region.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Prepare regular reports on market operations, contractor performance, and compliance metrics.
• Analyze data to identify trends, propose improvements, and support decision-making.
• Collaborate with internal teams to drive operational excellence and innovation.

People Management

• Lead, coach, and develop the community engagement team, setting clear objectives and reviewing performance regularly.
• Direct the day-to-day work of on-site staff and outsourced contractor teams to ensure service levels, safety standards, and tenant expectations are consistently met.
• Run induction and safety training for the team, tenants, and contractors.
• Keep training records up to date.
• Build a client-first, safety-first culture in the team.
• Step in on escalations, conflicts, or performance issues.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or related field.
• Five years of professional experience.
• Experience in contract management, property management services, civil engineering, or project management.

Skills & Competencies

• English (mandatory).
• Arabic (good to have).