Head of Operations

Who we Are - AstroLabs, the Gulf’s leading Business Expansion Platform

AstroLabs is the Gulf’s leading business expansion platform. We specialize in helping high-growth companies enter the Saudi and UAE markets, offering end-to-end services including business setup, licensing, HR & PRO support, coworking spaces, and recruitment. We also partner with governments and the private sector to run large-scale programs that build regional industries.

With over 1,500+ companies expanded across KSA and the UAE, we are now scaling aggressively and digitizing how this industry operates. Our Riyadh office hosts more than half of our workforce, and is the beating heart of our regional operations.

Our culture is ambitious, supportive, outcome-oriented, and driven by curiosity.

Who You Are

You are an experienced operator and people leader who thrives in fast-scaling, complex environments. You don’t just “manage operations”. you reimagine and build them. You are equally comfortable designing scalable processes, leveraging technology, and developing managers into strong leaders. You spot inefficiencies, close performance gaps, and transform overburdened teams into structured, efficient, and motivated units.

You know how to balance strategic redesign with tactical firefighting -leading people through change while ensuring clients experience seamless, top-quality service. Above all, you understand that operational excellence is about both people and process, and you can embed a culture of clarity, accountability, and growth across a 30+ person team.

Your Mission Statement

As Head of Operations, your mission is to transform our KSA Operations department into a structured, scalable, and client-obsessed engine of growth. You will bring stability to a shifting organizational structure by aligning people with clear roles, KPIs, and growth paths, while empowering middle managers to lead as true developers of talent.

At the same time, you will introduce sustainable processes, embed technology and automation, and ensure performance gaps are identified and closed before they impact delivery. Your leadership will balance operational rigor with empathy, creating an environment where people are motivated, onboarded effectively, and supported in their growth.

By redesigning workflows, eliminating firefighting, and elevating morale, you will enable AstroLabs to deliver excellence to clients while building a resilient, high-performing workforce prepared for scale.

Responsibilities - In This Role, You Will

Leadership & People Development

• Lead, mentor, and scale a 30+ person team across multiple service lines (Setup & Post-Setup).

• Redesign and stabilize the organizational structure, aligning people with the right roles and eliminating constant reshuffling.

• Coach and upskill middle managers to run effective 1:1s, focus on people development, and make stronger decisions.

• Institutionalize a culture of clarity and accountability, ensuring every role has defined duties, KPIs, and clear growth opportunities.

• Drive morale and engagement initiatives to rebuild trust, reduce burnout, and create a motivated, resilient team.

Operational Excellence & Process Design

• Audit and redesign workflows, SOPs, and service delivery models for scalability and efficiency.

• Build an operational playbook that reduces firefighting and prevents task leakage.

• Standardize onboarding, ensuring that managers are trained and clear on the onboarding process and best practices so that new hires are set up for success.

• Establish mechanisms to detect and close performance gaps at both junior and mid-levels.

• Create sustainable workload and capacity models to balance responsibilities and prevent burnout.

Technology & Automation

• Advise leadership on best ways of replacing manual spreadsheets and ad-hoc reporting with scalable tech systems and dashboards.

• Partner with Tech/Operations teams to implement automation and digitization of recurring processes.

• Introduce real-time reporting and analytics for leadership visibility and proactive decision-making.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as the bridge between Operations, Sales, and Finance-ensuring alignment and feedback loops.

• Translate strategic goals into operational execution.

• Continuously improve the client experience by embedding client-obsession into processes and culture.

Your Technical Skills & Mindset

• Excellent verbal and written communication; ability to set a high standard across the team.

• Strong problem-solving and decision-making under pressure.

• Process-oriented, data-driven, and technologically adept.

• Equally strong in strategy (designing models) and execution (driving adoption).

• Passion for people development -turning managers into leaders and juniors into future stars.

• Curious, adaptable, and resilient in the face of change.

Requirements

• 10+ years in senior operations leadership roles (services sector preferred).

• Proven track record leading large teams (25+ employees).

• Experience scaling operations and embedding tech/automation solutions.

• Strong background in people leadership, performance management, and people development.

• Arabic speaker, based in KSA (or willing to relocate).

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Management, or a related field (Master’s a plus)