Business Development & Growth Director

Wonder Restaurants Group is looking for an experienced Business Development & Growth Director to join our senior leadership team and lead the next phase of growth for Ka'ak Al Manara, Manaret Beirut, and additional Group concepts currently under development. As we continue to expand our presence in the UAE and explore opportunities across the region, we are looking for a commercially minded F&B leader with a strong track record in restaurant growth, business development, site strategy, market expansion and revenue generation. The role will work directly with the Founder & Managing Partner and senior leadership team to identify, develop and execute opportunities that support the long-term growth of the Group and its brands. The Role A key part of the mandate will be to continuously optimize our business models for expansion while identifying and executing new avenues for growth across locations, markets, partnerships and revenue channels. Key responsibilities will include: • Review and optimize existing business models and processes to support efficient, profitable and sustainable expansion. • Develop and execute growth strategies across the Group's restaurant brands and concepts. • Identify and evaluate new locations, trade areas and market opportunities across the UAE and wider region. • Lead location search, site assessment and selection, working with landlords, developers, brokers and other stakeholders. • Assess the commercial viability, investment requirements and potential returns of new locations and expansion opportunities. • Develop new-market entry strategies and lead expansion into selected markets. • Identify, develop and manage strategic partnerships that can accelerate the growth of the Group and its brands. • Explore and develop franchise, joint venture, development and other partnership opportunities where appropriate. • Lead commercial discussions and negotiations relating to new locations, markets and growth opportunities. • Identify and develop new revenue opportunities beyond the Group's restaurant outlets, including catering, events, B2B, corporate partnerships and other complementary F&B revenue channels. • Work closely with Operations, Culinary, Finance, Marketing and Development teams to ensure growth opportunities are commercially and operationally viable. • Support new restaurant openings and ensure key learnings are incorporated into future expansion. • Develop the systems, processes and frameworks required to support continued multi-location and multi-market growth. • Monitor market trends, competitor activity and emerging opportunities within the UAE and regional F&B sector. The Candidate We are looking for an experienced F&B executive who combines commercial instinct, strategic thinking and hands-on execution. The ideal candidate will have: • Direct experience leading the growth of UAE homegrown F&B brands across multiple locations in the UAE, GCC and Levant, with a strong understanding of how to improve restaurant unit economics and business models for scalability. • A proven track record of playing a leading role within the senior leadership team of an F&B organization, including building high-performing teams and developing organizational structures to support growth. • Strong experience in location strategy, site selection, new restaurant development and market entry. • A strong track record in business development and revenue growth, with demonstrated ability to identify, develop and convert new commercial opportunities into meaningful revenue streams. • Experience developing non-outlet F&B revenue channels, such as catering, events, B2B, corporate partnerships or other complementary business lines. • Experience developing and negotiating strategic partnerships, with exposure to franchising, joint ventures or regional development agreements considered a strong advantage. • Strong commercial judgment, negotiation capabilities and stakeholder-management skills. • Strong understanding of Lebanese food culture, consumer trends and the wider regional F&B landscape. Experience with Lebanese or Levantine F&B brands is a major advantage. • An entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to operate effectively within a fast-moving, founder-led organization. The Opportunity This is a senior leadership role for someone who wants to play a meaningful part in the next stage of a growing home-grown restaurant group. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to influence the Group's growth strategy, identify and develop new opportunities, establish strategic partnerships and help expand our brands into new locations, markets and revenue channels. We are looking for someone who doesn't simply identify opportunities, but has the experience, commercial drive and execution capability to turn those opportunities into successful businesses. Location: Dubai, UAE Reporting to: Founder & Managing Partner Show more Show less

Experience leading the growth of UAE homegrown F&B brands across multiple locations in the UAE, GCC and Levant; strong experience in location strategy, site selection, new restaurant development and market entry; proven track record in business development and revenue growth; experience developing non-outlet F&B revenue channels (catering, events, B2B, corporate partnerships); experience developing and negotiating strategic partnerships (franchising, joint ventures, regional development agreements); strong commercial judgment, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills; understanding of Lebanese/Levantine F&B trends is a major advantage; entrepreneurial mindset to operate in a fast-moving founder-led organization.

Review and optimize existing business models and processes to support expansion; develop and execute growth strategies across the Group's restaurant brands; identify and evaluate new locations, trade areas and market opportunities across the UAE and wider region; lead location search, site assessment and selection with landlords, developers and brokers; assess commercial viability and required investment for new locations; develop new-market entry strategies and lead expansion; identify, develop and manage strategic partnerships; explore franchise, joint venture, development and other partnership opportunities; lead commercial discussions and negotiations; identify and develop new revenue opportunities beyond outlets (catering, events, B2B, corporate partnerships); work with Operations, Culinary, Finance, Marketing and Development teams to ensure viability; support new openings and capture learnings for future expansions; develop systems and frameworks to support multi-location and multi-market growth; monitor market trends and competitor activity in UAE and regional F&B sector.