City Manager
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About GuestReady
GuestReady is an award-winning hospitality management company at the intersection of hospitality and technology. Founded in 2016, we manage thousands of properties across the UK, France, Portugal, Spain and the UAE, and we build our own property management software, RentalReady. The UAE is a long-term priority market for us, and Abu Dhabi is our next step.
The role
We're looking for a City Manager to build and lead GuestReady in Abu Dhabi. You'll own the city end to end: growing our portfolio of properties, running day-to-day operations, keeping owners and guests happy and delivering the city's results. Reporting to the Director of Business Operations, UAE, you'll work closely with our Dubai team and our central Revenue Management, Guest Experience, Finance and Owner Success teams.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who wants to build something from the ground up.
Key responsibilities
- City performance: Own the Abu Dhabi P&L and key targets, including portfolio growth, occupancy, revenue, owner retention and guest reviews.
- Portfolio growth: Build and grow our portfolio of properties in Abu Dhabi, working with owners, developers and local partners to bring new homes on board.
- Owner relationships: Act as the senior point of contact for key owners, making sure they feel informed and confident in GuestReady.
- Operations: Set up and run day-to-day operations, including cleaning, maintenance, check-ins and quality standards, with in-house teams and local suppliers.
- Licensing and compliance: Make sure every property in the portfolio has the right holiday home permits and meets Abu Dhabi regulations (DCT), working with authorities and internal teams.
- Team leadership: Hire, lead and develop the local team, setting clear goals and building a strong team culture.
- Guest experience: Work with Guest Experience to deliver high-quality stays and act quickly on guest feedback.
- Reporting: Track and report city KPIs, spot issues early and drive improvements in how we run the portfolio.
What we're looking for
- 5–8 years' experience in hospitality, short-term rentals, property management or real estate, including at least 2–3 years leading a team
- Experience owning results for a city, region, property or business unit
- Strong operational background: you know how to set up and run field operations and suppliers
- Commercially minded, comfortable with a P&L and with numbers
- Confident building relationships with owners, developers and partners
- Hands-on, organised and able to work independently in a growing market
- Fluent English, written and spoken
Nice to have
- Experience in the Abu Dhabi market and with DCT holiday home licensing
- Experience launching or scaling a business in a new city
- Arabic
- Experience with property management systems or CRM tools
What we offer
- Stability: a long-term role with an established, growing company that's here to stay in the UAE
- Competitive salary
- UAE visa sponsorship, covered by GuestReady
- Medical insurance from your first day
- 25 days' annual leave
GuestReady is committed to an inclusive environment and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds.
- Department
- Operations
- Location
- Abu Dhabi
- Remote status
- Hybrid
About GuestReady
✨ Diversity is Our Superpower!
🌱 Humble Beginnings: Started with 20 team members in 2016.
🌍 Global Impact: Now over 300 passionate professionals.
🤝 Balanced & Inclusive:
- 👩🤝👨 Gender Harmony: Nearly a 50/50 split between men and women
- 🌈 Inclusivity: Proudly include non-binary colleagues, ensuring every voice is heard.
- 🌐 Unity in Diversity: Embracing Over 60 Nationalities
Join us as we celebrate the unique contributions of our global family—where diversity drives creativity and success!