Operations Director

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a 3-year operations strategy aligned to business growth and regulatory obligations
• Oversee warehousing, inventory management, transportation, and last-mile distribution for pharmaceutical products
• Ensure full compliance with GDP guidelines and local regulatory authority requirements
• Manage cold chain operations for temperature-sensitive products
• Own operational budgets and drive cost optimisation
• Lead and develop a high-performing operations team across warehousing, logistics, and compliance
• Partner with commercial teams to align operational capacity with sales growth plans
• Identify and mitigate operational risks including supply disruptions and cold chain failures

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Pharmacy, Life Sciences, Engineering, or a related field
• MBA or postgraduate qualification in Supply Chain, Operations, or Business
• 10–15+ years of progressive experience in operations or logistics within pharmaceutical or healthcare distribution
• Demonstrated experience managing GDP-regulated distribution environments
• Proven leadership of large, multi-functional teams and multi-site operations
• Hands-on experience with ERP/WMS systems
• Experience operating in the GCC / MENA region with knowledge of local regulatory bodies
• Knowledge of cold chain and serialisation/track-and-trace platforms

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean or Six Sigma certification
• Experience with digital transformation programmes in warehouse or logistics operations

About the Company

Established in 1977, Arabian Ethicals is a top healthcare player in the UAE, serving as an exclusive representative and distributor for many multinational pharmaceutical, consumer, and veterinary products.