Director of Food & Beverage

Role summary

Written by MyIslandJob from the job title and employer. See the employer's page for the full description.

The Director of Food & Beverage leads all dining, bar, banquet, and room-service operations, ensuring outstanding guest experiences and strong financial performance. Candidates typically need extensive luxury-hospitality experience, proven leadership across multiple F&B outlets, strong budgeting and revenue-management skills, and excellent knowledge of food safety, service standards, and UAE regulations. A degree or professional qualification in hospitality is preferred, along with commercial awareness and experience in an international hotel group. Shangri-La expects a hands-on, guest-focused leader who can develop teams, maintain quality, improve profitability, manage suppliers, and collaborate effectively with executive management and other departments.

About the employer

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is a luxury hospitality group founded in Hong Kong, with hotels, resorts, residences, and urban properties across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and other international markets. The brand is recognised for personalised service, distinctive Asian-inspired hospitality, and high standards in accommodation, dining, wellness, and events. Shangri-La properties in the United Arab Emirates serve business travellers, leisure guests, families, and luxury clients, offering extensive restaurants, bars, banqueting facilities, and recreational services. The company places strong emphasis on guest satisfaction, colleague development, cultural awareness, responsible business practices, and operational excellence. A senior Food & Beverage leader can expect a multicultural workplace, demanding service standards, and opportunities to work with diverse outlets and large-scale events.

Working in United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is not an island, but it is a popular Gulf destination with major coastal cities including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Hospitality, tourism, aviation, retail, events, wellness, and food and beverage provide many employment opportunities, particularly in luxury hotels and resorts. The culture combines Emirati traditions with a highly international population; modest dress and respect for local customs are important. Lifestyle options range from beaches, restaurants, and shopping to desert excursions and water sports, although summers are extremely hot. Employers normally sponsor residence and work visas after hiring, arrange medical testing, and support Emirates ID processing. Do not work on a tourist visa. Relocating employees should budget for deposits, transport, schooling, and initial accommodation. Employment packages may include housing, insurance, flights, meals, and transport, but terms vary by employer.