General Manager

ABOUT AL THAKEELAl Thakeel is a UAE-based brand holding group that builds homegrown consumer brands from the ground up and scales them regionally through ecommerce, marketplaces, and in-store retail. The current portfolio spans fashion, lifestyle, and beauty — including Nexso, ARMED, and Store 1920 — with each brand run as a distinct identity under a shared operating engine for sourcing, fulfilment, and growth.Having established strong digital-first traction across its brands, Al Thakeel is now entering its next chapter: building a formal retail division and scaling the group into a multi-channel house of brands with a physical footprint across the GCC. This role will lead that transformationTHE ROLEAl Thakeel is looking for a General Manager to take ownership of the group's brand portfolio and lead it into its next stage of growth. This is a builder's role: someone who has already scaled a D2C or ecommerce business and now wants to design and stand up a retail division from scratch — stores, wholesale, marketplace shop-in-shops, or franchise, depending on the right model per brand.You will sit close to the founders, own full P&L accountability across brands, and be the single point of leadership connecting brand building, digital commerce, and physical retail into one coherent growth strategy.WHAT YOU'LL DOBusiness Leadership & P&L Ownership— Own the P&L across the Al Thakeel brand portfolio, setting revenue, margin, and profitability targets by brand and channel.— Translate group strategy into an annual operating plan and quarterly OKRs across ecommerce, retail, and brand functions.— Report directly to the founders/board on performance, risks, and investment decisions.Scale the Existing Ecommerce Engine— Own and grow performance across owned websites, regional marketplaces (Amazon, Noon, etc.), and social commerce.— Build a scalable, data-led growth infrastructure (CRM, merchandising, fulfilment) that can support multiple brands at once.Build the Retail Division from the Ground Up— Define the retail go-to-market strategy for the group: own stores, brand by brand (Nexso & Armed).— Lead and rollout planning for the first wave of physical locations.— Build wholesale/distribution partnerships with regional retailers and department stores where relevant to the brand.Brand Building— Strengthen brand positioning and identity across the portfolio, ensuring each brand has a distinct, defensible place in the market as it moves offline.— Partner with marketing and creative teams to ensure brand consistency across digital, retail, and wholesale touchpoints.— Identify white space for new brand or category launches within the group's house-of-brands model.Organization & Team Leadership— Build and lead the leadership team required for a multi-channel business: retail operations, ecommerce, supply chain, and brand marketing.— Set the operating cadence, reporting rhythm, and accountability structure across a fast-growing, founder-led organization.— Instill a scaled-startup culture: fast decision-making, high ownership, and rigorous measurement.Operations & Supply Chain— Oversee sourcing, inventory planning, and logistics to support both online fulfilment and retail replenishment without excess working capital.— Put in place the systems (ERP, inventory, POS integration) needed to run ecommerce and retail as one connected operation.WHAT YOU BRING— 5+ years of experience in ecommerce, D2C, or omnichannel retail, with at least 3-5 years in a General Manager, Country Manager, or comparable P&L leadership role.— A demonstrable track record of scaling an ecommerce or D2C brand — meaningful, quantifiable revenue growth you personally drove.— Direct experience either launching a retail division/store network from scratch, or leading significant retail expansion (multi-store rollout, franchise, or wholesale) within a brand.— Strong commercial and P&L fluency — comfortable owning budgets, margins, and unit economics across multiple brands and channels simultaneously.— A genuine feel for brand — able to protect brand equity while making commercially sound retail and pricing decisions.— Experience building and leading cross-functional teams (commercial, marketing, operations, supply chain) in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.— Comfort operating in a founder-led business — hands-on, resourceful, and able to move without heavy corporate infrastructure.— GCC/MENA market experience is a strong plus; fashion, lifestyle, or beauty category experience is a plus.— Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent commercial/retail leadership experience is a plus.