Operations Officer – Residency & Citizenship Programs

📍 Dubai, UAE (Sheikh Zayed Road office)🏢 ZIADA💼 Full-time | On-siteAbout ZIADAZIADA is a Dubai-based international mobility and corporate services company. We help entrepreneurs, business owners, investors and families with European residency programs, residency and citizenship by investment (RBI / CBI), and UAE company formation and corporate services. Our team works across the UAE, Egypt and Spain, together with partner law firms and service providers in several countries.The RoleWe are looking for an experienced, Arabic-speaking Operations Officer to take ownership of ZIADA's day-to-day operations, under the direct supervision of the Business Operations Director.The two most important parts of this role are communication with clients and communication with suppliers and partners. You will be the person clients rely on for clear, accurate updates on their files, and the person who keeps lawyers, partners and service providers moving on time.Your main focus will be our European residency files — above all our Spain residency program — from signed contract to issued residency card. You will also handle residency and citizenship-by-investment files with our international partners, and support our UAE corporate services operations.Key ResponsibilitiesClient communication: be the main daily point of contact for clients on their files — clear, calm and accurate updates by WhatsApp, phone and email in Arabic and English. Explain requirements and next steps, collect documents, manage expectations, and handle concerns and escalations professionally.Supplier and partner communication: manage day-to-day communication with partner lawyers, accountants, attestation and translation providers, appointment agents and licensing authorities. Chase every pending item, confirm timelines in writing, and escalate delays early.Handle the end-to-end delivery of European residency files: onboarding, document checklists, attestation and legalisation, sworn translations, appointments, filing through partner lawyers, biometrics, card collection and post-approval steps (tax ID, residency card, social security and tax registration).Follow up residency-by-investment (RBI) and citizenship-by-investment (CBI) files with external partners, from document collection and due diligence to final approval.Support UAE corporate services operations: company formation with free zones and mainland authorities, visas and government transactions.Coordinate the daily work of the operations team in Dubai and Egypt: set priorities, follow up, and keep to response-time standards.Check every client document for completeness, consistency and authenticity before it is used, and escalate anything doubtful.Keep the CRM and shared drive up to date at all times: every file with its current stage, missing items, next step, owner and deadline.Report weekly to management on files by stage, bottlenecks, risks and decisions needed.Build and improve checklists, templates, trackers and procedures, and use automation and AI tools to work faster and more accurately.Follow regulatory and procedural changes in the programs we offer, together with our partner lawyers, and update our processes accordingly.RequirementsAt least 3 years of operations experience in immigration, residency or citizenship programs, global mobility or corporate services.Proven experience as the main point of contact for clients, and in day-to-day coordination with lawyers, government-related service providers or international partners.Excellent written and spoken communication — clear, polite and precise.Hands-on experience with European residency files (Spain strongly preferred) or comparable immigration processes, including attestation, apostille, sworn translation and consular procedures.Fluent Arabic and professional English, written and spoken.Available for full-time, on-site work at our Dubai office.Strong command of a CRM or task-management system (ClickUp or similar), Google Workspace and spreadsheets.Confident use of AI productivity tools.Very high attention to detail and full discretion with sensitive documents (passports, bank statements, contracts).Strong AdvantageExperience with citizenship-by-investment (CBI) and residency-by-investment (RBI) programs — for example Caribbean citizenship programs or European golden visa and residency routes.Spanish language skills.Experience with UAE free zone and mainland company formation.Currently residing in the UAE, with immediate or short-notice availability.Who will succeed hereSomeone who owns outcomes without waiting for repeated instructions, spots problems before they become urgent, follows up until the job is done, and communicates briefly and accurately.Hiring ProcessApplications are reviewed against the screening questions first. Shortlisted applicants will complete a short practical operations task, followed by an in-person interview at our Dubai office.Please read this description in full and apply only if you have direct, hands-on experience handling immigration, residency or citizenship files.