Product & Operations Associate - Construction and Manpower Industries

About The Company Our client is building a platform designed to improve how the UAE manpower and construction industries operate. They are looking for a commercially minded, proactive individual to join their founding team and help translate real-world industry challenges into practical technology solutions. This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping both the product and the business from an early stage, working closely with the engineering team, contractors, PRO managers, site coordinators, and other industry stakeholders. The Role As Product & Operations Associate, you will act as the bridge between the operational realities of the UAE manpower and construction sectors and the technology being developed to address them. Your primary responsibility will be to understand business requirements, identify operational inefficiencies, and translate these into clear product requirements and feature specifications for the engineering team. You will also take direct ownership of contractor onboarding, platform implementation, and user adoption, ensuring that the platform works effectively in real-world environments. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role suited to someone who understands the industry, challenges conventional ways of working, and is motivated to build something better. Key Responsibilities 1. Product Development & Requirements

• Translate business needs, operational challenges, and user feedback into clear product requirements and feature specifications.
• Write detailed product briefs, user stories, acceptance criteria, and workflow documentation for the engineering team.
• Work closely with developers to communicate requirements, clarify functionality, and ensure solutions meet business needs.
• Prioritise features and improvements based on user needs, commercial value, and operational impact.
• Test new features, identify issues, and provide structured feedback to support continuous product improvement.
• Proactively identify gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities to improve the platform before they are raised by others. 2. Contractor Onboarding & Platform Implementation
• Identify, engage, and onboard contractors and other relevant businesses onto the platform.
• Work directly with contractors to understand their existing processes, requirements, and operational challenges.
• Manage the onboarding process from initial engagement through to successful platform adoption.
• Ensure users understand how to use the platform effectively and can integrate it into their day-to-day operations.
• Track onboarding progress, resolve implementation challenges, and drive user engagement. 3. Operational Engagement & Process Improvement
• Work directly with PRO managers, site coordinators, and other operational stakeholders to understand how manpower and construction-related processes work in practice.
• Spend time with users in their working environments to observe workflows, identify pain points, and understand practical requirements.
• Map existing processes and recommend more efficient, scalable, technology-enabled alternatives.
• Challenge established ways of working where there is a clear opportunity to improve efficiency, transparency, or the user experience.
• Develop practical solutions that address real operational problems rather than theoretical requirements. 4. Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Act as the link between customers, operational stakeholders, and the product engineering team.
• Communicate complex operational requirements in a clear, structured, and actionable manner.
• Gather feedback from users and ensure it informs product development priorities.
• Build strong working relationships with contractors, PRO teams, site personnel, and other industry stakeholders.
• Ensure product decisions reflect the realities of the UAE market and the needs of the people using the platform. 5. Founding Team Contribution
• Take ownership of projects and responsibilities from concept through to execution.
• Work independently, make informed decisions, and move initiatives forward without requiring constant direction.
• Identify business opportunities, emerging challenges, and areas where additional value can be delivered.
• Help establish processes, operating procedures, and best practices as the business grows.
• Contribute ideas and practical solutions that shape the future direction of the platform.
• Take on broader responsibilities as the company expands and the role evolves. Candidate Requirements Essential Experience
• Previous hands-on experience within the UAE manpower supply, construction, contracting, PRO services, or a closely related industry.
• A strong understanding of the operational realities of the UAE market, including the challenges faced by contractors, PRO managers, and site coordinators.
• Experience working with operational processes, business requirements, workflow improvement, or technology implementation.
• The ability to translate business needs into clear, structured requirements that technical teams can understand and implement.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to document requirements accurately and concisely.
• A proactive, self-starting approach, with the ability to identify problems and take ownership of solutions.
• A practical, analytical mindset and a willingness to challenge inefficient processes.
• The confidence to work directly with customers and operational teams at all levels. Desirable Experience
• Experience in product management, business analysis, product operations, or software implementation.
• Experience working with SaaS platforms, digital transformation projects, or technology-enabled business services.
• Familiarity with writing user stories, product specifications, acceptance criteria, and process maps.
• Experience onboarding business customers onto digital platforms.
• Experience working in an early-stage company, startup, or fast-moving business environment. Key Skills & Attributes
• Industry knowledge: Understands how the UAE manpower and construction sectors operate in practice.
• Product thinking: Can turn operational problems into practical, well-defined technology requirements.
• Ownership: Takes responsibility for outcomes rather than simply completing assigned tasks.
• Initiative: Identifies problems and opportunities without waiting to be prompted.
• Communication: Writes clearly and communicates effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Problem-solving: Challenges assumptions, investigates root causes, and develops workable solutions.
• Execution: Comfortable moving between strategic thinking and hands-on operational delivery.
• Adaptability: Thrives in an evolving environment where priorities and responsibilities will grow with the business. What Success Looks Like
• Translate genuine industry requirements into clear, actionable product specifications.
• Help deliver product features that solve meaningful customer problems.
• Onboard contractors successfully and achieve sustained platform adoption.
• Build strong relationships with contractors, PRO managers, and site coordinators.
• Identify and resolve operational bottlenecks before they become larger problems.
• Improve the efficiency, usability, and commercial value of the Amel platform.
• Take increasing ownership as the business and product develop. The Opportunity This is an opportunity to join our client as a founding team member and have a direct influence on the product, customer experience, and operational direction of the business. They are looking for someone who understands the industry's challenges, has clear ideas about how things could work better, and is ready to turn those ideas into reality. You will have the opportunity to work closely with the founding team, influence product decisions, engage directly with customers, and take on broader responsibilities as the company grows. The ideal candidate is not someone who simply waits for instructions. They are someone who understands the problem, figures out what needs to change, and makes it happen. As such we ask each applicant to include 2–3 sentences on their view of what's broken about how construction labour is managed in the UAE