Head of Real Estate

About This Role

Role: Head of Real estate (Finance, Strategy & Business Development)

Location: Dubai

Role Summary Head – Real Estate & Hospitality will provide strategic and operational leadership over all financial functions, ensuring optimal performance of real estate development and hospitality businesses. This includes overseeing financial planning, investor relations, compliance, risk management, capital structuring, and strategic decision-making. The CFO will be a key advisor to the Board, driving financial discipline and enabling scalable, profitable growth.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities Strategic Financial Leadership

• Define and execute the financial strategy aligned with the group’s long-term vision in real estate and hospitality.
• Partner with the head of hospitality and Board on capital allocation, investment priorities, and portfolio strategy across residential, commercial, and hospitality assets.
• Lead enterprise-wide financial transformation initiatives to improve transparency, efficiency, and risk management.
• Serve as the financial conscience of the organization, enabling informed decision-making and strategic direction.

Project Finance & Capital Structuring

• Oversee end-to-end project finance across the real estate development cycle: land acquisition, approvals, construction, sales/leasing, and asset stabilization.
• Lead capital raising efforts including debt syndication, private equity, joint ventures, and structured finance instruments.
• Design capital structuring and deal frameworks for greenfield hotel developments, branded residences, and commercial leasing projects.
• Develop advanced financial models to evaluate project viability, IRR, NPV, and stress-testing for feasibility studies and board presentations.

Asset Management & Investment Oversight

• Act as the custodian of the group’s real estate and hospitality asset portfolio, driving maximum ROI from operational and under-development assets.
• Collaborate with asset managers and JV partners to drive performance metrics like margins, ROI, and occupancy rates.
• Oversee lifecycle management of hospitality and real estate assets including acquisitions, repositioning, capex planning, and exits.
• Ensure regular asset performance reviews, benchmarking, and market intelligence are used to guide investment and divestment decisions.

Financial Planning, Budgeting & Reporting

• Direct annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-range business planning for all business lines.
• Monitor key financial KPIs, conduct variance analysis, and ensure timely reporting to the Board, lenders, and investors.
• Drive margin enhancement strategies, working capital efficiency, and cost optimization across real estate and hotel operations.
• Ensure robust MIS, board decks, and analytical tools are available for timely insights and strategic discussions.

Hospitality Finance Operations

• Oversee financial operations of hotel assets including revenue management, cost controls, payroll, capex, and procurement.
• Collaborate closely with GMs and regional operations heads to drive margins and occupancy optimization.
• Analyze market trends, brand performance, and customer behavior to support commercial strategy and rate positioning.

Compliance, Governance & Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with Indian accounting standards (Ind AS), IFRS, RERA guidelines, GST, Income Tax, and other applicable laws.
• Manage relationships with auditors, legal teams, government authorities, and external counsel to ensure governance and risk controls.
• Establish strong internal audit processes, delegation of authority matrices, and internal control frameworks.

Investor Relations & Fund Management

• Lead engagement with institutional investors, financial partners, banks, and PE firms.
• Prepare and present investor reports, capital calls, exit strategies, quarterly updates, and project-specific financial disclosures.
• Lead due diligence efforts, support fund structuring, and ensure compliance with reporting covenants and investor requirements.