Academy Lead

Dubai, UAE - Full relocation support from the UK if required | Full-time, permanent

WE ARE BEAUTIFUL DESTINATIONS

Do you want to be part of a multi-award winning travel marketing company with one of the world's largest and most influential online travel communities?

Beautiful Destinations is a global travel marketing company built at the intersection of travel, the creator community and technology. We combine world-class creative storytelling with an AI-enabled content platform and over a decade of travel content data, and we partner with leading destinations and travel brands to create content that works across the full funnel and digital ecosystem, from sparking inspiration and discovery to driving consideration, action and conversion.

Behind our work is a community of 50M+ travellers and a network of 500+ world-class creators, filmmakers and storytellers across the globe.

Human creativity and authentic storytelling come first. Always. Technology is how we scale them.

See our world: [Instagram] | [TikTok] | [YouTube] | [Beautiful Hotels] | [Website]

THE ROLE

BD Academy Dubai is where the next generation of creators learn by doing. Your job is to make the whole thing work.

Delivered by Beautiful Destinations in partnership with Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), BD Academy is a live content-creator training program built around real people, real locations and real shoots. Cohorts of creators move through the Academy alongside trainers, mentors, producers, venues and partners, all while representing BD to one of its most important government relationships.

You'll own the operation end to end. From cohort logistics, staffing and suppliers to budgets, capacity and the hundreds of details that determine whether an Academy day feels effortless or chaotic. You'll be the person clients, creators, producers and mentors trust to know what's happening, what's coming next and what needs solving before it becomes a problem.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Own the cohort calendar from intake through delivery, bringing together sessions, venues, trainers, mentors, creators and production support so every cohort runs brilliantly.
• Maintain one clear view of delivery, priorities, dependencies and what needs attention across the Academy.
• Own the day-to-day relationship, working closely with the Executive Producer and making sure commitments turn into delivery.
• Track the operating budget weekly, stay ahead of variance and close every cohort with a clear, documented cost outcome.
• Identify risks before they become problems and come with solutions, options and recommendations, not simply flags.
• Connect producers, trainers, mentors and creators around a clear plan, with everyone knowing what they own and when it needs to happen.
• Alongside Producers, source, manage and negotiate with venues, transport, catering, equipment providers, trainers and other local partners, balancing quality, reliability and cost.
• Build the staffing model and forecast capacity two quarters ahead so growth never catches the operation by surprise.
• Create tighter review and approval rhythms across post-production so work is properly reviewed, feedback is clear and nothing reaches the client before it's ready.
• Own the operational rhythm beyond the Academy, building the local supplier, facilities and ground-support infrastructure that allows the wider BD team to operate brilliantly in the market.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• 5+ years owning recurring operations where people, places, schedules, suppliers and deadlines all have to come together, whether that's a training program, event series, venue, studio or production operation.
• You've built one, managed against it, understood the variances and can tell us where you saved, where you overspent and what you did about it.
• You've sourced, negotiated and managed external partners with real numbers attached, balancing quality, reliability and cost.
• You've built staffing and capacity plans that other people relied on to make decisions, not spreadsheets that sat in a folder.
• You've worked with government, enterprise or similarly complex clients where detail, communication and delivery really matter. GCC experience would be a strong advantage.
• You use it day to day to plan, analyse, communicate, solve problems or remove repetitive work. We won't ask if you're comfortable with AI. We'll want to understand how it's made you a better operator.