Assistant Manager- Payments Regulatory Governance & SWIFT

Role Overview

Assistant Manager, Payments Regulatory Governance & SWIFT at Emirates Islamic Bank. The role supports the delivery of strategic SWIFT and cross-border payment initiatives across the Emirates NBD Group, including international entities.

Role Purpose

Interpret regulatory requirements, prepare business requirements, coordinate stakeholder engagement, and ensure successful implementation of regulatory and strategic payment programs while serving as a subject matter expert for SWIFT standards, Payment Hub functionalities, and cross-border payment processes.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Governance

• Develop and socialize Business Requirement Documents (BRDs) aligned with regulatory expectations and internal governance requirements.
• Support governance of SWIFT-related services and commercial arrangements, including management and reconciliation of SWIFT invoices and budget monitoring.
• Coordinate with local and international stakeholders to standardize payment capabilities across Group entities and promote reusability of solutions.
• Optimize technology investments by eliminating duplicate developments.
• Ensure adherence to the Bank's financial governance and approval frameworks.
• Contribute to the Bank's strategic objective of enhancing cross-border payment capabilities while maintaining robust governance and control standards.

Stakeholder Management & Coordination

• Work closely with the Senior Manager to interpret regulatory requirements and coordinate stakeholder engagement.
• Coordinate stakeholder reviews and approvals of Business Requirement Documents.
• Provide operational, governance, and implementation support across business, technology, compliance, risk, and operations functions.
• Facilitate requirement analysis and review with stakeholders to ensure alignment.

Implementation & Operations

• Own day-to-day operational support of the Payment Hub.
• Drive continuous enhancements to improve operational efficiency, user experience, system functionality, and process effectiveness.
• Support functional specification development aligned with regulatory expectations.
• Execute SWIFT, Payment Hub, and cross-border payment initiatives with minimal operational disruption.
• Identify and implement initiatives that enhance payment capabilities, operational efficiency, and client experience.
• Provide full lifecycle support to clients, from initial business interaction to project implementation and beyond.

Compliance & Risk

• Serve as a subject matter expert for SWIFT standards, SWIFT applications, Payment Hub functionalities, and cross-border payment processes.
• Contribute to regulatory compliance and operational excellence.
• Perform impact assessments to support project delivery.
• Assist businesses in resolving urgent or critical issues related to cheque clearing and payment processes.

Qualifications & Experience

• Strong knowledge of SWIFT standards, messaging formats, and SWIFT-related applications.
• Good understanding of cross-border payment infrastructures and market infrastructures.
• Knowledge of ISO 20022 migration, payment processing workflows, and Payment Hub architecture.
• SWIFT ISO 20022 Expert certification from a recognized institution (SWIFT).
• Experience in MIS Reporting, Regulatory Submission, and Operational Risk roles.
• Additional experience in Internal Controls.
• Knowledge of banking compliance, operational risk, and governance requirements.
• Demonstrated experience leading product and process enhancements to streamline operations and increase efficiency.
• Experience coordinating with stakeholders on requirement analysis and review.

Skills & Competencies

• Ability to prepare Business Requirement Documents (BRDs) and perform impact assessments.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong analytical, documentation, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency in project management tools.