Lead, Corporate Communication

Role Overview

Lead, Corporate Communication at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), reporting to the VP of Communications. The role is based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Company Overview

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the largest bank in the UAE and one of the world's largest and safest financial institutions. FAB offers a comprehensive range of personal and private banking services, including credit cards, Islamic banking, investments, loans, and mortgages. The organization is committed to excellence and innovation in delivering top-tier financial solutions. FAB embraces a performance-based culture that supports career development, learning initiatives, and structured progression for all employees, including Emirati talent development across the financial and banking sector regionally and globally.

Role Purpose

The Lead, Corporate Communication supports the delivery of the Bank's external and internal communications by translating business priorities into clear, integrated communications and providing responsive, high-quality day-to-day support. The role protects and strengthens the Bank's reputation by ensuring communications are accurate, timely, audience-focused and aligned with brand guidelines, regulatory and compliance requirements and strategic objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Integrated Communications Planning & Delivery

• Support the VP in developing and delivering integrated communications plans across external, customer, internal, marketing and digital channels for the Bank's business areas.
• Translate strategic and commercial priorities into campaign activities, timelines, deliverables and measurable outcomes.
• Coordinate communications projects from scoping and briefing through content development, approvals, delivery and post-campaign evaluation, escalating issues to the VP as needed.
• Monitor PR agency performance against agreed objectives and KPIs, compile results and lessons learned and support the VP in identifying opportunities for improvement.

Business Partnering & Account Management

• Build a strong understanding of the Bank's business priorities, challenges and target audiences, supporting the VP in delivering relevant communications advice and recommendations.
• Receive, review and clarify business briefs, escalating questions or concerns to the VP and suggesting ways to improve relevance.
• Coordinate agreed scopes, deliverables, timelines and approvals, keeping the VP and relevant stakeholders updated on progress.
• Monitor Bank and industry development to identify communications needs and potential PR opportunities.
• Manage day-to-day coordination with external agency under VP guidance, ensuring clear briefs, quality delivery and alignment with agreed priorities.

Content & Channel Management

• Draft, edit, translate and quality-check press releases, key messages, talking points, speeches, presentations, executive communications, internal memos, email campaigns, annual reports and marketing collateral, with guidance and approval from the VP.
• Support employee communications on organisational developments, strategic projects, executive activities and other significant updates.
• Adapt content for different channels and audiences, ensuring it is relevant, engaging, accessible and appropriate in tone.
• Review content drafted for social media, print, email and other relevant channels.
• Maintain editorial calendars and campaign schedules to ensure communications are coordinated and delivered at the right time.

Media, Executive & Event Support

• Support the Bank's core businesses with media materials, including press releases, key messages, Q&As, speeches and presentation content.
• Support social media team with drafting and editing content posts across platforms.
• Review and evaluate requests for Bank representatives to participate in external events, assess strategic relevance and business value, and recommend whether and how to participate.
• Review invitations addressed to the Group CEO and prepare briefing documents covering the event's purpose, audience, value, risks and recommended course of action.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders and external partners to ensure spokespersons and executives are appropriately prepared.

Reputation, Issues & Crisis Communications

• Monitor emerging issues, stakeholder sentiment and reputational risks, escalating concerns promptly to the VP of Communications.
• Support the development and implementation of issues-management and crisis-communications plans.
• Translate to Arabic holding statements, key messages, Q&As, briefing documents and stakeholder responses for sensitive or time-critical matters.

Frameworks, Boundaries & Decision-Making Authority

• Manage day-to-day delivery of public relations and external communications activities in line with strategies and plans approved by the Group Marketing and Communications Head and VP.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with journalists, media outlets and relevant internal and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate agency workflows and Marketing and Brand team inputs, ensuring deliverables are completed on time.
• Ensure all materials comply with the Bank's brand standards, legal and regulatory requirements, data-protection obligations and established approval processes.
• Escalate sensitive media enquiries, potential crises and significant reputational risks to the VP of Communications.
• Manage the PR & Media inbox and ensure timely responses to emails on a daily basis.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree (2:1 classification or equivalent) in communications, journalism, media, marketing, English or a related discipline.
• 6 to 8 years of relevant communications experience, ideally within a corporate, financial-services, professional-services or communications-agency environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing senior stakeholders, complex briefs and integrated communications campaigns from planning through evaluation.

Skills & Competencies

• Develop and deliver integrated public relations and corporate communications strategies aligned with business objectives and priorities.
• Build and maintain strong media relations, including developing journalist relationships, identifying compelling stories and securing positive coverage.
• Manage senior stakeholders with confidence, building trust, understanding senior leaders' needs and offering constructive counsel.
• Write, edit and proofread in exceptional English and Arabic, with strong knowledge of the media landscape and relevant digital and social channels.
• Remain resilient and composed when responding to urgent media enquiries, sensitive issues or shifting business priorities.
• Work proactively, collaboratively and with a solutions-oriented approach across functions and markets.
• Maintain high standards, attention to detail and commitment to quality and measurable outcomes.