Principal Lead, Business Banking

Role Overview

Principal Lead, Business Banking at First Abu Dhabi Bank – FAB. This role leads strategy, delivery, and support of Commercial Banking and related business services across the organization.

Role Purpose

Lead the strategy, delivery, and support of Commercial Banking technology initiatives. Oversee end-to-end technology delivery, requirements planning, solution design, implementation, operational support, budget management, and stakeholder engagement. Drive digital transformation, align business and technology objectives, and deliver innovative, scalable, and secure banking solutions that support the bank's strategic growth.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Leadership

• Own and manage the Commercial Banking technology strategy and product roadmap.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight across multiple technology teams and service lines.
• Represent Technology in business forums, leadership discussions, and vendor engagements.
• Align technology programs and projects with strategic objectives and business priorities.

Delivery & Project Management

• Lead the planning, design, implementation, support, and continuous improvement of Commercial Banking technology solutions.
• Manage the end-to-end delivery lifecycle of Commercial Banking technology initiatives.
• Ensure projects and initiatives are delivered on time, within budget, and in accordance with agreed business objectives.
• Oversee demand management, release planning, and service delivery governance.
• Identify, manage, and mitigate delivery risks while ensuring successful execution of technology initiatives.

Digital Transformation & Innovation

• Drive digital transformation initiatives and identify opportunities to automate and enhance business processes.
• Lead Agile and DevOps adoption while driving continuous improvement and delivery excellence.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define business requirements, prioritize initiatives, and deliver customer-focused outcomes.

Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with business stakeholders, vendors, and technology partners.
• Evaluate vendor proposals, Statements of Work (SOWs), and third-party technology solutions.
• Manage technology budgets, including Capex and operational expenditure planning and governance.

Performance & Compliance

• Establish and monitor technology, operational, and business KPIs to ensure performance objectives are achieved.
• Ensure solutions comply with security, audit, risk, and regulatory requirements.

Team Development

• Guide, coach, and develop high-performing teams while fostering an agile and collaborative culture.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in Commercial Banking, Business Banking, Digital Banking, or related technology domains.
• Extensive experience leading large-scale technology delivery, transformation, and support functions within the banking sector.
• Strong knowledge of Commercial Banking products, services, processes, and technology platforms.
• Proven experience in application development, solution architecture, cloud technologies, and enterprise technology delivery.
• Experience managing technology budgets, vendor relationships, and cross-functional delivery teams.
• Strong understanding of Agile, Scrum, DevOps, and Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive strategic initiatives.

Skills & Competencies

• Excellent leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong understanding of information security, compliance, governance, and audit requirements.

Additional Information

Preferred & Beneficial Qualifications

• Professional certifications in Agile, Scrum, SAFe, or related delivery frameworks.
• ITIL certification or equivalent service management accreditation.
• Advanced certifications in cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure or AWS.
• Experience leading digital transformation and modernization initiatives in international banking environments.
• Expert-level industry, technology, or vendor certifications.
• Experience with microservices architecture, CI/CD pipelines, identity and access management, and cloud-native technologies.
• Strong background in data-driven decision-making and business process optimization.