Associate Vice President - Client Support Lead, Wholesale Banking Technology

Role Overview

Associate Vice President - Client Support Lead, Wholesale Banking Technology at RAK BANK. This is a greenfield leadership role based in the UAE, responsible for building and scaling a dedicated IT client support function for corporate banking.

Role Purpose

Enable and support corporate customers in their technical integration and ongoing interaction with the bank's Wholesale Banking platforms. Act as the primary interface between corporate clients and internal technology teams, combining hands-on technical expertise, strong client engagement, leadership capability, and business literacy in corporate treasury and transaction banking operations.

Key Responsibilities

Build & Lead the IT Client Support Function

• Establish the Wholesale Banking IT Client Support unit from the ground up.
• Define operating model, team structure, roles, SLAs, and engagement processes.
• Recruit, develop, and lead a small, high-performing team; set clear performance expectations and drive accountability.
• Implement performance tracking, reporting, and continuous improvement mechanisms.
• Build a scalable model to support growth in the corporate client base.

Own Technical Relationship with Priority Clients

• Act as the primary technical point of contact for priority corporate clients.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with client IT and treasury teams.
• Lead client-facing discussions on integration design, onboarding, and issue resolution.
• Engage confidently with UAE/GCC corporates (including large enterprises and government-related entities) with cultural awareness.
• Represent technology during client engagements, escalations, and critical incidents.
• Provide guidance aligned with corporate treasury needs (cash visibility, working capital, payment automation).

Lead Client Onboarding & Integration

• Drive end-to-end technical onboarding for corporate banking solutions.
• Design and implement client connectivity models (H2H, API, file-based, SWIFT where relevant).
• Validate file formats, processing flows, and integration logic.
• Oversee UAT, certification, and go-live readiness.
• Ensure smooth transition from onboarding to steady-state support.

H2H & Integration Domain Leadership

• Act as domain authority for corporate banking integrations across H2H-enabled product areas: payments and collections, statements and reporting, liquidity and cash management, trade and supply chain finance, FX and treasury operations, cards, loans, cheques, and virtual accounts.
• Understand end-to-end data flows, file exchange patterns, and banking message standards (SWIFT MT, ISO 20022, BAI2).
• Oversee secure connectivity frameworks (SFTP, encryption, VPN, certificates) ensuring compliance with bank standards.
• Guide clients and internal teams on integration design, structures, and best practices.

Drive Issue Resolution & Operational Excellence

• Own end-to-end resolution of client-impacting issues; act as final escalation point.
• Diagnose problems across multiple platforms (channels, payments, core banking, cards, treasury).
• Challenge and push internal teams to ensure timely and high-quality resolution of issues impacting clients.
• Maintain strict SLA discipline for priority clients; identify recurring issues and drive permanent fixes.

Act as Cross-Platform Orchestrator

• Manage dependencies across multiple technology domains and platforms.
• Understand full transaction lifecycle across channels, middleware, and core systems.
• Drive resolution of critical incidents with clear client communication.
• Ensure seamless coordination between business, technology, and operations teams.

Continuous Improvement & Client Experience

• Improve onboarding processes, standardization, and documentation.
• Develop reusable integration kits, templates, and support playbooks.
• Enhance client experience through simplification and proactive support.
• Contribute to product and platform improvements based on client feedback.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• 15+ years of experience in banking technology, preferably in transaction or wholesale banking.
• Proven experience in client onboarding and H2H integrations.
• Proven experience in corporate banking products (payments, liquidity, trade, FX, etc.).
• Strong track record in client-facing roles managing corporate relationships.
• Experience building or scaling a new function or team (greenfield preferred).
• Experience across multiple banking platforms (core, payments, cards, treasury).
• Knowledge of UAE payment systems and regulatory environment (WPS, UAEFTS, IPP, CBUAE requirements).

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of banking message formats (SWIFT MT, ISO 20022/CAMT, BAI2), file-based integrations, APIs, middleware, and secure connectivity models (SFTP/PGP/VPN/certificates).
• Strong understanding of corporate treasury operations (cash management, working capital, payment cycles).
• Arabic language skills preferred; cultural fluency engaging UAE/GCC corporate clients.
• Strong techno-functional expertise in transaction banking and corporate integrations.
• Trusted-advisor mindset with excellent client engagement and communication.
• Hands-on problem solver across complex multi-system environments.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and hold teams accountable.
• Strong ownership mindset with relentless execution focus.
• Confident and assertive; willing to challenge internal teams to deliver for clients.
• Ability to influence and coordinate across multiple stakeholders.