AVP, Trade International Operations

Role Overview

AVP, Trade International Operations at First Abu Dhabi Bank. This role is based in the UAE and operates across multiple regional time zones covering France, Singapore, UK, USA, Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait, and India.

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 dedicated to creating value for its employees, customers, shareholders, and communities through innovation, agility, and differentiation. FAB maintains a performance-based culture that fosters growth and empowers employees to deliver leading solutions.

Role Purpose

This role supervises and authorizes Trade Finance transactions across assigned regions, acting as the primary point of contact for the Trade Finance Unit. The position ensures compliance with all internal procedures and operational controls, delivers high-quality and timely service to clients, analyzes and mitigates process-related risks, and develops and maintains efficient processes and systems for the Trade Finance function.

Key Responsibilities

Team Supervision

• Organize and supervise assigned team work to ensure all activities are carried out efficiently and consistently with operating procedures and policy.
• Provide on-the-job training and constructive feedback to assigned team members to support their overall development.
• Promote organizational values and ethics in all team activities to support establishment of a value-driven culture within the bank.
• Support the line manager in developing, coaching, and monitoring staff performance and arranging remedial training where necessary.
• Support the line manager in sustaining higher and acceptable rates of employee satisfaction in line with bank policy.
• Create a positive environment on the floor for employees and support them in achieving their respective goals.

Transaction Processing & Authorization

• Effectively process, check, verify, and authorize transactions in accordance with the approval matrix and delegation of authority.
• Ensure processing of transactions is carried out in a controlled manner with high risk management and bank and regulator compliance standards.
• Minimize operational risks by ensuring all transactions processed comply fully with underlying customer or internal instructions and that these instructions are properly processed.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Effectively monitor compliance to regulatory guidelines and local and international sanctions in Trade Finance processes.
• Improve controls to identify and mitigate risk attached to the department.
• Ensure anti-money laundering, Central Bank guidelines, and other internal policies and procedures are strictly followed.
• Report any unusual transactions to prescribed levels.
• Maintain zero operational loss.
• Achieve nil unauthorized breaches in policy, regulatory requirements, and standard operating procedures.
• Achieve nil breaches in housekeeping including reconciliations, tracers, and DCFCL.
• Proactively highlight situations of extraordinary non-operational risks such as market and legal risks that may arise from transactions entered into.
• Support preparation and control testing for BIA and RCSA as per risk and audit management policy.
• Prepare standard operating procedures as per audit and RMU requirements for TFU products.

Operations & Process Improvement

• Maintain the highest level of internal and external customer satisfaction standards.
• Ensure self and staff adhere to standard operating procedures at all times and recommend and implement changes in policies, procedures, processes, and systems in line with industry developments.
• Participate in the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement and sustainability of systems, processes, and practices considering global standards, productivity improvement, and cost reduction.
• Participate and drive collaborative efforts to advance tools, technology, and ways of working to better serve an evolving client base.
• Developing and introducing robust tools and processes to identify and mitigate operational risks.
• Support the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and practices towards cost efficiency.
• Monitor and reconcile internal, income, and suspense accounts and attest accounts as per bank policy.

Reporting & Communication

• Prepare and review sectional statements and reports timely and accurately to meet department requirements, policies, and quality standards.
• Prepare statistical data for internal and external relationships.
• Deal with internal customers and counterparts in other banks to respond to queries and problems.
• Conduct correspondence of routine nature with customers and other external and internal contacts.
• Keep self-apprised of developments taking place in the industry and disseminate them to staff under direct and indirect reporting where applicable.

Financial Performance

• Monitor the financial performance of a given area of activity versus budgets and ensure all activities are carried out in line with approved guidelines.
• Promptly report any variances to management.

Governance & Compliance Culture

• Demonstrate compliance to organizational values and ethics at all times to support establishment of a value-driven culture within the bank.
• Provide inputs and implement policies, systems, and procedures for the assigned team so that all relevant procedural and legislative requirements are fulfilled while delivering quality, cost-effective service.

Additional Duties

• Achieve satisfactory internal and external audit, OCS, and OR ratings.
• Undertake employee productivity measures.
• Ensure adherence to training man-days for team and self.
• Execute departmental initiatives as advised.
• Provide technical guidance to customers when needed.
• Hold records in safe custody.
• Participate and implement projects, system development, and other initiatives applicable to the department.
• Target zero complaints and minimum 95 percent adherence to TAT standards as agreed with business.
• Achieve more than 90 percent satisfaction score in the internal customer survey.
• Track the number of process improvements proposals found fruitful by management and number of successful implementations.
• Any other duty or task entrusted by the line manager or head.

Qualifications & Experience

• Graduate degree, preferably in Commerce, Financial Services, Banking & Finance, or equivalent.
• CDCS or equivalent certification preferable.
• Minimum 8–10 years of experience in Trade Finance with at least 3 years as a supervisor.
• Working expertise and knowledge of ICC Publications, ICC Banking Commission opinions, and other compliance and trade-related rules and regulations.

Skills & Competencies

• Excellent customer service skills and relationship skills.
• Customer focused with strong interpersonal skills.
• Proactive and self-motivated with ability to work independently with minimal supervision and under tight deadlines.
• Proven ability to meet new challenges, assimilate new information, and influence people through maturity of approach.

Additional Information

• Operating hours across respective country time zones from UAE location.
• FAB offers unique career choices, learning and development initiatives, and training and skill development programs for all employees.
• FAB has structured plans for recruitment and career progression of Emirati talent to enable them to make a mark in the financial and banking sector both regionally and globally.