Executive Director, Infrastructure Contractors

Role Overview

Executive Director, Infrastructure Contractors at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Company Overview

First Abu Dhabi Bank 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 maintains a performance-based culture that emphasizes customer focus, career development, and learning initiatives for all employees, with structured plans for Emirati talent progression.

Role Purpose

Grow and manage existing large and sensitive client relationships within the assigned portfolio while originating and booking quality new-to-bank clients in line with the bank's defined risk frameworks. Improve service quality levels, supervise subordinates' day-to-day activities and client interactions, and ensure the team meets its objectives and revenue targets while maintaining client satisfaction and portfolio credit quality.

Key Responsibilities

Client and Market Analysis

• Conduct financial analysis on clients and their respective geographies, industries, and markets to identify potential opportunities and risks.
• Maintain up-to-date industry insights and market intelligence to early identify business opportunities.

Business Origination

• Originate new business opportunities with target clients across banking products in line with relevant policies.
• Obtain support from relevant stakeholders and governance forums to close deals (e.g., credit, products, GTx).
• Develop term sheets, information memorandums, and mandate letters.
• Examine and resolve credit, market, and operational risk aspects of transactions in collaboration with products and enablement units.
• Leverage FAB's network expansion through cross-border deals.
• Anchor strategic alliances with UAE's top developers and authorities.
• Expand products penetration through sector-focused solutions.
• Ensure high returns with satisfactory yields.
• Maintain credit quality of client relationships within the portfolio to an acceptable level set by the bank's management.
• Pitch, review, negotiate, and conclude deals.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key decision makers in other banks to originate business opportunities and ensure FAB leads joint deals.
• Remain up to date with latest market, competitor, regulatory, and industry developments and amend account plans accordingly as applicable.
• Handle sophisticated transactions and engage assigned team members.
• Recommend policy amendments when required to match latest business and industry trends.
• Analyze monthly income generation metrics to identify any income leakage or losses.

Client Relationship Management

• Achieve assigned financial and non-financial objectives by meeting all borrowing and non-borrowing needs of customers within target segments (e.g., borrowers, transactors, depositors).
• Prepare and maintain account plans for all clients with support from relevant partners (e.g., products, international banking, employee banking, asset management). Regularly check account plans and adopt amendments as required.
• Support the conduct of annual and periodic credit facility reviews in the existing portfolio in a timely manner and support recommendation of appropriate credit facilities in line with the bank's credit policy to maximize earnings while containing and mitigating risks to an acceptable level and identifying candidates for downgrades and upgrades.
• Develop, implement, and maintain complete control aspects including documentation, periodical client visits, call reports, stock inspections, and formal credit checks and informal market feedback to monitor the assigned portfolio effectively.
• Organize client meetings with relevant partners and seniority to deepen FAB relationship within the portfolio.
• Identify and develop cross-selling opportunities and increase cross-sell ratio and returns with clients.
• Support clients on their day-to-day banking requirements with support from the team as applicable.
• Ensure customer satisfaction remains high and meets the targeted NPS score.
• Keep abreast of market trends and manage a disciplined marketing process by identifying steps and strategies necessary to effectively initiate relationships with prospects.
• Onboard new clients as per assigned targets.

Collaboration

• Align with contracting team subsectors and other partners to identify and convert opportunities.
• Collaborate with other business divisions to drive cross-BU collaboration and develop proposition strategy, competition analysis, focused group approach, service delivery model, customer experience, internal and external campaigns, and alignment with other products and propositions including risk policies, payment and cash management, trade products, and collaboration with retail banking including private banking.
• Align with international banking to support clients in FAB network locations.
• Support unit, divisional, and bank-wide initiatives as required or assigned.
• Handle internal MIS and reporting requirements for the team.

Operational

• Follow all relevant policies, processes, standard operating procedures, and instructions so that work is carried out in a controlled and consistent manner.
• Conduct periodic reviews of risks (credit, operational, compliance) within the portfolio on a regular basis.
• Drive day-to-day administrative and transactional activities for the team such as client calls, documentation follow-up, pipeline updates, and any other activities in the unit or team to ensure continuity of work and delivery of effective and high-quality output.
• Ensure internal processes for existing portfolio and new-to-bank clients are in line with the bank's policies and procedures.
• Manage and follow up on KYC and compliance requirements to ensure consistency with the bank's KYC and AML policies and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure all credit reviews are submitted on time and agreed conditions are met.
• Ensure all client files and documents are maintained.
• Maintain a satisfactory audit on the portfolio.
• Adhere to process KPIs, ORM, BCP, and internal audit requirements.
• Prepare timely and accurate statements and reports to meet the unit's requirements, policies, and standards.
• Ensure minimal or non-material audit findings in assigned portfolio.

Leadership

• Act as role model for the entire contracting group and civil contractors team.
• Lead, mentor, motivate, develop, and coach team members to ensure career growth and short- and long-term successors.
• Establish high-performance culture and ensure high engagement levels.
• Encourage ownership through rightful assignments to team members.
• Achieve individual and team's financial performance targets.
• Attend appropriate on- and off-the-job training programs and ensure development and skill upgradation of team members.
• Involve in team members' new hirings.

Framework, Boundaries, and Decision-Making Authority

• Function within the framework and boundaries of group policies and overall organizational and governance frameworks.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in finance or related discipline.
• 12+ years of experience in banking with at least 8+ years in senior role of team management.
• Deep knowledge of wholesale banking or investment banking.
• Understanding of FAB's product offering and business strategy.

Skills & Competencies

• Ability to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to drive business.
• Strong relationship management skills both internally and externally.
• Sound communication skills (written and verbal).
• Ability to analyze and research information.
• Deep financial and credit analysis ability with an aptitude to identify opportunities and close business deals.
• Data analysis and financial modeling skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and adjust quickly to changing priorities.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).