Vice President, Client Service Engineering

Job summary / introduction

The mission of GCOO Client Service Engineering is to reimagine FAB's client service journeys to be client-centric, efficient, and risk-controlled, positioning FAB as a benchmark for service excellence. The VP plays a key role in enabling the bank's transformation agenda, ensuring that client service engineering initiatives directly support strategic priorities in customer experience, operational efficiency, and risk management.

The VP will lead the delivery of assigned service priorities and is responsible, with key stakeholders, to deliver the expected outcomes within set time boundaries.

The VP will directly lead a small team of 1-2 analysts. While not responsible for a large team, the role requires strong influence and collaboration skills to drive cross-functional initiatives and coordinate with stakeholders across business lines, technology, and support functions.

The VP will engage with stakeholders across Business Lines, Group Technology, Risk, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Audit, and within GCOO to drive end-to-end service priorities, AI experiments, and automation improvements. This is an execution-focused role; tangible results in customer experience, scalability, and risk mitigation will be key in defining success.

Key responsibilities

Reporting directly to the Head of Client Service Engineering, the VP Client Service Engineering plays a pivotal role in driving end-to-end change through process reengineering, automation, and efficiency improvements. He or she will lead multiple client service priorities, collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders, and ensure the successful execution of initiatives that align with the bank's strategic objectives.

Service journey reimagination: Lead the redesign of client service journeys to ensure they are client-centric, efficient, and risk-controlled. Drive end-to-end process optimization and automation initiatives.

Service delivery & performance management: Ensure delivery and scalability of redesigned service journeys, coordinating cross-functional teams. Monitor and report progress on key KPIs across customer experience, scalability, and risk.

Stakeholder engagement & change leadership: Engage with key stakeholders across business domains to align on service priorities and drive change. Champion a culture of agile, fast-paced, and repeatable delivery, fostering innovation, agility, and continuous improvement. Familiarity with change management frameworks (e.g., ADKAR, Kotter) is desirable.

Continuous improvement & innovation: Identify opportunities for ongoing process improvement and innovation, including piloting AI and automation solutions. Contribute to the adoption of structured toolkits, best practices, innovation, set-up playbooks, and frameworks for consistent service delivery.

Reporting & communication: Provide regular updates to senior management and governance forums on progress, risks, and key decisions. Prepare, contribute, and present materials for GCOO, ExCo-X, and other executive committees as required.

Frameworks, boundaries, & decision-making authority

Requirements / qualifications

Proven track record of leading successful transformation initiatives, driving process optimization, and delivering measurable results.

Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, operations management, or a related field.

Minimum 10-15 years of experience in financial services, external consultancy, with substantial experience in business transformation, strategic planning, process improvement, or system automation, with half or more being in executive and/or consulting roles.

Preferred / beneficial professional certifications in project management (PMP, Prince2), process improvement (LEAN), change management, Agile, AI, or related fields are a plus.

MBA or advanced degree is a plus.

Skills

An ideal candidate for the role has the following competencies:

Proven leadership: Demonstrated experience in leading end-to-end client service engineering and transformation initiatives within financial services and/or large multinational corporate institutions.

Cross-functional collaboration: Ability to collaborate effectively across departments. Skilled in aligning diverse perspectives (front line, digital, operations, etc.), fostering shared ownership, and driving integrated outcomes through collaboration and trust. Can engage several stakeholders to lead to common goals.

Analytical skills: Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret and leverage data to drive opportunities for improvement and expedite decision-making.

Communication skills: Ability to convey key concepts, problem statements, and opportunity cases to gain buy-in from stakeholders across the organization. Good communicator with very high awareness about stakeholders' standpoints, who can formulate messaging accordingly. Capable of building relationships and collaborating with stakeholders at and above his or her level.

Results-orientated and hands-on delivery: Track record to deliver tangible results in terms of improved operational performance.

Team management: Proven competence in managing people and teams, both on a business-as-usual and temporary basis; in agile and conventional setups.

Banking & technology knowledge: Good understanding of banking segments, domain, product and operations knowledge (corporate, consumer), regulatory compliance, and industry trends. Proficiency in leveraging technology and digital solutions to enhance operations.

Professional certifications in project management (PMP, Prince2), process improvement (LEAN), change management, Agile, AI, or related fields are a plus.

About us

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) is the largest bank in the UAE and one of the world's largest and safest financial institutions. We offer a comprehensive range of personal and private banking services, including credit cards, Islamic banking, investments, loans, and mortgages. Our commitment to excellence and innovation drives us to provide top-tier financial solutions to our clients.

Life at FAB

Working at FAB means being part of a team of talented and passionate individuals with a shared vision to support the ambitions of our stakeholders to grow stronger. We embrace the needs of our customers across the globe with a sense of responsibility and confidence driven by extensive expertise that can only be delivered by an ambitious world-class organization.

Career development

FAB offers unique career choices, a chance to innovate, craft solutions for the future, and express yourself in a performance-based culture that will unleash the best in you. Whether you are an experienced professional or just starting your career, FAB provides a range of learning and development initiatives to support all employees through training and skill development.

Our values

At FAB, we place our customers at the core of our activities, live our values each day in every way, celebrate achievements, and empower each other to deliver leading solutions. We have structured plans for the recruitment and career progression of Emirati talent to enable them to make a mark in the financial and banking sector both regionally and globally that rewards your hard work and dedication.

Join our team and be part of a journey to shape the future of banking.