Head of Strategy (Retail bank)
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Key skills for this role
About the Role
Robert Walters seeks a Head of Strategy for a growing regional retail bank in Dubai to shape and steer all aspects of strategy over the next critical 5-year period. Requires 8+ years of experience in banking, financial services, or advisory, with strong leadership and analytical skills.
Key Skills for This Role
Responsibilities
- Shape and steer all aspects of strategy in the short term and over the next critical 5 year period.
- Analyze the competitor landscape to position the bank for growth, strength, and market share.
- Build excellent relationships at all levels of seniority, from the board to junior delivery teams.
- Oversee enterprise wide change and transformation across a range of angles (regulatory, commercial, innovation, people, etc.).
- Prioritise projects based on urgency, spend, and ROI, focusing on the biggest impact initiatives.
Requirements
- Mid senior to senior leader with a background in Banking, Financial Services, or advisory (boutique or larger management consultancy)
- Display a genuine enthusiasm for this region, although no pre existing experience in the Middle East is required
- Able to look analytically at the competitor landscape to position the bank for growth, strength, and market share
- Build excellent relationships at all levels of seniority, from the board to junior delivery teams
- Demonstrate excellent cross cultural sensitivity and understanding
- Oversee enterprise wide change and transformation across regulatory, commercial, innovation, people, etc.
- Prioritise projects based on urgency, spend, and ROI
- A business related degree, Master's degree, and/or MBA (economics, finance, etc.)
- 8+ years of experience within relevant industry and organisations
- Expertise in leading teams
- The skill and charisma to lead in an emerging market where you will have to be hands on and build from the ground up
Full Job Posting
Role Overview
- Head of Strategy (Retail Bank) for a growing regional bank.
- Highly confidential mandate to shape and steer all aspects of strategy in the short term and over the next critical 5 year period.
Key Requirements
- You must be a mid senior to senior leader with a background in Banking, Financial Services, or advisory (boutique or larger management consultancy).
- Display a genuine enthusiasm for this region, although no pre existing experience in the Middle East is required (in fact, international experience is welcomed).
- Able to look analytically at the competitor landscape to position the bank for growth, strength, and market share.
- Build excellent relationships at all levels of seniority, from the board, to the CEO, to the divisional heads, to the junior delivery teams on the ground.
- Demonstrate excellent cross cultural sensitivity and understanding with both local staff (nationals) and expats of different nationalities.
- Oversee enterprise wide change and transformation across a range of angles (regulatory, commercial, innovation, people, etc.).
- Prioritise projects based on urgency, spend, and ROI focusing on the biggest impact initiatives, both internally and for the customer.
You'd be a great fit if you have
- A business related degree, Master's degree, and/or MBA (economics, finance, etc.).
- 8+ years of experience within relevant industry and organisations.
- Expertise in leading teams.
- The skill and charisma to lead in an emerging market where you will have to be hands on and build from the ground up. This is not a purely 'talking' role or a chance to present nice decks.
Desired Skills and Experience
- Leadership & People Management
- Stakeholder Influence & Engagement
- Communication & Presentation Skills
- Analytical & Critical Thinking
- Collaboration & Change Leadership
- Strategic Planning & Execution
- Financial & Commercial Acumen
- Market & Competitive Analysis
- Credit Ratings & Investor Relations
- Digital & Transformation Strategy
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