Services Controls: Strategy and Process Governance (Middle East & Africa)- Senior Vice President

About the Role
This position offers an exciting opportunity to be part of an established team in the Services Controls organization based in the UAE, with significant responsibilities across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) Cluster for Services business. This high-impact leadership role directly reports to the MEA Cluster Controls Head (Director) and serves as the principal Controls partner to the MEA Operations organization, playing a crucial role in bridging Operations, Product, and Geography teams. The aim is to ensure a unified and coherent approach to risk and control delivery across the entire cluster and all products.

Distinctively, this individual contributor role has a proactive risk reduction mandate, shifting the organization from reactive control management to forward-looking thematic reviews, early identification of control gaps, and continuous process improvement. This is pursued through a control simplification lens and a client-centric approach, ensuring stronger controls lead to an enhanced client experience.

This role directly supports the Transformation agenda, strengthens the first line risk and controls environment, and protects the Services business across one of its most geographically diverse regions. It involves collaboration with key stakeholders across Services, including Cluster Controls peers, Product, Operations, and Technology, and partners with other teams across the organization for execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive a proactive, forward-looking risk reduction agenda across the MEA Cluster through thematic reviews, early identification of control gaps, and continuous process improvement across all 29 markets.
• Define and execute the MEA Controls strategy in alignment with the broader Services Controls framework, applying a process and control simplification lens to enhance client experience.
• Serve as the primary Controls partner to MEA Operations — acting as the key bridge between Operations, Product, and Geography teams to deliver a unified approach to risk and control across all products.
• Provide strategic advisory and challenge to Product, Operations, Sales, and country Services leadership on control design, effectiveness, and remediation across Transaction Banking and financial products.
• Identify and drive enhancements to documentation, controls, and processes — including within the Managers Control Assessment (MCA) construct — to meet local and cross-border risk and regulatory requirements.
• Support the MEA Services Controls Transformation agenda by embedding first line risk and control best practices into transformation workstreams and process re-engineering initiatives.
• Oversee relevant governance committees — including chairing meetings, managing agendas, and ensuring rigorous follow-up on action items.
• Lead the identification, escalation, and end-to-end resolution of control issues and risk events across the MEA Cluster in line with firmwide escalation guidelines.
• Serve as a key contributor to MEA Franchise and Services forums, representing the Controls function on risk and governance matters.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior stakeholders across multiple countries, products, and control functions within MEA and globally to influence outcomes and drive accountability.

Knowledge/Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree is required.
• 10+ years of expertise in Operational Risk Management and related regulatory functions within the Financial Services sector is preferred.
• Deep understanding of Operational Risk and related frameworks as they relate to the banking sector is required, alongside a working knowledge of the regulatory environments within MEA countries for Transaction Banking.
• Proven record in monitoring compliance to regulations including controls and process mapping within the Managers Control Assessment (MCA) construct.
• Excellent business acumen and the ability to quickly understand multiple areas within a function and across functions to achieve the objectives of the processes.

Competencies
Risk & Control Leadership

• Proactive risk reduction mindset and commitment to forward-looking control management through thematic reviews and early gap identification.
• Ability to apply a control simplification lens, ensuring stronger controls enhance the client experience.
• Proven ability to design, challenge, and remediate controls across complex, multi-market environments.

Client-Centric Approach

• Ensure risk and control improvements enhance the client experience, balancing robust risk management with operational simplicity.

Strategy & Transformation

• Ability to develop and execute a controls strategy that supports business transformation and long-term sustainable growth.
• Operates effectively at both strategic and executional levels with attention to critical detail.
• Strong process improvement orientation with a track record of embedding continuous improvement into risk and control delivery.

Operational & Processing Risk Management

• Deep understanding of operational and processing risk frameworks as they apply to Transaction Banking and financial products across the MEA region.
• Proven record in identifying, assessing, and remediating processing risk exposures, including controls and process mapping within the MCA construct.
• Ability to oversee governance committees effectively, including managing agendas, facilitation, and rigorous action follow-up.

Stakeholder Influence & Communication

• Exceptional ability to engage and influence senior leaders, Cluster and Product managers across a complex, matrixed organization.
• Strong written, verbal, and analytical skills — able to distil complex risk topics into clear, actionable insights for senior audiences.

Influencing & Matrix Effectiveness

• Proven ability to drive outcomes and effect change without direct authority, influencing senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams through credibility, expertise, and relationship capital.
• Skilled at building consensus and holding teams accountable across a highly matrixed, multi-geography organization.
• Adept at translating complex risk and control issues into business terms to secure buy-in from non-controls audiences.

Execution & Accountability

• Committed to delivering results with exceptional execution skills and high personal accountability.
• Strong track record of managing competing priorities across multiple markets to deliver high-quality, timely outputs.
• Effective at managing compliance monitoring routines, audits, and governance cycles concurrently.

Collaboration & Cross-functional Partnership

• Acts as a principal partner to Operations, Product, Geography, and Technology teams across a geographically diverse cluster.
• Comfortable navigating complex organizations across 29 markets with varying regulatory and operational contexts.
• Strong relationship-building skills across multiple countries, products, and control functions.

Developmental Value

• Opportunity to be part of Services, a strategically critical business within the organization, central to enabling client growth and global cash management solutions.
• Join a flexible team that values its people, encourages ownership, welcomes ideas, values diversity, and allows you to bring your whole self to work.
• Leadership role with high visibility and impact across the Services business and wider franchise.
• The role will involve developing relationships and working with senior stakeholders across multiple countries, products, and control functions in the MEA cluster and globally.
• Opportunity to shape risk and control culture and monitor compliance with regulatory requirements across multiple financial products and countries in MEA.

Individuals in Product Controls are responsible for establishing, managing, and mitigating operational, compliance, and regulatory risks across various business lines and products. Professionals within this profile work collaboratively with product management, operations, technology, and second/third-line risk partners to design, implement, and maintain a robust, compliant, and sustainable risk-mitigated environment that supports safe business growth.