Operations Transformation Manager
Job Purpose
Lead the transformation of the Bank’s central and branch operations by identifying, prioritizing, and delivering initiatives that simplify processes first and then apply automation, document intelligence, or AI, in a manner that ensures alignment with the Bank’s strategic objectives. Coordinate with the Chief Operating Officer, operations departments, Information Technology, Finance, the AI Unit, and Model Validation to improve efficiency and cost-to-serve, while demonstrating the realized benefit of each initiative to the Bank.
Key Responsibilities
- Map and baseline end-to-end operations processes, and maintain the operations process inventory and the technical-debt view.
- Own the operations initiative portfolio, scoring and sequencing initiatives by value, complexity, and risk.
- Redesign processes before automation, and recommend the right solution type: process redesign, RPA, document intelligence, AI, or system change.
- Take initiatives through the G0 to G4 governance gates with the AI Unit and Model Validation, ensuring each has a baseline and a named benefit owner.
- Lead delivery with Operations, IT, and Data teams, including fusion teams, and resolve blockers to keep initiatives on scope, timeline, and budget.
- Lead change management, training, and adoption for every process redesign, in coordination with the Change Management Officers, and ensure that changes are reflected in policies and day-to-day practices.
- Track realized benefits with Finance, and report progress, challenges, and achievements to the COO, the Chief Data & AI Officer, and the Executive Committee.
- Define key objectives and performance indicators (KPIs) for operations initiatives, including cycle-time reduction, cost-to-serve reduction, and adoption in redesigned processes.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to remove work before it is automated.
- Coordinate with technology and automation vendors, and with advisory firms and industry peers as required.
Qualifications & Competencies
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, or a related field; a master’s degree is preferred.
- Minimum 10 to 12 years of experience in banking operations, including at least 5 years leading transformation, process re-engineering, or automation at a bank.
- Hands-on experience in payments, remittances, clearing, deposits, loans processing, or cards operations.
- Professional certification in Project Management (PMP), Agile, or Lean Six Sigma is preferred.
- Strong knowledge of BPMN process mapping and Lean or Six Sigma methods, with measurable cost or turnaround savings delivered.
- Working knowledge of RPA, intelligent document processing, and AI use cases, sufficient to challenge vendors.
- Strong business-case and benefits-tracking discipline, with comfort working with data.
- Strong strategic thinking and structured problem-solving skills, with sound analytical and commercial judgment.
- Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills at department-head level, with proven change leadership.
- Excellent written and spoken communication in Arabic and English.
- Experience with a foreign-branch or cross-border operation is an advantage.
