Area Manager - Business Banking

JOB DESCRIPTION
1 Job Title
Area Manager – Liability, Business Banking
Department
Business Banking
Direct Supervisor
Head of Liabilities Coverage

2 Job Purpose
The Area Manager – Liability Business Banking is responsible for the strategic and commercial leadership of a large and complex Business Banking liability portfolio comprising approximately to 2,200 to 3,000 high value client accounts. The role has end-to-end accountability for
- Business growth, Revenue and profitability

- Portfolio quality

- Risk and compliance

- Customer experience

- Operational effectiveness

- People leadership

The position is expected to drive sustainable growth in the liability franchise by strengthening client relationships, increasing product penetration, optimizing the asset/liability mix, improving customer engagement, and developing a high-performing Business Banking team.
3 Dimensions
Operating Budget
Liabilities Book : AED 6.5 billion to 7.5 billion
Annual Revenue: ~AED 300 million to 350 million
Geographic Coverage : Multi‑Emirate
Number of Staff
20 to 22
Capital Exp. Budget

Others

4 Key Result Areas Key Accountabilities
A. Strategy & Business Leadership
- Develop and execute the area’s annual business plan in line with the overall Business Banking strategy.

- Drive achievement of revenue, profitability, portfolio growth, client acquisition, retention, and product penetration targets.

- Optimize the portfolio mix to maximize sustainable revenue and relationship profitability.

- Identify opportunities to deepen existing relationships and acquire new high-value Business Banking clients.

- Establish the bank as the preferred primary operating bank for SMEs and self‑employed customers.

- Identify process gaps and implement sustainable improvements in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

- Drive adoption of digital banking solutions and relevant technology-enabled processes.

B. Portfolio Management & Client Coverage
- Drive effective portfolio segmentation and differentiated client engagement strategies.

- Strengthen primary banking relationships and increase share of wallet through cross-sell and product penetration

- Monitor client concentration, portfolio trends, attrition, profitability, and emerging business opportunities.

- Ensure effective management of key and strategically important client relationships.

- Provide market and competitor intelligence to inform product development and pricing strategies.

C. Risk, Compliance & Governance
- Ensure full adherence to applicable regulatory requirements, AML/KYC standards, internal policies, procedures, and delegated authorities.

- Maintain effective controls and ensure timely resolution of identified risk and compliance issues.

- Ensure the team operates within approved risk appetite and governance frameworks.

- Maintain audit readiness and ensure satisfactory closure of audit and control findings.

- Escalate material risks, exceptions, and breaches through appropriate governance channels.

D. People Leadership & Organization Effectiveness
- Lead, coach, and develop the Team Manager, Relationship Managers, and Assistant Relationship Managers.

- Establish clear performance expectations, client excellence, accountability frameworks, and business objectives.

- Build a high-performance, collaborative, and customer-centric culture.

- Identify capability gaps and implement targeted coaching, development, and succession plans.

- Ensure effective performance management, talent development, and retention of high-performing employees.


E. Customer Experience & Relationship Management
- Drive a consistently superior customer experience across the Business Banking portfolio.

- Establish strong relationships with key clients and senior client stakeholders.

- Lead the resolution of significant customer issues, complaints, and escalations.

- Ensure proactive engagement with priority clients and identify opportunities to strengthen long-term relationships.

- Promote service excellence while maintaining appropriate risk and control standards.

F. Stakeholder Management
- Work closely with:
- Product, Governance, and other support functions.

- Risk, Compliance & Operations

- Digital & Transformation teams


- Maintain strong relationships with key clients, industry bodies, and external stakeholders.
5 Operating Environment, Framework and Boundaries, Working Relationships- Operates in a highly competitive, regulated, and performance‑driven environment.

- Requires strong judgment, resilience, and availability to manage scale, complexity, and stakeholder expectations.

- Success depends on strategic clarity, disciplined execution, and people leadership

6 Problem Solving
- Exercise strong judgment in prioritizing opportunities, resolving escalations, and allocating resources across markets, segments, and teams.

- Interpret internal and external market signals to adjust strategy, pricing, and portfolio actions in a fast-changing competitive and regulatory environment.

- Address non-routine issues requiring cross-functional coordination with Product, Treasury, Risk, Compliance, Operations, and Digital teams.

- Develop practical, commercially sound solutions within policy by combining analytical insight, experience, stakeholder alignment, and governance discipline.

7 Decision Making Authority & Responsibility
- The role is authorized to make decisions within the approved delegation of authority, policies, and governance frameworks, including:

- Business planning and execution of client and portfolio strategies.

- Prioritization of business opportunities and resource allocation within the assigned area.

- Performance management and deployment of team resources.

- Client engagement and relationship strategies within approved authority levels.

- Governance responsibility for risk escalation, suspicious activity reporting, and compliance adherence.

8 Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- 15+ years of progressive experience in Business Banking / Commercial Banking with a strong understanding of products, liability solutions, client acquisition, relationship management, and portfolio economics.

- Proven track record of delivering revenue and portfolio growth.

- Significant experience in leading and developing relationship management teams.

- Experience operating within robust risk, compliance, and governance frameworks.