Senior Product Manager Lending

Operating in the UAE for over 50 years, CBD manages the financial requirements of some of the largest corporates and businesses operating in the country, driving the UAE economy. Over the years, CBD has transformed into a progressive and modern banking institution winning multiple awards for its digital initiatives, credit cards, bank accounts, mobile app features and services.

CBD has been recognized as the number one bank in the UAE on the Forbes list of The World’s Best Banks 2022.

As we continue to build upon our successes, we are looking for ambitious individuals who are passionate about the banking and finance industry and the markets in which CBD operates. Just as important to us is your ability to demonstrate a talent for dealing with people - your colleagues and our customers and delivering service that really goes the extra mile.

Job Purpose:

• To lead the product ownership, commercial growth and operating model development of Wholesale Banking Lending, while strengthening the process, governance, systems and management discipline underpinning traditional corporate lending.
• The role holder is accountable to professionalize the broader corporate lending product environment by designing end-to-end workflows, SOPs, controls, system change requirements, portfolio tracking, exception management, product MIS and governance routines. The role does not replace Credit/Risk ownership or Relationship Manager accountability for client relationships; rather, it ensures that lending products are commercially scalable, operationally controlled, consistently executed and transparently monitored across the lifecycle.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Lending Product Strategy, Portfolio Ownership and Commercial Delivery

• Own the product agenda for WBG Lending investment and traditional corporate lending enablement, translating business priorities into a clear product roadmap, delivery plan and measurable commercial outcomes.

• Develop annual and multi-year product plans covering target segments, anchor/client selection criteria, revenue pools, pricing approach, balance sheet utilisation, risk-adjusted returns and required operating capabilities.

• Track portfolio performance across pipeline, sanctions, utilisation, drawdowns, maturities, repayments, revenue, yield, exceptions, turnaround time and client adoption; convert insights into actions for Sales, Credit, Operations and senior management.

• Investment and Traditional Corporate Lending Workflow, SOPs and Governance

• Map current-state corporate lending processes across origination, product selection, pricing inputs, approvals, documentation, fulfilment, limit setup, utilisation, renewal, variation and closure; identify control gaps, duplication, manual handoffs and turnaround-time bottlenecks.

• Design target-state workflows and SOPs that clarify roles and responsibilities across Coverage, Product, Credit, Legal, Operations, Credit Middle Office, Compliance, Finance and Technology.

• Create standard operating procedures, checklists, process notes, product guides and governance packs to improve consistency, auditability and execution discipline across lending products.

• Establish structured governance routines for lending product performance, pipeline health, deal conversion, workflow exceptions, implementation delays, product issues and required management interventions.

• Ensure monitoring handoffs are clearly defined for conditions precedent/subsequent, documentation deficiencies, exception approvals, renewals, security perfection and other control items, without assuming Credit/Risk ownership for credit risk monitoring.

• Systems, Data, Automation and Change Delivery

• Identify and prioritise system enhancements required to support lending workflows, including pipeline tracking, approval status visibility, product tagging, limit/utilisation reporting, document checklist tracking, exception reporting and management dashboards.

• Prepare business requirements, user stories, process flows, data definitions, test scenarios and implementation plans for technology and operations changes required to scale lending product governance.

• Partner with Technology, Operations, Data, Finance, Risk and Digital teams to reduce manual processes, improve data quality, enhance MIS and create workflow transparency from origination to booking and post-booking management.

• Lead UAT coordination, pilot rollout, adoption tracking and post-implementation reviews for lending product/process changes.

• Financial Performance, Pricing Discipline and Risk-Adjusted Returns

• Work with Coverage, Credit, Treasury and Finance to establish pricing frameworks that reflect funding cost, liquidity impact, collateral quality, operational complexity, capital consumption, risk appetite and competitive dynamics.

• Monitor revenue, margin, fees, utilisation and profitability by product/client/segment and recommend corrective actions where risk-adjusted returns are below expectations.

• Develop business cases for new propositions, process investments and system changes, clearly articulating expected revenue, cost, risk, control and client experience benefits.

• Support portfolio reviews to identify under-penetrated clients, dormant limits, low-yield utilisation, concentration risks and opportunities to cross-sell transaction banking products.

• Risk, Compliance, Policy and Control Management

• Ensure all lending product frameworks, SOPs and process changes are aligned with internal policies, delegated authorities, regulatory expectations, Sharia requirements where applicable, operational risk standards and audit requirements.

• Partner with Credit, Risk, Compliance, Legal and Operations to ensure new or enhanced products have clear product papers, risk assessments, approval governance, documentation standards, process controls and issue escalation paths.

• Maintain product-level controls and ensure timely remediation of audit findings, operational incidents, process gaps and control weaknesses relating to lending products or workflows.

• Promote a culture of responsible growth by balancing commercial ambition with disciplined risk selection, documentation quality, operational control and portfolio transparency.

• Stakeholder Leadership and Sales Enablement

• Influence and coordinate senior stakeholders across Coverage, Credit, Risk, Operations, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Treasury, Technology and Digital to deliver lending product priorities and remove execution barriers.

• Equip Relationship Managers and frontline teams with product playbooks, training, deal qualification guides, pitch material, pricing guidance and implementation support for SCF, ABL and lending process changes.

• Represent the lending product agenda in management forums, portfolio reviews, governance meetings and strategic planning discussions, providing fact-based updates and recommendations.

• Build external market awareness through competitor benchmarking, client feedback, industry developments and engagement with relevant vendors/fintechs where they can accelerate controlled product delivery.

• Client Experience, Implementation and Lifecycle Management

• Improve client experience by reducing friction across onboarding, documentation, limit activation, utilisation, programme implementation and issue resolution for lending products.

• Define service standards and turnaround-time metrics for key lending journeys, identify root causes of delays and drive cross-functional remediation.

• Create feedback loops from clients, Coverage and Operations to continuously improve product design, process quality and client outcomes.

Requirements

Education and Experience:

•Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Accounting, Engineering or a related discipline; Master’s degree / MBA / professional qualification is preferred.

• Formal credit training, corporate banking certification, trade finance / supply chain finance certification, project management certification or equivalent professional development is advantageous.

• Strong understanding of UAE/GCC banking environment, wholesale banking products, regulatory expectations and corporate client operating models is preferred.

 10–15 years of relevant banking experience, with meaningful exposure to corporate lending, working capital finance, structured lending, credit or lending product management.

• At least 5 years in a senior product, portfolio, business management, credit structuring, transformation or process ownership role within wholesale/corporate banking.

• Demonstrated track record of building or scaling lending products/propositions, creating business cases, delivering revenue growth, improving process controls and influencing senior stakeholders across Coverage, Credit, Risk, Operations and Technology.

• Experience in designing SOPs, governance frameworks, MIS dashboards, workflow changes, policy/process documentation and operational controls for lending or working capital products.