Job Summary

As a Finance Assistant Manager at Standard Chartered in Dubai, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the Head of Financial Controls, Risk to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the Bank's General Ledger. This role is critical in upholding the bank’s financial health by ensuring compliance with controls and risk policies, while also assisting in the development and enhancement of the Operational Risk Management Framework specifically tailored for the Finance department.

You will also collaborate with the Head of Financial Planning & Analysis (FPA) to conduct comprehensive cost analytics, deliver insightful deep dives, and provide intelligent performance analytics for support functions. Preparing management information systems (MIS) reports that encompass both financial and non-financial key performance indicators (KPIs) will be a key part of your responsibilities, along with delivering competitor behaviour analyses to inform strategic decision-making. This role demands an individual with a positive, proactive approach, eager to grow professionally within the finance sector.

Bringing strong analytical skills and a detail-oriented mindset, you will support business-wide financial and operational objectives, ensuring that controls and risk management frameworks remain robust and up to date within a fast-paced banking environment.

Key Responsibilities

Controls & Risk Management

• Collaborate closely with the Head of Controls & Risk to implement, monitor, and enforce financial control policies, ensuring full compliance to safeguard the integrity of the General Ledger across all UAE business entities.
• Drive the establishment and maintenance of a strong financial control environment by proactively identifying and mitigating emerging risks through internal risk reviews and audits.
• Support and help manage the operational risk landscape within Finance, working closely with business finance, compliance, and operations stakeholders to align control activities and responses.
• Contribute to system and project-related initiatives within Finance to enhance control effectiveness and risk management capabilities.
• Coordinate and assist with audit processes related to financial controls, ensuring timely and accurate responses to audit queries and recommendations.

Financial Planning & Analysis (FPA)

• Conduct detailed and periodic cost analyses to support efficient cost management and identify opportunities for optimisation within support functions.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive MIS reports and compelling presentation materials that communicate key financial and operational metrics to stakeholders clearly and accurately.
• Lead and assist with quarterly benchmarking exercises comparing Standard Chartered UAE’s performance against market peers, providing actionable market insights, competitive behaviour analysis, and strategic recommendations.
• Provide valuable assistance during country financial reviews, group personnel visits, and ad hoc business deep-dive initiatives by preparing insightful MIS and strategic presentations.

Strategy and Governance

• Support assessment and enhancement of governance, oversight, and control arrangements within the business to ensure alignment with Group standards and effective risk management practices.
• Contribute to the planning and implementation of changes necessary to improve financial controls and governance frameworks, liaising with cross-functional teams as appropriate.

Core Competencies and Attributes

• Action Oriented: Proactively takes initiative to resolve challenges and drives improvements that enhance financial controls and reporting quality.
• Collaborates: Works effectively across teams and departments to achieve shared objectives, fostering a cooperative and supportive work environment.
• Customer Focus: Ensures the needs of internal and external clients are understood and met by delivering timely and accurate financial insights.
• Gives Clarity & Guidance: Communicates complex financial information clearly, providing direction and understanding to stakeholders at all levels.
• Manages Ambiguity: Demonstrates flexibility and resourcefulness in navigating changing priorities and uncertainties within a dynamic banking environment.
• Develops Talent: Supports the growth and development of colleagues through knowledge sharing, mentoring, and team engagement.
• Drives Vision & Purpose: Aligns day-to-day tasks with broader organisational goals, championing the bank’s purpose and values.
• Nimble Learning: Continuously seeks to expand knowledge and skills, adapting quickly to new technologies and regulatory requirements.
• Decision Quality: Makes well-informed and evidence-based decisions that contribute to effective risk management and business performance.
• Courage: Confidently challenges the status quo and raises issues when necessary to uphold integrity and compliance.
• Instills Trust: Builds and maintains trust through transparency, accountability, and consistent delivery.
• Strategic Mindset: Understands the bigger picture, anticipating implications of financial controls and business decisions on long-term success.
• Technical Competencies: Demonstrates a solid understanding of finance principles, risk management frameworks, and relevant accounting standards pertinent to the role.

Qualifications

• Possess a degree-level education or its equivalent, preferably in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related fields.

• Professional qualifications such as MBA, CPA, ACCA, or CA will be highly valued and considered an advantage, reflecting a strong foundation in financial management and accounting best practices.

• Proven experience within a financial institution or corporate finance environment, with a solid understanding of financial controls and risk management frameworks.

• Excellent analytical and organisational capabilities, capable of handling complex financial data and synthesizing insights for senior management.

Skills and Experience

• A finance or related degree is advantageous and provides a solid background to understand financial reporting and risk management.

• Hands-on experience in financial analysis, cost control, and MIS reporting within a corporate or banking context.

• Strong proficiency in spreadsheet and data analysis tools (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Power BI) to deliver accurate and insightful performance reports.

• Familiarity with operational risk frameworks, internal control assessments, and audit coordination.

• Effective communication skills enabling clear and concise presentation of complex financial data to diverse audiences.

• Ability to work collaboratively across teams, demonstrating adaptability, problem-solving aptitude, and a high level of integrity.

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.