Business Manager & Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory

Standard Chartered; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A global banking institution based in Dubai seeks a core member for its Global Banking COO team. The role focuses on enhancing operational efficiency, fostering governance, and managing strategic initiatives within Corporate and Investment Banking. Ideal candidates will possess comprehensive banking knowledge and experience in Investment Banking or M&A Advisory. The position emphasizes proactivity, adaptability, and effective communication. A competitive salary and benefits aimed at ensuring overall wellbeing are offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Flexible working options

Core bank funding for retirement savings

Proactive wellbeing support

Continuous learning culture

Qualifications

• Demonstrable capacity for detailed market analysis.
• Strong capability in leading governance projects.
• Commitment to delivering sustainable growth outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Enhance operational efficiency and governance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for business planning.
• Manage communications strategies for the M&A business.
• Streamline procedures for operational challenges.
• Facilitate integration of new products and services.

Skills

Core banking products knowledge

Investment Banking experience

Exceptional communication skills

Stakeholder management skills

Analytical capabilities

Resilience in dynamic environments

Adaptability to change

Experience using Dealogic

Risk assessment skills

Job description

Job Summary

As a core member of the Global Banking COO team, this role facilitates the shaping and execution of strategies that govern the growth and operational excellence of the business within the wider Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) framework. Reporting directly into a senior Business Manager, you will play a crucial part in organisational development to ensure alignment with strategic business objectives and marketplace dynamics.

Key Responsibilities

In this capacity, you will spearhead initiatives aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, foster robust governance and ensure adherence to both internal protocols and external regulatory standards. This strategic engagement includes managing complex accountabilities, developing rigorous business processes, and identifying avenues for expansion and innovation in key markets.

You will actively collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive comprehensive business planning, including evaluation and forecasting of revenue streams, and undertake rigorous monitoring of transaction risks. Your role extends to managing pivotal communications strategies, both internal and external, thereby reinforcing the position of M&A within the broader Global Banking and CIB landscape.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate a capacity for detailed market analysis, capability in steering significant governance projects, and an unwavering commitment to delivering sustainable growth outcomes that align with the institution's long-term vision. Your contributions will be instrumental in crafting a resilient, high-performing business environment that supports M&A professionals in delivering superior client value.

Processes and Platforms

• Champion the continuous improvement of organisational productivity by advancing the use of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, which directly support scalable business growth and enhance client outcomes.
• Proactively address operational challenges by streamlining approval procedures and mitigating process inefficiencies, ensuring deal teams can focus on revenue generation while adhering strictly to risk and compliance mandates.
• Collaborate closely with infrastructure and support divisions to guarantee seamless compliance with the Corporate and Investment Bank’s operational frameworks and regulatory standards.
• Oversee the end-to-end management of pivotal projects, ensuring rigorous governance, timely approvals, and thorough testing during product and initiative rollouts, thereby safeguarding operational integrity.
• Facilitate the rapid integration of new products and services into the business ecosystem, ensuring that operational environments are optimised for efficiency and client satisfaction from the outset.
• Support the M&A business in broader platform initiatives, prioritising business requirements, authorising compliance documentation, and guaranteeing comprehensive training programs are deployed effectively to all impacted users.

People & Talent

• Support leadership in cultivating a high-performance culture through effective talent management, performance review facilitation, and strategic development initiatives.
• Play an active role in responding to employee feedback, such as the My Voice survey, to foster an engaged and inclusive workforce.
• Assist in workforce planning including headcount optimisation, diversity and inclusion (DI) target achievement, and the evaluation of hiring proposals aligned with strategic priorities.
• Work in partnership with the Performance and Reward Board (PRB) to maintain competitive compensation benchmarking that supports fair and equitable pay practices within M&A.
• Exemplify leadership behaviours that promote integrity, collaboration, and accountability, setting the tone for operational excellence and risk‑conscious decision‑making across the team.

Skills and Experience

• Comprehensive knowledge of core banking products tailored for Corporate and Investment Banking clients, with the ability to apply this understanding to support strategic initiatives.
• Relevant and practical experience in Investment Banking, specifically within M&A Advisory, is highly advantageous.
• Alternatively, demonstrated expertise in complementary fields such as Corporate Banking, Chief Operating Office functions, Finance, Strategy, Operational Risk, Assurance, Audit, Legal, or Compliance will also be considered.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, coupled with strong numerical acumen and analytical capabilities, ensuring clarity and precision in all business interactions.
• Effective stakeholder management skills with a track record of leading cross‑functional collaborations and engaging senior management on diverse business topics.
• Uncompromising integrity and professional conduct, with the resilience to thrive in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.
• Proactive adaptability accompanied by a positive approach to change, enabling the candidate to be a catalyst for continuous improvement and innovation.
• Experience using Dealogic preferable.
• Experience in assessing and mitigating both financial and non‑financial risks in a highly regulated environment.

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 thingand 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-offincluding 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 workingoptions based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing supportthrough 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 cultureto 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.