Group Head of Shared Services

Madison Pearl; Dubai; On-site; AED 440,000 - 625,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading banking group is seeking a highly experienced Group Head of Shared Services to drive operational excellence and service innovation. This pivotal leadership role involves building a scalable, efficient Shared Services function supporting HR, Finance, Operations, and IT. The ideal candidate will have over 12 years of experience in Shared Services within banking, proven success in managing large teams, and expertise in process excellence. Attractive compensation package and long-term growth potential are offered.

Benefits

Competitive leadership compensation package

Long-term growth potential

Qualifications

• 12–18+ years of experience in Shared Services, Operations, or Transformation within banking.
• Proven success in leading large teams and multi-country operations.
• Strong expertise in process design, automation, and digital service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Drive operational excellence and service innovation across group entities.
• Establish SLAs and KPIs for reliable service delivery.
• Partner with executives to align on priorities and deliver value-added services.

Skills

Leadership

Operational Excellence

Change Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Service Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Operations or related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

About the Role

A leading banking group is seeking a highly experienced Group Head of Shared Services to drive operational excellence, service innovation, and transformation across all group entities. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for building and managing a scalable, efficient, and customer-centric Shared Services function supporting HR, Finance, Operations, Procurement, IT Support, and other centralised services across the bank.

Strategic Leadership & Transformation

Develop and execute a group-wide Shared Services strategy aligned to the bank’s operational and growth agenda.

• Lead transformation initiatives to enhance efficiency, standardisation, automation, and service quality.
• Drive digitisation and adoption of new technologies to deliver best-in-class banking support services.

Operational Management

Oversee end-to-end delivery of Shared Services across multiple business lines and regions.

• Establish SLAs, KPIs, and governance frameworks to ensure reliability, transparency, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure processes support regulatory requirements, audit standards, and group-level compliance.

Stakeholder Engagement

Partner closely with Group COO, CFO, CHRO, and Business Heads to understand priorities and deliver value-added services.

• Build trusted relationships across all banking subsidiaries, ensuring alignment and seamless service delivery.
• Champion a service-oriented culture focused on quality, speed, and internal customer satisfaction.

People & Performance Leadership

Lead and develop a multi-disciplinary team across various locations and functions.

• Build capabilities in service management, process excellence, automation, and digital tools.
• Foster a high-performance environment centred on innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Financial & Risk Management

Manage budgets, cost optimisation initiatives, and effective resource planning.

• Drive organisation-wide efficiencies through consolidation, standardisation, and shared platforms.
• Identify and mitigate operational risks, ensuring strong governance and controls.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Operations or related field; Master’s preferred.

• 12–18+ years of experience in Shared Services, Operations, or Transformation within the banking sector.
• Proven success leading large teams and overseeing multi-country or group-level operations.
• Strong expertise in process design, automation, digital service delivery, and service management frameworks.
• Excellent communication, executive stakeholder management, and change leadership skills.
• Deep understanding of regulatory and operational requirements within financial institutions.

Why Join Them

Executive opportunity to re-shape and scale a high-impact function across a leading banking group.

• Transform legacy operations into a modern, digital, service-driven environment.
• Competitive leadership compensation package and long-term growth potential.

Contact

Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV to [e-mail] or contact the executive recruitment team for a confidential discussion.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.