Head of Digital Products

Confidential Careers; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution is seeking a Head of Digital Products in Abu Dhabi. This role requires extensive experience in digital product management and leading cross-functional teams. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and executing the digital product strategy to enhance customer banking experiences across mobile and web platforms. The ideal profile includes a strong understanding of regulatory compliance and product lifecycle management, along with a proven track record in delivering scalable digital solutions.

Qualifications

• 10–15+ years’ experience in digital product management or leadership in banking.
• Proven record managing cross-functional delivery teams.
• Familiar with FSRA or similar regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy and roadmap for digital products.
• Ensure delivery of compliant digital banking capabilities.
• Monitor product performance and improve customer journeys.

Skills

Digital product management

Cross-functional leadership

Agile delivery practices

Customer experience optimisation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Technology, Engineering, Finance

Postgraduate qualification (MBA)

Tools

Digital analytics tools

A/B testing tools

Job description

Job Title: Head of Digital Products

Reports to: COO

Role: Full time

Location: Abu Dhabi

Company Details

Our client is a financial institution licensed to provide a comprehensive range of banking products and services. Built on a foundation of resilience and innovation, it has grown into a trusted provider of financial solutions for individuals, businesses, and institutions. The organisation is deeply committed to financial inclusion, social responsibility, and aligning with global best practices in financial services and technology.

Job Purpose

The Head of Digital Products will lead the strategy, design, delivery and lifecycle management of the Bank’s digital products and channels. This role is accountable for building and continuously improving digital banking experiences across mobile, web, and digital onboarding journeys, ensuring solutions are customer-centric, commercially successful, secure, resilient, and compliant with FSRA requirements and internal risk frameworks.

The role will own the end-to-end product roadmap for digital experiences, manage product performance metrics, and lead cross-functional squads spanning technology, operations, risk, compliance, and customer support to deliver scalable digital banking capabilities.

Duties and Responsibilities

1) Digital Product Strategy & Roadmap

• Define and deliver the Bank’s digital product strategy aligned to business goals, target segments, and growth objectives.
• Own and maintain a prioritised digital product roadmap across mobile, web, digital onboarding, servicing journeys, and digital propositions.
• Drive value creation through product innovation, ecosystem partnerships, and digital-first customer experiences.
• Translate strategic objectives into clear product requirements, delivery plans, and measurable outcomes.

2) Product Ownership & Delivery Execution

• Lead end-to-end product management across the full product lifecycle: discovery, design, build, launch, and optimisation.
• Work with Technology and Delivery teams to ensure strong execution using agile delivery practices and effective governance.
• Ensure digital products meet requirements across functionality, performance, scalability, and usability.
• Own product documentation including business cases, user journeys, epics/stories, release plans and post-launch performance reviews.

3) Customer Experience (CX) & Journey Optimisation

• Design and optimise seamless customer journeys across acquisition, onboarding, payments, servicing, and support.
• Drive adoption and engagement through intuitive UX/UI, proactive servicing features, and effective customer communications.
• Monitor feedback and digital analytics to improve conversion rates, reduce drop-offs, and increase customer satisfaction.
• Partner with Customer Support and Operations to improve digital servicing and reduce manual interventions.

4) Regulatory, Risk & Compliance Alignment (FSRA / ADGM)

• Ensure digital products are designed and delivered in compliance with applicable FSRA expectations and internal governance frameworks.
• Partner with Compliance, MLRO and Risk to ensure products support:
• AML/KYC and customer due diligence requirements
• Digital onboarding and identity verification controls
• Consumer protection and fair treatment of customers
• Data privacy and information security requirements
• Ensure appropriate controls are embedded in digital product design and ongoing operations (including auditability and monitoring).

5) Digital Onboarding & Identity Capabilities

• Own and continuously improve digital onboarding capabilities, including account opening flows and verification journeys.
• Ensure onboarding experiences balance customer friction, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with Ops/Risk teams to optimise exception handling, backlog management, and onboarding SLA performance.

6) Digital Channels & Core Banking/Platform Integration

• Define digital channel requirements and ensure integration with:
• Core banking platforms
• Payments rails and service providers
• CRM and case management tools
• Fraud and AML monitoring platforms
• Customer communications and notifications platforms
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture and Technology to ensure scalable, well-governed digital platform design.

7) Data-Driven Performance Management

• Define KPIs and success metrics for digital product performance (e.g., activation, engagement, conversion, NPS, uptime, drop-offs, cost-to-serve).
• Use data insights and experimentation (A/B testing where appropriate) to optimise digital journeys and proposition outcomes.
• Produce regular reporting to Executive Management and governance committees on product performance and delivery progress.

8) Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as the key business owner for digital products, balancing commercial needs and control requirements.
• Lead cross-functional teams and stakeholders across Technology, Risk, Compliance, Ops, Finance, Legal and Marketing.
• Present product roadmaps, progress, risk issues, and investment cases at senior governance forums.
• Build strong external relationships with fintech and technology partners (where required).

9) Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Build, coach and lead high-performing product management teams and squads.
• Establish strong product discipline including product operating model, prioritisation frameworks, and governance.
• Embed a culture of customer-first thinking, accountability, and measurable outcomes.

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

• Clear digital product strategy and multi-year roadmap aligned to bank growth objectives
• Successful launch and scaling of digital banking journeys across web and mobile
• High-performing digital onboarding capabilities with improved conversion and reduced manual handling
• Improved customer satisfaction and engagement across digital channels
• Strong governance and controlled delivery aligned to FSRA expectations
• Measurable improvements in digital adoption, cost-to-serve, and operational efficiency

Required Experience

• 10–15+ years’ experience in digital product management, product leadership, or digital transformation within banking or financial services.
• Strong experience delivering digital banking products (mobile/web) in regulated environments.
• Proven track record managing cross-functional delivery teams and complex stakeholders (Risk/Compliance/Tech).
• Experience with digital onboarding, servicing journeys, payments, and customer experience optimisation.
• Familiarity with operating under regulatory governance and audit scrutiny (FSRA/DFSA/FCA/PRA/MAS or similar).

Qualifications (Preferred)

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Technology, Engineering, Finance, or related discipline.
• Postgraduate qualification (MBA) beneficial.
• Certifications beneficial: Agile/Scrum Product Owner, SAFe, Design Thinking, CX certifications.