Principal Lead- Customer Lifecycle & KYC Management

First Abu Dhabi Bank; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 367,000 - 551,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution in the UAE is looking for a Principal Lead for Customer Lifecycle & KYC Management. This strategic role involves driving CRM systems and customer onboarding processes across Wholesale and Retail Banking. Candidates should have a Bachelor's or Master's degree and at least 15 years of experience in banking, with strong expertise in Agile practices and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of experience in banking, with significant exposure to Wholesale Banking CRM, customer onboarding, and KYC.
• Proven expertise in Agile practices and methodologies.
• Strong technical skills for implementing technology-driven solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end customer onboarding and KYC management functions.
• Define and execute the onboarding and KYC strategy for Wholesale Banking.
• Establish and monitor KPIs for onboarding efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Skills

Agile practices

Stakeholder management

Analytical mindset

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Technology, or related field

Tools

Salesforce

MS Dynamics

SAP CRM

.NET

C#

React

Job description

Principal Lead- Customer Lifecycle & KYC Management

• Full-time
• Sub Division: Technology - IB & Markets, Wholesale and International

Join the UAE’s largest bank and one of the world’s largest and safest financial institutions. Our focus is to create value for our employees, customers, shareholders and communities to grow through differentiation, agility and innovation. We are looking for top talent and your success is our success. Accelerate your growth as you help us reach our goals and advance your career. Be ready to make your mark a top company, in an exciting & dynamic industry.

JOB PURPOSE

Its a strategic leadership role responsible for driving the vision, implementation, and continuous optimization of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and customer onboarding processes across Wholesale and Retail Banking. This role serves as a critical bridge between business objectives and technical solutions, ensuring CRM and onboarding initiatives are aligned with broader organizational goals.

This role will lead the end-to-end customer onboarding and KYC (Know Your Customer) management functions, designing and executing processes that ensure regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and exceptional client experiences. Leveraging deep domain expertise, advanced CRM technologies, data analytics, and emerging capabilities such as AI, ML, and Agentic AI, the role will deliver intelligent, seamless, and compliant customer journeys.

This role demands a strong understanding of regulatory frameworks, customer experience principles, and operational excellence to support business growth, enhance customer engagement and retention, and maximize lifetime customer value through innovative and agile methodologies.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategic Leadership & Compliance Alignment

• Define and execute the onboarding and KYC strategy for Wholesale Banking, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements (AML, FATF, Central Bank guidelines) and business objectives.
• Lead the CRM strategy across marketing, sales, and service functions to drive customer-centric growth and enhance relationship management.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement across onboarding and CRM initiatives.

Digital Transformation & Agile Delivery

• Spearhead cross-functional Agile teams to deliver digital, automated onboarding solutions and CRM enhancements.
• Oversee CRM program planning, execution, and delivery, including upgrades, integrations, and new feature rollouts.
• Collaborate with Technology, Compliance, Operations, and Business teams to ensure seamless customer journeys and system interoperability.

Performance Monitoring & Data-Driven Insights

• Establish and monitor KPIs for onboarding efficiency, compliance, customer satisfaction, CRM effectiveness, retention, and conversion rates.
• Analyze onboarding and CRM data to generate actionable insights and inform strategic decision‑making.

Stakeholder Engagement & Governance

• Act as the primary point of contact for onboarding, KYC, and CRM-related issues and escalations.
• Ensure CRM systems and onboarding processes comply with data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR) and maintain data integrity and security.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and technology partners to deliver scalable and compliant solutions.

Operational Excellence

• Provide subject matter expertise on complex onboarding and KYC cases.
• Identify and implement process improvements to reduce turnaround times and enhance customer experience.

Specific Accountability

• Lead architecture, configuration, and integration of CRM platforms (Salesforce, MS Dynamics, SAP CRM) with enterprise systems (ERP, marketing automation).
• Oversee onboarding platform development using .NET, C#, React, and microservices architecture, ensuring secure, scalable, and responsive solutions.
• Drive adoption of CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and API-first design for agile delivery and performance optimization.
• Leverage AI/ML for identity verification, fraud detection, document classification, and risk scoring.
• Implement Agentic AI systems to orchestrate autonomous onboarding workflows that adapt to customer behavior and escape exceptions intelligently.
• Collaborate with Data Science teams to build predictive models that reduce drop-offs and enhance onboarding efficiency.
• Monitor AI systems for bias, accuracy, and compliance with ethical and regulatory standards.
• Identify and pilot digital solutions to enhance customer experience across onboarding and CRM touchpoints.
• Translate complex onboarding and KYC use cases into actionable solutions for business stakeholders.
• Continuously improve processes to reduce turnaround times and elevate customer satisfaction.
• Lead CRM and onboarding program planning, execution, and delivery, including platform evaluations and vendor management.
• Manage relationships with external technology partners, consultants, and solution providers to ensure strategic alignment and delivery excellence.
• Develop training programs and promote CRM adoption and best practices across departments.
• Ensure data integrity, privacy (e.g., GDPR), and security across CRM and onboarding platforms.
• Support regulatory audits and compliance reviews with robust documentation and subject‑matter expertise.

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Technology, or a related field.

- Minimum 15 years of experience in banking, with significant exposure to Wholesale Banking CRM, customer onboarding and KYC.

- Proven expertise in Agile practices and methodologies.

- Strong technical skills, with the ability to understand, design, and implement technology‑driven solutions.

- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex use cases and solutions to business and technical stakeholders.

- Deep knowledge of regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements for CRM, KYC and onboarding, workflow tools, and data analytics. in Wholesale Banking.

- Experience in leading cross‑functional teams and managing large‑scale transformation initiatives.

- Strategic thinking and execution leadership.

- Deep understanding of KYC/AML regulations.

- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

- Analytical mindset with a focus on process improvement.