Vice President - Core Banking Platform

RAKBANK; Dubai; On-site; AED 334,800 - 502,200; Full time

Job summary

RAKBANK is hiring a Vice President - Core Banking Platform in Dubai, UAE. This senior technology role will involve ownership of critical banking platforms, management of Finacle and other key systems, and leading operations to ensure platform reliability and performance.

The ideal candidate will have 15 years of banking technology experience, with a strong background in core banking systems and API governance. This is a high-impact position that supports strategic transformation within a leading UAE bank.

Qualifications

• 15 years of experience in banking technology, core banking systems, application management, or platform operations.
• Minimum 5 years in platform ownership, senior application management, or core banking platform leadership.
• Strong experience with core banking platforms, with Finacle experience strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end run-and-change lifecycle of core banking platforms.
• Manage Finacle Core, Wealth, ELMS, VAM, Nucleus Lending, and FLEXCUBE.
• Lead platform operations including monitoring, incident management, and maintenance planning.

Skills

Core banking platform ownership

Finacle Core

Wealth platforms

Nucleus Lending

FLEXCUBE

Platform lifecycle management

API governance

DevOps practices

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field

Job description

Vice President - Core Banking Platform

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Financial Services
Function: Information Technology
Experience: 15 years banking technology experience
Job Type: Full-time

Overview

Vice President - Core Banking Platform in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a senior Financial Services technology leadership opportunity for an experienced platform owner with deep expertise in core banking systems, lending platforms, wealth platforms, API governance, DevOps, release management, incident management, DR and BCP readiness, and high-availability banking operations. This role is ideal for a senior banking technology leader who can own the full run-and-change lifecycle of core, lending, and wealth platforms while enabling business growth, operational resilience, and strategic transformation.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end run-and-change lifecycle of core banking, lending, wealth, and virtual account management platforms.
• Manage Finacle Core, Wealth, ELMS, VAM, Nucleus Lending, and FLEXCUBE as strategic internal banking technology products.
• Ensure platform stability, availability, uptime, SLA performance, SLO adherence, and operational resilience.
• Lead platform operations including monitoring, incident management, root cause analysis, maintenance planning, DR readiness, and BCP preparedness.
• Track and report platform KPIs including uptime, MTTR, incident trends, change success rate, API availability, and operational efficiency.
• Expose platform capabilities through stable, secure, well-governed APIs for digital channels, business users, and consuming technology platforms.
• Define and maintain API governance, platform interface standards, versioning discipline, and integration models.
• Manage platform upgrades, patching, databases, middleware, infrastructure dependencies, and technology lifecycle activities.
• Lead delivery of platform changes while ensuring resilience, testing quality, release governance, and DevOps integration.
• Maintain a platform roadmap aligned with business demand, digital transformation, regulatory needs, and strategic programmes.
• Manage technical debt, platform customisations, configuration governance, and modernisation priorities.
• Oversee test environments and ensure readiness across SIT, UAT, pre-production, and related release stages.
• Drive automation across operations to improve efficiency, reduce manual effort, and strengthen platform controls.
• Support large‑scale system changes while maintaining strong release discipline and production stability.
• Govern batch processing, interface operations, and 24/7 banking technology support requirements.
• Partner with business teams to translate retail, Islamic, lending, wealth, and VAM requirements into reliable platform capabilities.
• Coordinate with infrastructure, cyber security, architecture, operations, digital, risk, and vendor teams to deliver secure and scalable solutions.
• Ensure platform controls support regulatory, audit, risk, security, and operational governance requirements.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team of platform engineers, business analysts, and operations specialists.
• Build team capability through coaching, accountability, knowledge sharing, and clear ownership models.
• Support strategic transformation programmes by ensuring platform readiness, integration capability, and operational quality.
• Balance day-to-day platform reliability with future-focused platform evolution and business enablement.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• 15 years of experience in banking technology, core banking systems, application management, or platform operations.
• Minimum 5 years in platform ownership, senior application management, technology product ownership, or core banking platform leadership.
• Strong experience with core banking platforms, with Finacle experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with Nucleus Lending, FLEXCUBE, or similar lending and banking platforms is an advantage.
• Deep understanding of banking domains including retail banking, Islamic banking, lending, wealth management, and virtual account management.
• Experience managing platform engineering, business analysis, application support, and operations teams.
• Strong knowledge of API management, integration architecture, interface governance, and platform capability exposure.
• Good understanding of batch processing, release management, test environment governance, and 24/7 banking operations.
• Experience with DevOps practices, automation, deployment governance, and large-scale system changes.
• Proven ability to manage incident response, SLA governance, platform monitoring, DR planning, and BCP readiness.
• Strong understanding of technical debt, platform customisation, configuration management, and lifecycle planning.
• Ability to align platform roadmaps with business demand, regulatory obligations, transformation initiatives, and operational priorities.
• Strong stakeholder management skills across business, technology, operations, risk, compliance, vendors, and senior leadership.
• Excellent leadership capability with experience developing high-performing platform teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a highly regulated, high-availability banking technology environment.

Skills Set

• Core banking platform ownership; Finacle Core; Wealth platforms; ELMS; VAM; Nucleus Lending; FLEXCUBE; Banking technology; Platform lifecycle management; Senior application management; Platform operations; Incident management; SLA governance; SLO governance; Uptime KPIs; MTTR tracking; DR readiness; BCP readiness; API governance; API availability; Platform integration; Interface design; Batch processing; Release management; DevOps practices; Test environment governance; SIT readiness; UAT readiness; Pre-production readiness; Database lifecycle management; Middleware management; Infrastructure coordination; Technical debt management; Configuration governance; Platform customisation; Automation; Operational efficiency; Retail banking systems; Islamic banking systems; Lending platforms; Wealth management platforms; Virtual account management; Team leadership; Business analysis leadership; Engineering leadership; Transformation support.

Why Join Us

This opportunity is ideal for a Vice President - Core Banking Platform seeking a high-impact technology leadership role in Dubai's Financial Services sector. The position offers ownership of critical banking platforms, exposure to strategic transformation programmes, leadership of specialist platform teams, and the chance to shape resilient, API‑enabled, and future‑ready banking technology capabilities. It is a strong fit for a senior platform leader who wants to combine operational excellence, technology modernisation, product ownership, and enterprise banking transformation within a respected UAE bank.

About the Company

RAKBANK is a leading UAE banking institution serving personal, SME, commercial, corporate, and wealth management customers through a wide range of financial products, digital banking services, and client‑focused solutions. The bank is committed to innovation, governance, operational resilience, customer service, and sustainable growth. Through its core banking, lending, wealth, digital, data, and technology transformation initiatives, RAKBANK continues to strengthen modern financial services and support evolving customer needs across the United Arab Emirates.