Executive Director, Trade Operations, Corporate Bank

All Star Agency; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 1,000,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

All Star Agency seeks an Executive Director of Trade Operations for its Corporate Bank in Hong Kong. You will lead day‑to‑day trade finance activities, drive digital transformation, and oversee system migrations, outsourcing partnerships, and a strong risk and control environment.

You will guide large teams, ensure regulatory compliance (ICC rules), and collaborate with relationship managers, product teams, and clients to deliver tailored operational support and growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or related discipline.
• 20 years of trade finance operations experience, including at least 10 years in a supervisory/managerial role.
• Experience in digital transformation projects, especially core banking system migration.
• Strong background in managing large teams and collaborating with outsourcing partners.
• In-depth knowledge of trade finance products, processes, and relevant regulations.
• Familiar with ICC rules (UCP600, ISBP, URR725, URC522) and international trade business models.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• CDCS; HKIB certifications advantageous.
• Good command of written and spoken English and Chinese, including Putonghua.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a professional team, ensuring timely, accurate, and efficient processing of all trade finance activities (L/C opening, advising, confirmation, transfer L/C, import/export document checking, financing, collections, settlement, and periodic reporting).
• Set clear goals, provide coaching, and foster a culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead and support migration to new core banking systems and digital platforms, driving adoption of digital tools and process automation.
• Collaborate with the outsourcing team to establish standards and monitor quality, controls, and risk management.
• Serve as escalation point for complex client issues; work with relationship managers, product teams, and clients to deliver tailored operational support.
• Review and enhance internal controls; ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies (AML, UCP, ISBP, URR725, URC522).
• Monitor regulatory, market, and technological changes; lead or participate in cross-functional projects.
• Successful migration and adoption of core banking and digital systems.
• High-quality, timely trade finance processing with strong risk and control.
• Effective collaboration with outsourcing partners and internal stakeholders.
• Proactive customer support and contribution to business development.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Digital transformation

Team management

Regulatory knowledge

Communication

Bilingual (English/Chinese)

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance or related

CDCS

HKIB Certification

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

Executive Director, Trade Operations, Corporate Bank

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced trade finance operations leader to serve as Division Head of Trade Services Operations. Reporting to Management, you will oversee day-to-day trade operations, drive digital transformation and system migration, manage outsourcing partnerships, and ensure a strong risk and control environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage a professional team, ensuring timely, accurate, and efficient processing of all trade finance activities (L/C opening, advising, confirmation, transfer L/C, import/export document checking, financing, collections, settlement, and periodic reporting)
• Set clear goals, provide coaching, and foster a culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Lead and support migration to new core banking systems and digital platforms, driving adoption of digital tools and process automation
• Collaborate with the outsourcing team to establish standards and monitor quality, controls, and risk management
• Serve as escalation point for complex client issues; work with relationship managers, product teams, and clients to deliver tailored operational support
• Review and enhance internal controls; ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies (AML, UCP, ISBP, URR725, URC522)
• Monitor regulatory, market, and technological changes; lead or participate in cross-functional projects
• Successful migration and adoption of core banking and digital systems
• High-quality, timely trade finance processing with strong risk and control
• Effective collaboration with outsourcing partners and internal stakeholders
• Proactive customer support and contribution to business development

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, or related discipline
• 20 years of trade finance operations experience, including at least 10 years in a supervisory/managerial role
• Demonstrated experience in digital transformation projects, especially core banking system migration
• Strong background in managing large teams and collaborating with outsourcing partners
• In-depth knowledge of trade finance products, processes, and relevant regulations
• Familiar with ICC rules (UCP600, ISBP, URR725, URC522) and international trade business models
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Certified Documentary Credit Specialist (CDCS); Certified Banker (HKIB) an advantage
• Good command of written and spoken English and Chinese, including Putonghua
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint