Trade Finance Operations Lead, Vice President

OCBC company; Singapore; On-site; SGD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Holistic, flexible benefits

Industry-leading learning opportunities

Job summary

A leading banking institution in Singapore is seeking an experienced Trade Finance Operations Lead to drive operational excellence and strategic transformation within their Trade Finance Operations department. The successful candidate will have a strong background in Trade Finance, demonstrated leadership abilities, and a passion for efficiency and innovation. Responsibilities include overseeing trade finance operations, ensuring compliance, and influencing senior leadership decisions. This role offers competitive compensation and career development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Trade Finance Operations with deep domain expertise.
• Demonstrated success in leading transformational initiatives.
• Strong understanding of risk management and regulatory frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Champion a transformational agenda for Trade Finance Operations.
• Oversee the full spectrum of trade finance operations.
• Maintain a strong risk management framework.

Skills

Trade Finance Operations

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Operational excellence

Education

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

Job description

You may choose to display a cookie banner on the external site. You must specify the message in the cookie banner and may add a link to a relevant policy. If you are unfamiliar with these requirements, please seek the advice of legal counsel.You are about to enter websites controlled or offered by third parties. OCBC hereby disclaims liability for any information, materials, products or services posted or offered at any of these third party web-sites. By creating a link to these third party web-sites, OCBC does not endorse or recommend any products or services offered or information contained on those web-sites or information fed by these third parties nor is OCBC liable for any failure of products or services offered or advertised at any of these third party web-sites. OCBC Group shall in no event be liable for any damages, loss or expense including without limitation, direct, indirect, special, or consequential damage, or economic loss arising from or in connection with any use of or access to any other website linked to this website, any system, server or connection failure, error, omission, interruption, delay in transmission, or computer virus and any services, products, information, data, software or other material obtained from this website or from any other website linked to this website. Any hyperlinks to any other websites are not an endorsement or verification of such websites and such websites should only be accessed at the user’s own risks. This exclusion clause shall take effect to the fullest extent permitted by law.You further consent to Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, its related corporations (collectively, the "OCBC Group"), and their respective business partners and agents (collectively, the “OCBC Representatives”) collecting, using and disclosing your personal data for purposes reasonably required by the OCBC Group and the OCBC Representatives to enable them to process your employment application and assess your suitability for the position which you are applying for. Such purposes are set out in a Data Protection Policy, which is accessible at www.ocbc.com/policies or available on request and which you confirm you have read and understood.Trade Finance Operations Lead, Vice President page is loaded## Trade Finance Operations Lead, Vice Presidentremote type: Onsitelocations: OCBC Singaporetime type: Full timeposted on: Posted Todayjob requisition id: JR00003701# **WHO WE ARE:** Today, we’re on a journey of transformation. Leveraging technology and creativity to become a future-ready learning organisation. But for all that change, our strategic ambition is consistently clear and bold, which is to be Asia’s leading financial services partner for a sustainable future. We invite you to build the bank of the future. Innovate the way we deliver financial services. Work in friendly, supportive teams. Build lasting value in your community. Help people grow their assets, business, and investments. Take your learning as far as you can. Or simply enjoy a vibrant, future-ready career.Your Opportunity Starts Here.# **Location:** Singapore **Reporting To:** Managing Director, Regional Head of Trade Finance Operations **Industry:** Banking / Financial Services **Function:** Operations – Trade Finance **Type:** Full-Time, Leadership Role**Overview**We are conducting a confidential executive search for a dynamic and forward-thinking **Lead Role with potential career progression** to lead and transform our Trade Finance Operations department. This strategic leadership role is pivotal in shaping the future of our trade finance capabilities, ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and innovation in a rapidly evolving financial landscape.**Key Responsibilities****Strategic Leadership & Transformation*** Champion a transformational agenda for Trade Finance Operations, aligning operational capabilities with the bank’s strategic direction and future growth.* Lead the reimagining of trade finance processes, leveraging automation, digital platforms, and data analytics to drive efficiency, scalability, and customer-centricity.* Identify and implement innovative solutions to streamline workflows, reduce manual touchpoints, and enhance turnaround times across trade products.* Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging experimentation, agility, and cross-functional collaboration to solve complex operational challenges.**Operational Excellence & Delivery*** Oversee the full spectrum of trade finance operations including Letters of Credit, Documentary Collections, Bank Guarantees, and Supply Chain Finance.* Ensure robust controls and governance are in place to maintain high levels of accuracy, timeliness, and compliance in transaction processing.* Drive performance metrics and KPIs to monitor operational health, proactively address bottlenecks, and deliver consistent service excellence.**Risk & Regulatory Management*** Maintain a strong risk management framework, ensuring adherence to internal policies and external regulatory requirements (e.g., MAS, ICC, AML/CFT).* Lead the department’s readiness for regulatory audits and inspections, ensuring transparency, traceability, and responsiveness.* Anticipate emerging risks and regulatory changes, and proactively adapt operational strategies to mitigate impact.**Stakeholder Engagement & Influence*** Act as a key liaison between Trade Finance Operations and stakeholders including Business Units, Compliance, Risk, Technology, and external partners.* Influence senior leadership and cross-functional teams by providing strategic insights and operational intelligence to support decision-making.* Collaborate with product and technology teams to co-create digitally enabled trade solutions that enhance client experience and operational agility.**People Leadership & Culture Building*** Lead, mentor, and inspire a diverse team of trade finance professionals, cultivating a high-performance and resilient workforce.* Drive talent development and succession planning, ensuring the team is future-ready and equipped with the skills needed for transformation.* Promote a culture of accountability, adaptability, and innovation, empowering teams to take ownership and deliver impactful results.**Key Requirements*** Proven experience in **Trade Finance Operations**, with deep domain expertise across products and processes.* Demonstrated success in leading **transformational initiatives** and driving operational change.* Strong understanding of **risk management**, regulatory frameworks, and compliance in trade finance.* Excellent **stakeholder management** skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across functions.* Resilient, results-driven, and able to perform under pressure in a fast-paced environment.* Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach and a passion for operational excellence.* Prior leadership experience in a **banking or financial services** environment is essential.**Preferred Qualifications*** Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Finance, or related field.* Professional certifications in Trade Finance or Risk Management are advantageous.* Experience with digital transformation, automation, process optimization and emerging technologies in trade finance operations.* Minimally 15 years’ hands on experience in relevant experience.# # # **What we offer:**Competitive base salary. A suite of holistic, flexible benefits to suit every lifestyle. Community initiatives. Industry-leading learning and professional development opportunities. Your wellbeing, growth and aspirations are every bit as cared for as the needs of our customers.