Group Strategy Specialist

JOB PURPOSE:

• The Group Strategy team is responsible for managing the overall formulation, direction and delivery of the Bank’s long-term plans. The Group Strategy team works with all businesses, functions and geographic areas across the group to inform, guide, create and execute strategic plans for the Group and all its businesses including subsidiaries
• The role holder will support the Group Strategy team by conducting research and analysis that contributes to the development of insights used in internal decision‑making. This role involves rigorous internal and external analysis, including compiling market and competitor intelligence and assisting senior team members on strategic projects as required.
• The role holder will provide analytical and coordination support across assigned strategy projects, contributing to timely and high‑quality delivery under the guidance of senior colleagues.

While the role from an administrative purpose report to the VP – Business Insights and Strategy, the individual is expected to collaborate with members of the Group Strategy function and support workstreams as assigned, gaining exposure to a wide range of strategic topics.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Generic Accountability

The role holder will support the Group Strategy function by contributing to research, analysis, and problem‑solving across a wide spectrum of banking topics. As an entry‑level member of the team, the individual will be responsible for collecting and interpreting data, building analytical models, and preparing clear and compelling presentations that help communicate insights to the wider strategy team. The role requires strong logical reasoning, structured thinking, and a solid academic foundation in finance, economics, and banking. Working closely with senior team members, the role holder will be involved in shaping fact‑based perspectives that inform strategic decision‑making for the bank.

• Conduct structured research on banking, macroeconomic, regulatory, and competitive topics to support ongoing strategic initiatives.
• Analyze financial, economic, and market data to identify trends, implications, and opportunities relevant to the bank’s strategic priorities.
• Build and maintain Excel‑based models to support quantitative analysis, scenario evaluation, and business case development.
• Prepare high‑quality presentation materials that communicate insights clearly and logically to senior members of the Group Strategy team.
• Support the team in synthesizing internal and external information into concise viewpoints, discussion materials, and strategic recommendations.
• Assist in the execution of strategic workstreams by coordinating inputs, tracking progress, and ensuring analytical rigor in deliverables.
• Stay up‑to‑date on developments in the UAE and global banking landscape, summarizing relevant insights for the team.
• Participate in brainstorming and problem‑solving sessions, contributing analytical perspectives and structured thinking.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across the bank to gather information, validate assumptions, and support cross‑functional projects.
• Continuously enhance analytical tools, templates, and internal knowledge repositories to drive efficiency and quality in strategy deliverables.

Job Specific Accountabilities / KPIs

• The role holder must develop an understanding of the external environment that FAB operates in across geographies and the internal environment of the entire Group, to be able to contextualize any problem or question that requires solving.
• The role holder must have strong knowledge of banking financials, economics, and modelling to be able to interpret and analyze economic, financial, and market data. This will involve working with a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data including financial, economic, and market data published by other financial institutions, market intelligence firms, government entities, and supranational bodies.
• The role holder must be able to navigate ambiguity and remain effective in a dynamic environment where the nature of work is extremely varied.
• The role holder is expected to stay up to date with industry and macroeconomic trends to provide impactful analysis and insights that support key decision making.
• The role holder will be required to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills to orchestrate teamwork across the different areas in the bank and to be able to influence without authority.

The role holder must be able to visually present the analysis findings and financial data in a clear and impactful format.

FRAMEWORK, BOUNDARIES & DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY:

• Responsible for conducting research, analyses, and initial problem‑structuring, while escalating unclear issues, risks, or assumptions to senior colleagues for validation.
• Expected to independently manage day‑to‑day tasks such as data collection, model updates, and draft slide preparation, while adhering to agreed timelines and quality standards.
• Works within defined project scopes and methodological frameworks set by senior team members, contributing to workstreams without owning final decision‑making responsibility.
• Utilizes available internal data, systems, and templates to support deliverables, and proactively seeks support or clarification when encountering new or complex analytical challenges. To help support delivery, the individual is free to utilize existing data, technology or previous knowledge developed by Group Strategy or that which is available across the Bank. Should the role holder need additional support or training to complete their tasks, they are free to identify resources to enhance their skills/ toolkit for delivering this work
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills to orchestrate teamwork across the different areas in the bank and to be able to influence without authority.
• The role holder must be able to navigate ambiguity and remain effective in a dynamic environment where the nature of work is extremely varied

Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Commerce or related discipline from a Top Tier University.

Minimum Experience

• Minimum of 1 to 2 years of experience – nonbanking
• Ability to analyze financial statements, performance metrics, and market data.
• Proficiency in financial analysis, presentations and visualization tools