Assistant Vice President - Operations - Exports

Overview

This role is responsible for end-to-end management of US Trade and Payment Operations and related sub-products, ensuring optimal customer delivery, stakeholder management, and effective risk and control measures. The position provides high-quality customer service across multiple business segments and offers consultation to internal and external customers in Trade Finance and Payment Operations for CIBG, IBG, and FIG.

The role also maintains agreed SLA thresholds for Trade Finance transactions received by the bank, drives process re-engineering initiatives, and leads problem-solving for customers across different countries involving business interactions with the organization in NY.

Responsibilities

• Provide advice and consultative support to commercial customers on handling and management of:
  • Export Products
  • Import Products
  • SBLC Products
  • Risk Participation
  • Loans
  • Payments and Investigations
• Advise the Product Development Team on Trade Finance and Payment-related activities in accordance with International Practices and ICC publications/OPM/APPM/Local Rules and Regulations.
• Maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and other teams.
• Ensure procedures align with bank policy and guidelines.
• Identify process gaps and implement effective controls to prevent operational issues.
• Ensure compliance with sanctions, AML, and Anti-Boycott Laws, including sanctions checking of relevant parties as applicable.
• Maintain customer centricity by reducing referrals/repairs and improving TAT for customers.
• Ensure Fed/BNY balances are NIL/reconciled at the end of the day.
• Ensure internal and external audits are managed successfully.
• Review customer complaints and take immediate action to resolve them and meet customer needs.
• Ensure MBOs are achieved in time.
• Review all pending Trade or Payment items and take proactive action daily.
• Exercise due diligence in checking applications, particularly for Priority Customers and high-value transactions.
• Ensure SLA adherence and that processing is as per SOP/OPM and UCP/ISBP applicable and approved as Product Program.
• Ensure charges recovery follows the extant guidelines.
• Handle Commodity Trade Operations documents.
• Support cross-skilling for the team in at least 2 additional products.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Thorough and in-depth understanding of Trade Finance products and functions.
• Strong knowledge of US regulatory requirements, including OFAC and Dept. of Commerce requirements.
• Strong understanding of Swift message types and their applicable fields for Trade, Payments, inter-bank messages, and Financial Operating Systems.
• Experience with OBTF/OBTFPM/FLEX/E-GIFTS/Fircosoft is preferred.
• General banking knowledge.
• Transformation, change management, and project automation experience is required.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word/Excel/PPT).
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure, with strong organizational skills and a collaborative, customer-centric approach.

Qualifications

• Graduate with thorough and in-depth understanding of Trade Finance products and functions.
• CDCS/CITF/CTFP certified.
• A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, or a related field, with a preference for a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in Trade Finance and Payment Operations, with a proven track record in a leadership role.
• Minimum 15–20 years’ experience in Trade Finance.
• Prior experience in managing US Trade and Payment Operations is an added advantage.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation and benefits details were not provided in the job description.

Location

• New York (NY)