Job Purpose:

• The Chief Representative is responsible for the administration and managing of day-to-day operations of the Shanghai office. He/she shall ensure that the Representative Office supports Mashreq Group with their interests in Mainland China, providing effective liaison, relevant market analysis and contributing to the Bank’s expansion strategy in China.
• As a key spokesperson for the Bank in Mainland China, the Chief Rep must actively engage and develop strong and effective relationships with a wide range external stakeholders, including Chinese Government Authorities, Banking Regulators, relevant Consular offices, Banking Associations, Legal advisors, Financial Institutions, etc to safely promote the Bank’s reputation and growth prospects locally.

Key Result Areas:

Liaison

• Initiate and maintain high level contacts with regulatory bodies, consular office, financial institutions and corporations as required.
• Provide on-ground support so that stakeholders in HO and IBG may conduct meaningful calls with specific government organizations, banking regulators, corporations and financial institutions. Vice versa, connect Chinese counterparties with the relevant HO and IBG stakeholders as needed.
• Conduct on-ground site visits if needed.

Operational Support

• Engage with local counterparties, for example Mashreq HO’s correspondent banks in China to ensure the Bank’s payments in China are smoothly executed.
• Advise HO and IBG branches on local market requirements in order to bridge trade and investment flows with China.

Research & Analysis

• Provide support to the relevant stakeholders in the form of information, documentation, translation and analysis related to Financial Institutions and Companies in China.
• Report on overall economic conditions, and sector specific developments (i.e banking sector, capital markets, manufacturing, auto, mining, etc) in China as required.

Governance & Protocols

• Ensure all regulatory approvals are in place to safeguard the Bank’s license to operate in China.
• Develop all the necessary Policies, Procedures and Processes for the Shanghai Office.
• Monitor changes in applicable internal group policies and local regulatory policies ensuring these are captured in the appropriate governance framework.
• Preparation, submission and record keeping of all necessary internal reports, regulatory, legal and taxation filings.
• Manage the Rep office within the allocated expense budget.

People

• Build and manage a strong team, ensuring individual and RO KPIs are met.
• Responsible for employee engagement and setting corporate culture

Others

• Advise IBG on expansion possibilities in China.

Knowledge, Skills, & Experience:

• Leadership qualities sufficient to lead a small team together with interpersonal communications, coordination, technical & motivational skills.
• Full knowledge of political, economic and regulatory environment and the country’s banking industry.
• 10 years’ experience at middle management level with multi-national or leading local banks is essential to meet the challenges of this position
• Strong knowledge in trade finance, treasury, investments and capital markets activities and familiar with operational issues.
• Native Putonghua is a non-negotiable requirement. Good command of English for communication with stakeholders and report writing is also necessary.
• University graduate