Strategy & Ops Manager - CIB MENA at BBVA · Abu Dhabi

Excited to grow your career?

BBVA is a global company with more than 160 years of history that operates in more than 25 countries where we serve more than 80 million customers. We are more than 121,000 professionals working in multidisciplinary teams with profiles as diverse as financiers, legal experts, data scientists, developers, engineers and designers.

The Opportunity: Impact & Growth

As a nascent business unit, BBVA CIB MENA operates with a high-growth, entrepreneurial spirit. This role offers a unique, 360-degree view of the business, allowing you to touch multiple disciplines—from Strategy and Finance to Engineering and People Operations - and interact with key stakeholders globally. You won’t just be a cog in the machine; you will be a key architect of our regional setup. Your initiatives will have a measurable and tangible impact on the business from day one, offering an unparalleled learning curve in all aspects of international banking management.

About the job:

1. About the role

We are looking for a multidisciplinary, highly analytical and action-oriented professional to join the Strategy & Operations team at BBVA CIB MENA. You will play a pivotal role in the operational setup and strategic expansion of our regional office. As a Manager, you will bridge the gap between high-level strategy and day-to-day execution, ensuring that our different workstreams operate at the highest standards of excellence.

2. Key responsabilities

Strategy

• Growth Ambition and Business Case: Support in defining the 3-years growth plan, refining the MENA Business Case, providing data-driven insights to calibrate regional ambition.
• Strategic Projects: Lead the conception and execution of strategic initiatives to ensure the fulfillment of regional objectives.
• Office Governance: Drive the development of presentations for Senior Leadership, and oversee the continuous optimization of client-facing commercial materials.

Financial & Management Control

• Business Monitoring: Design and develop business performance tools (income, expenses, Financial KPIs), to support both internal management tracking and regulatory reporting.
• Budgeting: Assist in building and monitoring the annual budget/P&L, ensuring clear income/expenses attribution and efficient estimations: liquidity, income, etc.
• Reporting: Manage internal reporting on performance metrics and cost evolution for regional and global stakeholders (London, Frankfurt, Madrid).

T&C Coordination

• Onboarding Management: Execute plan for new hires, managing the end-to-end process including visa tracking, payroll activation, and relocation logistics.
• T&C Partnership: Act as the local point of contact for Global T&C initiatives, ensuring all local operations align with BBVA’s international policies.

Office Operations

• Cross-functional Management: Orchestrate the end-to-end delivery of a multidisciplinary vendor portfolio (bookkeeping, Tax, IT, Legal, Compliance), ensuring process efficiency and seamless integration with regional operational standards.
• Operational Excellence: Liaise with internal Engineering and Business Execution teams to ensure the office infrastructure developments follow plan and support our growth targets.

3. Requirements

• Team Spirit & Cultural Fit: We are a lean and highly integrated team, we are looking for a professional with an exceptional collaborative attitude, proactive mindset and entrepreneurial spirit.
• Experience: 5-7 years of experience in Strategy Consulting, Investment Banking Operations, or a similar role within a financial institution. Prior experience in Middle East Region is considered an asset but not a requirement.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Engineering, or Business Administration. An MBA or Master’s in Finance is valued.
• Technical Skills: Advanced mastery of Excel (financial modeling) and PowerPoint (storytelling for executives).
• Languages: Full professional fluency in English and Spanish is mandatory. Arabic is a nice to have but not required.

Skills:

Bookkeeping, Business Cases, Business Development, Cross-Functional Teamwork, Operational Excellence