Purpose of Job:

- The role leads the Front Office function of SMBCs GIFT-City IBU and is accountable for well-controlled growth of SMBC GIFT-City IBU regulated by IFSCA.

- The incumbent oversees execution of all front-office activities including cross-border foreign-currency solutions (ECBs, term loans, RCFs, trade finance, structured & sustainable finance) for Indian and offshore corporates, and coordinates end-to-end with business, product and control partners across the SMBC Group network.

- The role is responsible for embedding a strong risk, compliance and conduct culture consistent with SMBC Group standards, IFSCA / RBI regulations and the SMBC APAC Competency Framework expectations at VP level.

Job Responsibilities:

Primary Responsibilities:

Onboarding Customers at GIFT:

- New Customer Onboarding/ deboarding for Resident and offshore customers of SMBC.

- Support branches Front-Office KPIs including IFSCA ESG Compliance and Gross profit contribution through timely and errorfree execution.

- Speed and quality of customer service.

Transaction Execution & Customer Lifecycle Management:

- Ensure timely and error-free execution across the entire customer lifecycle: onboarding (registration, AML-KYC, sanctions screening), credit application preparation support, documentation liaison, disbursement, transaction management, covenant/collateral management, monitoring, renewals and account closure.

- Quotes to Customers, instruction sheets, funding coordination with BCAPD, Treasury and OPIN for disbursement discipline.

- Champion post-disbursement discipline covenant compliance, portfolio monitoring, sale/purchase of assets, and remediation of exceptions.

Team Leadership & People Management:

- Lead, coach and develop the Front-Office team; set performance objectives aligned to IBU and India Division goals; support career progression, mobility and succession.

- Build a diverse, inclusive and collaborative team culture consistent with SMBC values; break down silos across teams and cultures; provide constructive feedback and role-model the SMBC Competency Framework behaviors (Trust & Integrity, Customer First, Proactive & Innovative, Speed & Quality, Team SMBC Group).

- Plan resourcing in line with book growth and hiring plan for GIFT-City IBU.

Business Systems Design, Policy & Stakeholder Management:

- Design and refresh procedures, processes and policies for Front-Office activities of; support automation and system migrations (e.g., Fenergo, FOX, TEXP/TEMS).

- Provide timely inputs for internal, HO and regulatory reporting; liaise with Credit, Legal, Operations, Compliance, FCIN, Risk and external counsels; represent Front Office in governance forums.

Secondary Responsibilities:

- Actively participate and contribute to Branch/ India-Division projects.

- Provides front office progress to Governing Board and Management.

- Any other duties assigned by the management from time to time.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications:

Knowledge:

- Deep understanding of corporate banking processes across multiple currencies, ECB structuring, RCFs, syndicated / term loans, trade finance and structured / sustainable finance.

- Working knowledge of GIFT-City IFSC framework, IFSCA regulations, RBI / FEMA guidelines, SEZ requirements and cross-border tax / legal considerations (Indian and UK law).

- Understanding of facility documentation, conditions precedent / subsequent, covenant frameworks, collateral structures and AML-KYC / sanctions requirements.

Skills:

- Demonstrated ability to execute complex, multi-stakeholder cross-border transactions end-to-end.

- People leadership ability to build, coach and retain a high-performing Front-Office team and role-model SMBC APAC Competency behaviors.

- Strong stakeholder management across cultures (Japan / APAC / India) and functions; ability to influence senior stakeholders including regulators and Head Office.

- Excellent written and verbal English; commercial acumen; sound judgment under ambiguity; high attention to detail; MS Office proficiency.

Experience:

- 10+ years in corporate / wholesale banking, with significant experience in cross-border lending, ECBs, structured / trade finance.

- Prior experience of leading a Front-Office / RM team; exposure to IFSC / GIFT-City, offshore banking centres (Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Tokyo) preferred.

- Track record of delivering business growth KPIs, managing regulatory relationships (IFSCA / SEZ / RBI) and operating within a strong risk & compliance framework.

Qualifications:

- CFA/ FRM/ CA / MBA (Finance).

- Postgraduate degree from a reputed institution preferred.

- Strong proficiency in English (written and spoken).