Director Trade Finance Operations

Senior leadership opportunity | Large-scale Trade Finance Operations | Sydney

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Trade Finance Operations leader to take responsibility for a large, established function within a leading financial services organisation.

Leading a team of approximately 100 people across Australia and offshore, this role will have end-to-end accountability for operational performance, service delivery, risk and controls, workforce capability, and transformation across a broad Trade Finance environment. This is a senior leadership position suited to someone who combines deep Trade Finance knowledge with proven experience leading large, complex operations teams.

The role

Reporting to a senior executive within the broader operations business, you will set the direction and operating rhythm for a geographically distributed Trade Finance function.

Your responsibilities will include:

1. Lead a large Trade Finance Operations function of approximately 100 people across onshore and offshore teams
2. Oversee operational delivery across documentary trade, trade finance lending, borrowing base, and structured trade products
3. Develop and lead a strong management team, creating clear accountability across the function
4. Drive operational performance, service standards, and positive customer outcomes
5. Maintain a strong risk and controls environment, including governance, operational resilience, and regulatory obligations
6. Lead the response to material operational incidents, control gaps, and complex issues
7. Partner with senior stakeholders across Institutional and Business Banking
8. Identify opportunities to simplify processes and improve operational efficiency
9. Lead transformation initiatives across automation, operating-model improvement, and offshore service delivery
10. Build workforce capability and ensure the function is positioned for future growth and change

About you

You will be an accomplished banking operations leader with substantial experience across Trade Finance, Trade Services or Transaction Banking Operations.

Ideally, you will bring:

1. Deep experience within Trade Finance / Trade Services Operations
2. Strong knowledge of documentary trade and trade finance products
3. Experience leading a large-scale operations function, ideally through multiple layers of management
4. Experience managing geographically distributed and/or offshore teams
5. Strong understanding of operational risk, controls, governance, and regulatory requirements
6. Demonstrated experience managing significant operational issues and driving remediation
7. Experience delivering transformation, process simplification, and/or automation
8. Strong commercial judgement and the ability to balance risk, customer, and operational outcomes
9. The credibility to influence and advise senior executives
10. A track record of developing high-performing leadership teams