Global Banking Services - Executive Director - Operations - Mumbai

We are seeking an Executive Director within Global Banking Services to set strategic direction and provide enterprise-level leadership for the Firm's global external bank account management and regulatory documentation framework. In addition, the role will support the broader Shared Services and Banking Operations organization by providing senior onsite leadership in Bangalore, with accountability for talent development, transformation delivery, and colleague engagement as the organization continues to scale its regional presence.

In the Operations division, we partner with business units across the Firm to support financial transactions, devise and implement effective controls, and develop strong client and counterparty relationships. This is an Executive Director role within Global Banking Services, the global function responsible for the governance, lifecycle management, and regulatory oversight of custody and clearing bank accounts held with external agent banks across all regions.

Morgan Stanley is an industry leader in financial services, known for mobilizing capital to help governments, corporations, institutions, and individuals around the world achieve their financial goals.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Transformation

• Partner to set and execute the global strategy for Global Banking Services, in collaboration with senior Operations, Business Unit, Risk, Legal, and Technology stakeholders, ensuring consistent execution, strong governance, and regulatory compliance across all regions.
• Lead and drive the GBS transformation agenda, identifying opportunities for process simplification, automation, digitization, and capacity creation through partnerships with Technology and Automation teams.
• Champion a transformation mindset, through divergent thinking and drive cultural change across teams through training, communication, and recognition programs.
• Provide enterprise-level, on-site leadership in Bangalore for Shared Services and Banking Operations, with responsibility for strengthening the leadership bench, delivering strategic transformation outcomes, and sustaining strong colleague engagement as regional scale and complexity increase.

Operational Oversight and Functional Management

• Provide end-to-end executive oversight of the external bank account lifecycle, including account opening, maintenance, and closure, covering all Morgan Stanley legal entities and markets.
• Act as the senior escalation point for regulatory, risk, and control matters associated with bank account governance, KYC/AML documentation, and agent bank performance.
• Run the function as a business by balancing client service, risk management, cost efficiency, and operational resilience, while embedding a strong control and governance framework.

Team Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Lead, develop, and succession-plan a global team, promoting a culture of accountability, inclusion, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Own relationships with key external agent banks and internal global stakeholders, ensuring adherence to service-level agreements and proactive resolution of issues affecting account readiness and market access.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Operations, Technology, Risk, Business Units) to deliver transformation and operational outcomes.

Performance Management and Reporting

• Establish and monitor KPIs and management information covering service performance, capacity creation, risk reduction, and regulatory adherence, with regular reporting into senior leadership forums.
• Track and drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and deliver measurable results. - Proven ability to convey trust and confidence, influencing senior stakeholders and governing bodies while exercising sound judgment and maintaining a robust control environment.
• Deep experience in banking operations, regulatory onboarding, KYC/AML, or external bank account governance, ideally across multiple regions and legal entity structures.
• Demonstrated track record of leading large, globally distributed teams and building strong benches of subject matter experts with effective succession planning.
• Experience driving operational transformation, including automation, data-driven decision making, and measurable capacity or efficiency improvements.
• Strong understanding of operational risk management, issue escalation frameworks, and regulatory expectations within a global financial institution.
• Ability to partner effectively across Operations, Technology, Risk, Legal, and Business Units to deliver enterprise-wide outcomes.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree and/or relevant professional certifications preferred

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years.  Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices​ into your browser.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background.  Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.

Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.

For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.