Senior Director, Financial Services Digital & Technology Advisory

Ankura is a team of excellence founded on innovation and growth.

The financial Services Digital practice is part of the Disputes and Economics business group - which is one of five strategic business groups at Ankura

Role Overview

We are seeking an accomplished, techno-functional consulting leader to join our Financial Services Advisory practice as a Senior Director, working alongside the practice lead to build out the Financial Services Digital (FS Digital) proposition across the Middle East. This is a senior client-facing role built around establishing deep technical credibility with client CTOs, CIOs, and technology teams, and owning end-to-end technology delivery across core banking and digital channel engagements.

The successful candidate will bring practitioner-level command of core banking platforms and digital channel technology — able to sit directly with a client's technical leadership and engineering teams as a credible peer, while also operating at C-suite level on strategy, investment, and transformation decisions. This is not an advisory-only role: it requires ownership of technology delivery outcomes from architecture and platform selection through implementation and go-live.

This role is ideal for a hands-on digital banking / core banking technologist with strong consulting and client leadership credentials, looking to help build a market-leading FS Digital practice in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Responsibilities

Technical Credibility & CTO-Level Engagement

• Build and maintain deep technical credibility with client CTOs, CIOs, and technology leadership teams, operating as a trusted peer rather than a generalist advisor.
• Engage directly and confidently with client engineering, architecture, and platform teams on core banking and digital channel technology matters.
• Act as the senior technical counterpart in client relationships where the primary stakeholder is technology leadership, complementing the practice's business-facing advisory relationships.
• Represent the practice's technical point of view in client steering committees, architecture review boards, and technology governance forums.

End-to-End Technology Delivery Ownership

• Own end-to-end delivery of core banking and digital channel technology engagements — from strategy and platform selection through architecture, implementation, integration, testing, and go-live.
• Lead the technical and functional design of digital transformation and core banking engagements, from target operating model through solution architecture and implementation.
• Evaluate and advise clients on core banking platforms, digital banking stacks, payments infrastructure, and supporting fintech ecosystems.
• Oversee vendor selection, RFP processes, solution architecture reviews, and implementation planning for “Build the Bank / Transform the Bank” style mandates.
• Ensure full delivery accountability across the technology stack — core banking, digital/mobile channels, integration layers, and surrounding fintech ecosystem — on time, within budget, and to Ankura's quality standards.
• Present technical findings, architecture recommendations, and transformation roadmaps to client leadership with clarity and credibility.

Client Engagement Leadership

• Lead complex client engagements from inception through to successful delivery, ensuring exceptional quality and client satisfaction.
• Act as the primary day-to-day point of contact for senior client stakeholders spanning both business and technology leadership, including C-suite, CTO, and executive technical teams.
• Provide practical, technically grounded recommendations to financial institutions undertaking core banking replacement, digital channel build-out, or technology-enabled operational transformation.

Project & People Leadership

• Lead and mentor technical and functional workstreams within multidisciplinary consulting teams across concurrent engagements.
• Provide coaching and technical mentorship to Managers, Senior Associates, and Associates, building the practice's techno-functional bench strength.
• Review and challenge technical project outputs to ensure analytical rigour, technical feasibility, and practical applicability.
• Support recruitment and capability building for technical and digital delivery talent within the practice.

Business Development & Practice Growth

• Develop senior-level relationships with technology, digital, and operations stakeholders across banks and financial institutions.
• Support proposal development and pitch activities, particularly the technical solutioning and delivery approach components.
• Contribute to individual and practice revenue targets.
• Build market profile through technical thought leadership, industry engagement, and speaking opportunities focused on digital banking and core banking transformation.
• Collaborate across Ankura to identify cross-selling opportunities and deliver integrated, technically credible client solutions.

Practice Development

• Contribute to the development of methodologies, technical frameworks, and reusable IP for digital and core banking transformation engagements.
• Support internal initiatives to enhance delivery excellence and technical capability across the practice.
• Share market and technology insights to help shape the practice's strategic direction.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Finance, or a related discipline.
• Significant experience in a techno-functional role within a leading consulting firm, technology vendor, or financial institution, with a strong focus on core banking and digital transformation.
• Hands-on experience with core banking platforms and digital banking technology stacks (e.g., licensing, implementation, configuration, or solution architecture).
• Demonstrated experience delivering “Build the Bank / Transform the Bank” type mandates — from licensing and platform selection through to launch.
• Proven ability to earn technical credibility with CTOs, CIOs, and engineering/architecture teams, and to operate as a peer in technical discussions rather than at a purely advisory level.
• Track record of owning end-to-end technology delivery - architecture, integration, implementation, and go-live — for core banking and/or digital channel programmes.
• Proven ability to translate business and regulatory requirements into technical solutions, and vice versa.
• Experience leading technical workstreams within multidisciplinary project teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with an understanding of engagement economics and consulting delivery models.
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate credibly with both technical and executive audiences.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-growth, entrepreneurial environment.
• Willingness to travel as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or other advanced technical or business qualification.
• Established network within the Middle East financial services and digital banking technology market.
• Experience working directly with core banking vendors, digital banking platforms, or fintech solution providers.
• Experience across licensing, technology build, and launch of new banks or digital banking propositions in the GCC.
• Relevant technical or project management certifications (e.g., TOGAF, PMP, Agile/Scrum).

Key Competencies

• Technical credibility with CTOs, CIOs, and engineering teams
• End-to-end core banking and digital channel delivery ownership
• Core banking and digital technology expertise
• Techno-functional solution design
• Technology delivery and implementation leadership
• Executive client relationship management
• Strategic problem solving and commercial judgement
• Team leadership and technical mentorship
• Stakeholder influence and communication
• Practice building and entrepreneurship
• Project governance and delivery risk management
• Collaboration across multidisciplinary teams

Ankura is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability. Equal Employment Opportunity Posters, if you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, submit an online application, or participate in an interview/assessment, please email [email protected] or call toll-free +1.312-583-2122. This email and phone number are created exclusively to assist disabled job seekers whose disability prevents them from being able to apply online. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned. Messages left for other purposes, such as following up on an application or technical issues unrelated to a disability, will not receive a response.