Open Role

Subject Matter Expert SME Banking

Apply

Subject Matter Expert – SME Banking

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Work arrangement: Full-time, on-site
Contract duration: 12 months
Monthly compensation: SAR 42,500–47,500, depending on experience and suitability

Role Overview

Stralent Consulting is seeking an experienced Subject Matter Expert – SME Banking to support the execution of a leading Saudi bank’s strategy for its Small and Medium Enterprise banking business.

This is a hands-on delivery role for an experienced SME banking professional who understands the Saudi market and can translate strategic priorities into practical initiatives, proposition enhancements and measurable business outcomes.

The successful candidate will work across SME lending, deposits, transaction banking, trade finance, cash management, digital channels and other relevant products and services. The role will involve close collaboration with business, product, credit, risk, compliance, operations, digital, technology and distribution teams.

This is not an advisory-only position. We are looking for someone who is comfortable rolling up their sleeves, taking ownership of workstreams, resolving execution challenges and helping the bank move the needle on SME acquisition, relationship depth, portfolio growth, customer experience and profitability.

Key Responsibilities

The Subject Matter Expert will work closely with the bank’s SME Banking team to develop and implement SME financing products and related initiatives. Key responsibilities will include:

  • SME Financing Programs & Product Development: Manage the development, renewal and enhancement of SME financing programs, including facility structures, program parameters and PPGs. Coordinate required Credit Committee and Shari’ah approvals and monitor product performance following implementation.
  • Supply Chain Finance: Support the development and rollout of Supply Chain Finance solutions, including reverse factoring and payables/receivables finance, covering program structure, anchor onboarding and coordination with relevant platform providers.
  • Business Requirements & Customer Journeys: Prepare and review BRDs, policies and procedures for new initiatives and change requests, with a strong focus on digital journeys, customer experience and process efficiency. Ensure requirements are aligned with the bank’s credit policies, Shari’ah requirements and applicable Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) regulations.
  • Technology Delivery & UAT: Manage SME Banking’s technology demand by raising and prioritizing change requests, coordinating with Technology and vendors, monitoring delivery, and leading business UAT and acceptance sign-off for new or enhanced SME lending capabilities.
  • Process Simplification & Automation: Identify and implement opportunities to simplify and automate SME Banking processes, workflows and reporting, improving efficiency, turnaround time and customer experience.
  • Cross-functional & Regulatory Coordination: Work closely with Credit Risk, Product, Digital, Technology, Operations, Sales, Shari’ah and Compliance to deliver SME lending solutions and resolve cross-functional dependencies. Support SAMA correspondence, product no-objection requests, regulatory missions and audit responses, as required.
  • Team & External Partner Coordination: Support and develop the internal team through work allocation, review and knowledge transfer, while coordinating with relevant external partners such as Kafalah, SME Bank and technology/platform providers, including review of relevant agreements and deliverables.

Qualifications and Experience

  • Strong experience in SME Banking, particularly SME lending and product development, within a bank or financial institution.
  • Direct experience developing, managing or enhancing SME financing programs and credit products.
  • Experience taking banking products through internal Credit, Shari’ah and product-governance approval processes.
  • Practical experience preparing BRDs, business requirements, policies and procedures, and working with Technology teams on implementation.
  • Experience participating in or leading UAT and business acceptance for lending products or systems.
  • Good understanding of Supply Chain Finance, including reverse factoring and payables/receivables finance.
  • Strong working knowledge of the Saudi banking regulatory environment and Saudi Central Bank requirements; direct experience dealing with SAMA is highly desirable.
  • Ability to coordinate effectively across Credit Risk, Technology, Operations, Digital, Compliance, Shari’ah, Sales and other stakeholders.
  • Experience with Kafalah, SME Bank or other Saudi SME ecosystem programs would be advantageous.
  • Strong hands-on execution, stakeholder management and team-development capabilities.

Required Capabilities

  • Strong SME Banking expertise.
  • Good understanding of lending, deposits, transaction banking, cash management and trade finance.
  • Deep knowledge of the Saudi SME market and banking environment.
  • Ability to generate meaningful customer, market and value-proposition insights.
  • Familiarity with Saudi Central Bank requirements and product-governance processes.
  • Strong commercial judgement and customer-focused thinking.
  • Hands-on execution capability.
  • Structured problem-solving and analytical skills.
  • Strong stakeholder-management and cross-functional coordination skills.
  • Ability to engage effectively with senior executives, relationship teams and delivery functions.
  • Clear written and verbal communication.
  • Ability to manage ambiguity, establish priorities and maintain delivery momentum.
  • High levels of ownership, accountability and attention to detail.

Important Role Requirements

  • The role is based in Riyadh and requires full-time, on-site presence.
  • This is not a remote or hybrid opportunity.
  • Candidates must be available for a 12-month consulting engagement.
  • Preference will be given to candidates with direct and recent SME Banking experience in Saudi Arabia.
  • Experience spanning multiple SME product areas will be particularly valuable.
  • The role requires active involvement in day-to-day delivery rather than high-level advisory input alone.
  • Candidates must be comfortable working across multiple functions and following initiatives through from analysis and decision-making to implementation.
  • The successful candidate should be proactive, delivery-oriented and prepared to take ownership of outcomes.

Compensation

The expected monthly compensation range is:

SAR 42,500 to SAR 47,500 per month

The final amount will depend on the candidate’s experience, Saudi-market expertise and overall suitability for the assignment.

Engagement Structure

The successful candidate will enter into a 12-month consulting contract with Stralent Consulting and will be deployed on-site to support the client engagement in Riyadh.

Apply