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 support the bank in executing its SME Banking strategy, including:

• Translating strategic priorities into clear commercial, product and implementation plans.
• Reviewing the existing SME business model, customer segments, product portfolio, value propositions, distribution channels and operating model.
• Identifying opportunities to grow SME customer acquisition, lending balances, deposits, fee income, transaction volumes, product penetration and overall relationship value.
• Supporting the design and enhancement of SME banking propositions for different business sizes, sectors, stages of development and financial needs.
• Reviewing and improving SME lending products, including working-capital facilities, term loans, asset finance, overdrafts, business credit facilities and Shariah-compliant financing solutions.
• Supporting the development and optimisation of SME deposit propositions, current accounts, savings products, payroll services and liquidity solutions.
• Enhancing transaction banking and cash-management propositions, including collections, payments, payroll, account services, liquidity management, merchant solutions and digital business banking.
• Supporting trade-finance propositions such as letters of credit, letters of guarantee, documentary collections, supply-chain finance and other import and export solutions.
• Identifying opportunities to deepen relationships through bundled propositions and cross-selling across lending, deposits, trade finance, cash management, cards, merchant acquiring and other relevant services.
• Developing proposition insights grounded in Saudi SME customer needs, sector dynamics, competitor offerings, regulatory priorities and market trends.
• Assessing whether existing propositions are differentiated, commercially attractive and relevant to the needs of Saudi businesses.
• Supporting segmentation frameworks based on factors such as turnover, industry, business maturity, credit profile, transaction behaviour and relationship potential.
• Reviewing end-to-end SME customer journeys across acquisition, onboarding, credit assessment, approval, fulfilment, servicing and renewal.
• Identifying opportunities to simplify documentation, improve turnaround times, strengthen straight-through processing and increase digital adoption.
• Working with credit and risk teams to assess whether policies, scorecards, eligibility criteria, collateral requirements and approval processes appropriately support the SME strategy.
• Supporting product-related regulatory submissions and approval processes, including coordination with internal stakeholders responsible for engagement with the Saudi Central Bank.
• Ensuring that new or enhanced propositions are commercially viable, operationally executable and aligned with applicable regulatory and Shariah requirements.
• Developing business cases, proposition papers, implementation plans, product requirements, management presentations and executive decision materials.
• Defining performance indicators and monitoring progress against acquisition, utilisation, revenue, portfolio-quality and execution targets.
• Supporting initiative governance, stakeholder alignment and senior-management reporting.
• Identifying delivery bottlenecks, resolving issues and maintaining momentum across assigned workstreams.
• Bringing practical Saudi-market knowledge into product, proposition, distribution and execution decisions.

Qualifications and Experience

• Significant experience in SME Banking within a bank or financial institution.
• Direct and recent experience in the Saudi banking market is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of the needs, behaviours and financial challenges of SMEs operating in Saudi Arabia.
• Demonstrated experience across one or more core SME banking areas, including lending, deposits, transaction banking, trade finance, cash management or digital business banking.
• Experience managing or enhancing SME products and propositions across the product lifecycle.
• Strong understanding of SME customer segmentation, relationship management, portfolio development and cross-selling.
• Experience in product strategy, proposition development, pricing, customer acquisition, portfolio growth or service optimisation.
• Familiarity with SME credit assessment, underwriting, collateral, risk policies, early-warning indicators and portfolio-quality considerations.
• Knowledge of relevant Saudi SME ecosystem initiatives, government-supported financing programmes and guarantee mechanisms would be advantageous.
• Experience with the Saudi Central Bank’s product approval or regulatory submission process is preferred.
• Candidates without direct approval-process experience should have a good working familiarity with Saudi banking regulations and the internal governance involved in securing product approvals.
• Strong understanding of how customer needs, sector dynamics, pricing, service models, digital capabilities and competitive offerings shape SME value propositions in Saudi Arabia.
• Experience working across business, credit, risk, compliance, operations, digital, technology, treasury and distribution functions.
• Proven ability to convert strategy into practical, measurable execution.
• Experience preparing business cases, product proposals, approval papers, management presentations and executive-level materials.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, banking or a related discipline.
• A postgraduate qualification or relevant professional certification would be an advantage.

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.