Associate Director/Director, Business Relationship Management - Dubai - Fitch Group

Description

Role Summary 

• Own relationships and create revenue opportunities from public and private sector investors spanning large institutional SWFs, global/regional asset managers, banks, and family offices in the Middle East by originating and converting credit rating opportunities, specifically in special situations and private credit market

• Apply a cross-sector and multi-asset solutions approach to create tailored rating services (e.g., public and private monitored ratings, credit opinions, rating assessment services) and manage the full commercial lifecycle from prospecting to fee negotiation and post-transaction relationship expansion

Key Responsibilities: Commercial leadership and revenue growth

• Build and execute a territory plan to deliver annual new-business and retention targets for the entire ratings product offering with investors based in the Middle East, aligning with revenue-led best practices and visibility across the organization

• Develop pipelines across private credit lending and investing themes, including direct lending, Fund Asset Management lending, opportunistic/structured credit, and bespoke private placements in line with the growing demand for bespoke private credit solutions in the region

• Identify and convert rating opportunities to execute subscription line, NAV finance, and leverage finance via engagement with sponsors, lenders, and banks managing capital positions of their balance sheet.

Client coverage and solutions

 
• Serve as primary BRM relationship owner for target SWFs, pension funds, insurance investors, and family offices; map decision-makers across CIO, private credit, treasury, capital markets, portfolio managers, and risk

• Educate clients on how private ratings/opinions can support capital formation, counterparty eligibility, collateral optimization, and governance, reflecting private market nuances (illiquidity, bespoke terms, floating-rate structures)
• Navigate local/regional regulatory considerations

Go-to-market execution and deal management

• Drive coordinated campaigns with marketing and product to target themes like M&A activity, direct lending, NAV/subscription line facilities, Fund financings, and Structured Finance such as ABS, RMBS and CLN/Multi-Asset Linked notes

• Build partnerships with regional and global banks, law firms, advisors, and placement agents active in private credit, co-investments, and placements to source opportunities; market mapping supported by job-market visibility across private credit in UAE/GCC to prioritize segments

• Maintain rigorous pipeline hygiene, forecasting accuracy, and revenue reporting in CRM tools, consistent with revenue operations best practices for visibility and predictability

Market insight and thought leadership

• Provide client and competitive intelligence to inform product development and pricing; contribute to regional thought leadership on private credit trends

• Identify white spaces for new or adapted rating offerings aligned to Middle East investor needs

• Synthesize private credit trends and translate into actionable campaigns

Qualifications and Experience

 
• 10+ years in institutional coverage, capital markets, private credit, subscription finance, or structured finance within banks, asset managers or advisory firms; strong track record of originating and closing revenue with institutional investors

• Deep understanding of private credit (direct lending, opportunistic/structured credit), including the bespoke, negotiated nature of private loans and the growing institutional demand for private credit solutions

• Familiarity with the fund management landscape of the region and their investment strategies and organizational structure; ability to engage with fund finance teams and lenders on facilities backed by investor commitments

• Demonstrated revenue leadership: building territory plans, forecasting, and driving cross-functional execution to hit budget and growth targets, consistent with revenue management leadership profiles

• Experience with Middle East institutional clients (SWFs/GRIs) and multicultural, cross-border operations; knowledge of regional business practices and governance considerations relevant to finance roles spanning the Middle East

• Strong commercial negotiation skills, executive presence with CIO and senior stakeholders, and ability to articulate value of private ratings and opinions in financing and investment workflows

Skills and Competencies

• Client origination and strategic account management with SWFs and large institutional investors

• Product fluency across private monitored ratings, private credit opinions, and rating assessment offerings applicable to private credit, private placements, subscription finance, and securities lending

 
• Revenue operations discipline: pipeline management, forecasting, pricing strategy, and CRM/BI usage to improve revenue visibility and predictability

• Cross-functional leadership to align analytical, legal, operations, and marketing around client objectives and timelines

• Regulatory awareness for regional interactions and materials, particularly in KSA and UAE contexts when applicable

• Fluency in spoken/ written English. Arabic is an advantage

Education and Certifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA or similar) preferred. Professional certifications (e.g., CFA, ICMA) are a plus

KPIs and Performance Metrics

• New-business including rating assessment services, revenue and multi-year fee commitments for monitored ratings and credit opinions

• Retention rates across covered investors

• Pipeline coverage and forecast accuracy; win rates for targeted themes (private credit, private placements, subscription finance, securities lending), consistent with revenue leadership metrics like budget attainment and forecast accuracy used in revenue-focused roles

• Executive engagement: number and quality of strategic meetings with SWFs and large institutional clients; depth of multi-stakeholder relationships

Travel

• Regional travel across GCC and broader MENA to cover client portfolios and events.

Why this role matters now

 
• Institutional demand for private credit continues to grow, with private lending solutions tailored to borrower needs and often floating-rate structures; regional SWFs and large investors are active allocators, creating fertile ground for private ratings and opinions attached to financing and investment flows

• Expansion of fund financing (e.g., subscription lines/NAV financings) and ongoing activity in securities finance create additional rating revenue opportunities across counterparties and facilities