SVP, Head of Technology - NeoVentures.CIBG - WDS - Neo Ventures.Corporate & Investment Banking Group

JOB PURPOSE

Mashreq NeoVentures is the Corporate Venture Capital arm of Mashreq Bank, focusing on venture investments and venture building. The Head of Technology of NeoVentures is responsible for defining and executing the technology vision, architecture, and innovation strategy across the NeoVentures venture-building platform and its portfolio companies. The candidate will also provide deep technology leadership for venture investments by leading the Technology due diligence for all venture investment proposals.

The candidate will design the NeoVentures Venture-Building framework, including creating a venture-building factory model to deliver scalable solutions. The candidate will lead the building, scaling, and governing of commercial-grade enterprise-ready technology products and platforms built within the NeoVentures venture-building framework. These could be derived either from the bank’s existing digital products or built as a new product. The role bridges the Bank’s technology, security, and compliance with startup agility, ensuring scalable innovation, strategic alignment with the bank, and long-term value creation.

Head of Technology, in their capacity, will manage senior stakeholders as part of the role by creating appropriate communications and engagement plans.

KEY RESULT AREAS

Venture Building Technology Strategy, Framework & Architecture

• Design the NeoVentures Venture building framework
• Create a venture-building factory model which can deliver scalable solutions
• Define the technology vision and roadmap for NeoVentures and its portfolio companies.
• Establish reference architectures for fintech integration with banking systems.
• Ensure alignment with Mashreq’s enterprise architecture, cloud strategy, data standards, and cybersecurity policies.
• Evaluate emerging technologies (AI, blockchain, cloud-native platforms, APIs, data & analytics, cybersecurity, payments tech, regtech). Portfolio Technology Oversight

• Own the technology roadmap for NeoVentures product portfolio, aligned with commercial and investment priorities.
• Act as technology advisor to portfolio companies’ founders and CTOs.
• Participate in technical due diligence for new investments (architecture, scalability, security, IP, tech debt).
• Support portfolio companies in:
• Scaling platforms securely
• Improving cloud efficiency and resilience
• Meeting security, data privacy, and compliance requirements
• Help startups prepare for enterprise onboarding, pilots, and commercial deployments with the banksInnovation & Venture Enablement

• Partner with investment teams to assess technology-driven differentiation and defensibility.
• Lead PoCs, pilots, and sandboxes between the bank and portfolio companies.
• Drive open banking, API ecosystems, and platform partnerships.
• Identify build-vs-buy-vs-partner opportunities aligned with the NeoVentures strategic priorities.Engineering & Platform Leadership

• Build and lead the NeoVentures internal technology capabilities (venture platforms, data analytics, core services, and components).
• Build a high-performance team geared towards using the AI-first design strategy
• Oversee vendor selection, platform development, and cloud infrastructure.
• Establish best practices in DevSecOps, CI/CD, and agile delivery.Product & Platform Commercialization

• Lead the end-to-end technology strategy for converting internal bank solutions into commercial-grade products.
• Oversee product architecture, modernization, cloud enablement, and API-first design to ensure external market readiness.
• Establish multi-tenant, scalable, and secure platforms that can serve external clients independently of bank core systems.
• Drive time-to-market acceleration while maintaining regulatory and operational rigor.Security, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to banking regulations, data privacy laws, and cybersecurity standards
• Define secure onboarding frameworks for startups engaging with the bank.
• Oversee risk assessments, penetration testing, and third-party technology evaluations.Innovation & Venture Enablement

• Partner with investment teams to assess technology-driven differentiation and defensibility.
• Lead PoCs, pilots, and sandboxes between the bank and portfolio companies.
• Drive open banking, API ecosystems, and platform partnerships.
• Identify build-vs-buy-vs-partner opportunities aligned with the NeoVentures strategic priorities.Engineering & Platform Leadership

• Build and lead the NeoVentures internal technology capabilities (venture platforms, data analytics, core services and components).
• Build a high-performance team geared towards using the AI-first design strategy
• Oversee vendor selection, platform development, and cloud infrastructure.
• Establish best practices in DevSecOps, CI/CD, and agile delivery.Product & Platform Commercialization

• Lead the end-to-end technology strategy for converting internal bank solutions into commercial-grade products.
• Oversee product architecture, modernization, cloud enablement, and API-first design to ensure external market readiness.
• Establish multi-tenant, scalable, and secure platforms that can serve external clients independently of bank core systems.
• Drive time-to-market acceleration while maintaining regulatory and operational rigor.Security, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to banking regulations, data privacy laws, and cybersecurity standards
• Define secure onboarding frameworks for startups engaging with the bank.
• Oversee risk assessments, penetration testing, and third-party technology evaluations.OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

• Act as the primary technology expert with:

• Investment committee

• Regulators and auditors (as needed)

• Startup founders and technology partners

• Bank Tech and Security teams

• Represent NeoVentures in industry forums, fintech ecosystems, and innovation networks.

• Effectively work with peers and team members from bank technology workstreams and influence outcomes

• Adhere to program management, information controls, and security frameworks/procedures, including the change and incident management process
• Ensure management is informed of risks, issues, project/activity status, and team accomplishments.

• Brief teams on important initiatives, operational, and organizational updates.

• Recognize team achievements and share success, promoting high-performing teams

• Achieve the appropriate balance between onshore and offshore capabilitiesPROBLEM SOLVING

• Balance conflicting requirements and needs of team members and project stakeholders for optimal outcome.

• Full compliance with the relevant standards and processes.

• Provide cost-effective, business-friendly, and quality technology products which should ensure scalability and stability

• Provide innovative products to address Business needs

• Audit, Security, and Regulatory Compliance Knowledge

• Information Security Operations and Incident Management

• Budgetary and Vendor Negotiation/Management

• People Management/Interpersonal issues and staff motivation

DECISION MAKING & RESPONSIBILITY

• Lead onshore and offshore team members for the optimum results and effectiveness

• Design and architecture reviews for the products builds

• Manage engineering teams for the best outcome for the products and organization

• Proactively work towards the best-in-class customer experienceKNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE

Education

• Bachelor’s in computer science, Engineering, or related field
• MBA or executive education in finance/strategy/innovation is a plusExperience

• 20+ years in technology leadership roles
• Proven experience in banking, fintech, or regulated financial services
• Hands-on experience with:
• API-first and microservices architectures
• Data platforms, AI/ML, cybersecurity
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Experience engaging with regulators, risk, and compliance teams
• Experience in handling large projects, preferably in the digital space

Core Competencies

• Strategic technology leadership
• Deep understanding of banking systems and fintech architecture
• Strong commercial and investment mindset
• Executive communication and stakeholder management
• Strong organizational and team-building qualities.

Personal Attributes

• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and fast-changing environments
• Strong mentor and coach to founders and technical leaders
• High integrity and risk-aware decision-maker
• Entrepreneurial mindset with enterprise discipline