FVP, Innovation Specialist, Group TMRW

About UOB

United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) is a leading bank in Asia with a global network of more than 500 branches and offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. In Asia, we operate through our head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as branches and offices. Our history spans more than 80 years. Over this time, we have been guided by our values – Honorable, Enterprising, United and Committed. This means we always strive to do what is right, build for the future, work as one team and pursue long-term success. It is how we work, consistently, be it towards the company, our colleagues or our customers.

About the Department

We are building and expanding the best digital bank in ASEAN

Traditional retail banking is changing rapidly, and will change even more in the next 10 years. We fundamentally rethink the retail banking strategy, business model and proposition, to stay relevant and keep up with the challenges that lie ahead in this rapidly evolving landscape.
 
TMRW (pronounced as “tomorrow”) empowers the digital generation with a full suite of banking solutions through a smart, mobile-only app. Our mission is to build and expand the best digital bank in ASEAN. Launched in Indonesia and Thailand as the first mobile only digital bank by United Overseas Bank (UOB) in ASEAN, TMRW offers innovative and simple solutions to help customers stay one step ahead of their finances. Our business model is powered by next-generation artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, user interface design and smartphone capabilities. These include our own digital technology innovations as well as solutions provided through our collaboration with FinTech partners. We embrace a competitive strategy that focuses on customer intimacy, measured by net-promoter-score (NPS).
 
Since launch, TMRW has won many awards in total, including: Best Digital Bank in ASEAN, Best Digital Bank for Customer Experience and Best Bank for Millennials.
As we enter our next phase of growth, we are looking for entrepreneurial and open minded team players who are keen to learn, enjoy taking on multiple roles, and willing to step out of your comfort zone.
You will be the catalyst of change for UOB and be part of our exciting roadmap in the next chapter of growth. Get ready for an exciting career path in a start-up environment that is diverse and fast-paced, where you will have the opportunity to be engaged in transformative programs, and collaborate with business, and technology teams as well as regional and country stakeholders. We believe in empowering our people, giving them autonomy and ownership of what they do and their successes.

Join us to transform the future of banking and make banking simple, transparent and engaging!
 

Job Responsibilities

The TMRW Innovation Team drives the future of retail banking by co-developing creative solutions with the business to address current challenges and by scanning the horizon to anticipate future trends. By maximizing the value from existing capabilities (“exploit”), and proactively experimenting with new ideas and technologies (“explore”), we solve real problems and ensure the bank is not only ready for what’s to come but ahead of the curve.

Key responsibilities and deliverables of the Innovation Specialist:

Foresight and intelligence:

• Organise and oversee the team's market / trend scanning efforts, incl. defining and executing the process
• Articulate the key principles and business value of trend scans
• Develop and implement the communication and dissemination strategy for trend scan outputs
• Identify opportunities and drive the delivery of trend scan presentations to organizational stakeholders
• Keep abreast of new products, features and capabilities in retail banking and adjacent industries
• Conduct and curate extensive research on key trends, to build a detailed understanding of the competitive landscape and industry trends
• Translate trend scans and research into actionable insights, organizational implications and opportunities
• Provide thought leadership on the future of the Retail bank through trend summaries and presentations
   

Change management:

• Facilitate / support delivery of innovation and design-thinking workshops for the organization
• Facilitate target operating model (TOM) workshops and discussions with stakeholders on new capabilities
• Conduct operational effectiveness reviews and workshops with cross-functional/regional teams to address areas of improvement
• Map and engage stakeholders to garner buy-in, and ensure effective collaboration and successful delivery of key projects
   

Concepts and experimentation:

• Review key trends and convert them into potential concepts
• Run workshops with Design/Discovery, GTO/Solution Architects, Business/Product teams etc. to co-create high level assessment of the idea’s customer desirability, tech feasibility and biz viability
• Prepare concept papers/decks including:
• Visual mock ups / wireframes / prototypes of concept
• Assessment of desirability, feasibility, viability
• Recommendation for roadmap or another strategic programme
• Where applicable, facilitate buy-in from stakeholders to prepare concepts for ITC and handover to appointed PO
• Support POCs including entry/exit criteria, success metrics and synthesise findings/insights
• Explore and review various fintech vendor capabilities, and engage suitable vendors / partners to co-develop POCs
   

Innovation Culture and Advocacy:

• Support the organisation of workshops, seminars, capability building and sharing sessions on innovation, emerging trends and topics
• Represent organisational / Group Retail’s innovation strategy and stance in public forums and events (e.g., SFF, FinTech Conferences, etc.)
• Partner with external organisations, IHLs, regulators / industry groups (e.g., MAS) on industry / innovation projects and business collaboration

Job Requirements

• Experience: A minimum of 8 years in retail banking, digital financial services or related industries such as technology or consulting
• Research: Experience and/or interest in carrying out economic and market research, competitive analysis,  foresight and horizon scanning analysis leading to innovative ideas and concepts
• Experiments: Facilitate the concepting of innovative ideas for UOB Retail utilizing established innovation methodologies such as Design Thinking, Lean, Agile, JTBD. Willingness to learn and adapt methods for UOB context
• Communication  Skills: Exceptional collaboration and communication skills, enabling you to work effectively with diverse teams and articulate innovation concepts to various stakeholders, including senior leadership. 

Be a part of UOB Family

UOB is an equal opportunity employer. UOB does not discriminate on the basis of a candidate's age, race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or other non-merit factors. All employment decisions at UOB are based on business needs, job requirements and qualifications. If you require any assistance or accommodations to be made for the recruitment process, please inform us when you submit your online application.

Apply now and make a difference.

Competencies