Senior Business Analyst, Islamic Banking

Job description

Who are we? At Finastra, we’re a global leader in financial services software, dedicated to expanding access to financial services and shaping what’s next for the industry. Our technology powers mission‑critical solutions across Lending, Payments and Universal Banking, supporting over 7,000 customers, including 80% of the world’s top 50 banks, in more than 110 countries. Disclaimer: Finastra has signed an agreement to sell its Universal Banking business to Pollen Street Capital, with completion expected end 2026 / early 2027, subject to consultation and customary closing conditions. Upon completion, this role is expected to transition to the standalone Universal Banking business, creating opportunities to support its future growth and success. Role Overview We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Business Analyst, Islamic Banking to drive the evolution of our Islamic core banking capabilities, with a focus on Islamic origination and profit distribution modules. This role operates at the intersection of product strategy, execution, Shariah compliance, and customer success. You will collaborate closely with engineering, implementation, compliance, and client-facing teams to deliver high-value, scalable, and Shariah-aligned solutions across the full product lifecycle—from concept and design through to delivery, validation, and adoption. Key Responsibilities 1. Product Strategy & Ownership: • Define and drive the roadmap for Islamic origination and profit distribution capabilities. • Translate strategic objectives into actionable product initiatives across onboarding, financing journeys, pool management, profit calculation, and distribution. • Align product investments with customer needs, regulatory expectations, and market demand. 2. Requirements & Product Development: • Lead end-to-end requirements lifecycle: intake, analysis, refinement, development, and validation. • Translate business needs into clear functional and technical specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria. • Perform impact analysis across contracts, pools, ledgers, accounting, and dependent systems. • Collaborate closely with engineering teams to deliver scalable and high-quality solutions. 3. Stakeholder & Client Engagement: • Act as a key liaison between product, engineering, implementation teams, compliance stakeholders, and customers. • Facilitate workshops, requirements discussions, product demos, and stakeholder alignment sessions. • Gather, analyze, and reconcile inputs from multiple stakeholders to drive informed decision-making. 4. Delivery Excellence & Quality Assurance: • Support and validate unit, integration, and business acceptance testing. • Ensure delivered features meet functional requirements, financial integrity standards, and Shariah compliance. • Distinguish between defects and enhancements and drive appropriate prioritization. • Support release readiness activities including documentation, release notes, and communications. 5. Integration & Ecosystem Alignment: • Ensure seamless integration with: • Islamic financing and servicing systems • Deposits, pools, and general ledger modules • Digital onboarding and channel platforms • Risk, compliance, and reporting systems • Drive interoperability across APIs, services, and partner ecosystems. 6. Documentation & Enablement: • Partner with technical writers to produce clear and comprehensive product documentation. • Ensure documentation supports implementation, operations, and audit/compliance requirements. • Enable strong product understanding across internal teams and clients. 7. Adoption, Training & SME Support: • Identify training needs and deliver product enablement for internal teams and customers. • Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for Islamic banking capabilities. • Drive adoption and effective usage of product features. 8. Leadership & Continuous Improvement: • Mentor and guide junior team members, improving quality and best practices. • Lead cross-functional collaboration and facilitate workshops or working groups. • Identify and drive improvements in product management processes and delivery frameworks. Required Skills & Experience 1. Domain Expertise: • Solid experience in financial services, with strong exposure to Islamic banking. • Deep understanding of: • Islamic financing and profit distribution • Core banking systems (loans, deposits, payments) • Interaction between Islamic and conventional banking models 2. Technical & Analytical Skills: • Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities. • Understanding of: • APIs and service-oriented/microservices architecture • Data analysis (SQL knowledge preferred) • Ability to translate complex business requirements into structured solutions. 3. Product & Delivery Experience: • Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies and SDLC processes. • Proven experience managing full requirement lifecycle (intake through delivery and validation). • Ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives in a fast-paced environment. 4. Stakeholder Management: • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. • Strong facilitation and influencing capabilities across technical and business teams. 5. Leadership & Collaboration: • Experience mentoring and developing team members. • Proven ability to collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams. Education & Certifications: • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Computer Science, or related field. • MBA or equivalent is a plus. • Product certifications (e.g., Scrum Product Owner, Pragmatic) are desirable. Preferred Qualifications: • Experience with platform-based or cloud-native banking systems. • Knowledge of regulatory and compliance frameworks in banking. • Demonstrated success delivering customer-centric product enhancements. We are proud to offer a range of incentives to our emp