Job Description:

This position is often with financial services companies. In many cases, these job titles are for several vacancies because the financial services industry in the Middle East is targeting the young professionals who man workforce. Especially in Dubai where the workforce is largely foreign, companies do not, as a rule, offer 401Ks and retirement plans. Financial Advisors’ jobs in Dubai are basically that – helping the working population with their personal financial goals and creating personal wealth.

Duties:

• Business Development. Financial advisors are responsible for account origination, whether that be loan or investments. This type of business development does not involve cold selling as there will be no pushing for any services. Advisors basically explain client options under specific circumstances, and may, in most cases, give an opinion as to the best option.

• Communication and Coordination. As clients make their financial and investment decisions, the financial advisor make sure client instructions are carried out effectively. They coordinate with brokers and communicate client loan and or investment decisions, monitor market conditions and communicate these with clients.

• Trend Monitoring. Financial advisers work closely with various market elements. As such they play a vital role in monitoring the market and play large roles in the financial decisions of their clients. Banks and financial services companies rely on their team of financial advisors to define organizational goals in strategic planning sessions

Qualifications:

• Education – Financial Advisors in Dubai are required to at least have a Bachelor’s degree – a Master’s if they’re screening for a senior position – in a finance-related field, e.g. Banking and Finance, Accounting, Finance Management). In specific industries, such as the mortgage industry, there may also be specific additional educational requirements pertaining to state laws and regulations and industry practices.

• Technical Requirements. – Unlike Wall Street, this position in the Dubai job market does not necessarily require special licenses, although professional licenses such as a CPA (US) or a chartered accountants (UK) professional license is a definite advantage. Experience in the financial services, banking, mortgage and other related industries are a key factor in this position.

• Other Requirements. – Familiarity with accounting and investment systems is a given. Experience in the customer service industry is an excellent advantage.

Salary Range:

AED 5,000-25,000

Employers’ Description:

Banks and other financial institutions in the financial services industry build a team of professionals with varying degrees of talent, expertise and experience to suit the range of client needs they attend to. These companies serve the entire spectrum of the market from middle class expats to wealthy UAE nationals to domestic and foreign businesses.

Job Description:

Client relationship management requires excellent people skills, on top of familiarity with the banking and financial services industry. The job is basically fostering and maintaining a solid business relationship with commercial businesses and individuals with very high net worth. This also requires a high degree of adaptability, willingness to do research and understand the peculiar needs of clients in short amounts of time.

Duties:

Client Management. Client Relationship Mangers are charged with developing and fostering long-term relationships with the bank’s existing commercial and individual clients. They’re the point person for specific client accounts, working closely with clients’ account managers, finance directors and financial decision-makers. This function generally calls for making sure client demands are met.

Account Management. CRMs manage and expand client portfolios, making sure the clients’ needs are met and attended to right away. The goal in this function is mainly to help the bank’s senior managers supervise client activities as they generate more income for both the client’s and the bank’s accounts, balancing the risk-return trade-off, as the client uses more of the bank’s services. Also, Relationship Managers provide expert support to self-trading clients.

Internal Administrative Functions. CRMs collaborate with other branches to analyze and assess client business practices and participate in planning customized client services. This function serves the bank more as it gears toward providing a total range of services to meet the demands and needs of their biggest clients.

Qualifications:

Education – CRMs are required to have at least a Bachelor’s degree relating to business management, but preferably in the Finance and Accounting fields. This educational requirement is a must as the banking and financial services industry is a highly-specialized field; education is a primary requirement for understanding the industry.

Technical skills – Basic MS Office applications is a given. Experience with finance software and database is an excellent advantage. Those with experience in the Customer Service industry will also have a huge advantage.

Other Requirements – Aside from being tech savvy and intelligent, CRMs are flexible individuals who are highly adaptive and possess excellent communications skills. They’re caring professionals who are patient and go through the extra mile to explain a client’s options and guide them through the intricacies of financial decision-making.

Salary Range:

AED 4,000-20,000 monthly, the range due to varying levels of experience and competence.

Employers’ Description:

Both banks and financial services companies have a team of relationship managers to develop further business with existing clients. In the Dubai job market, this position is often thought of as part of their sales team. Often, CRMs are out in client premises, effectively bringing the bank and its services right at the client’s doorstep. This position is often created to provide total convenience to clients.

Job Description:

PA jobs in Dubai that would specifically or alternatively be called HR assistants are support positions to the Human Resources Director’s office. Depending on the HRD’s delegation preferences, HR assistants provide support services for a specific employee group/type (e.g., laborers in a construction firm), or for a specific HR function (e.g., recruitment and hiring). HR assistants would largely perform professional functions but may be required by the HR director, their direct supervisor, to carry out tasks of a personal nature.

Duties:

• Typing and translation of HR-related documents, usually appointment contracts for staff. In the Dubai and UAE job markets, the person holding this position would be working closely with the company PRO for paperwork relating to Employment & Residency visa sponsorships for employees.
• Sourcing and sorting of CVs and applications filed with the company. HR assistants normally handle company CV-receiving emails or online databases for CV submissions. They would also be collating those CVs and applications they receive from walk-in applicants or those sent in through mails and faxes. Especially in industries with very high turnovers such as the Customer Service industry, HR assistants classify and tag each CV for a specific department and makes sure the active file is appropriately trimmed and pruned.
• Coordination and Scheduling. HR assistants book applicants for interviews and tests, informs them of the schedule and briefs the candidate for what to expect when they arrive for an appointment. Because many jobseekers in Dubai are non-residents, HR assistants are responsible for making sure applicants are given a clear set of directions on how to get to company locations. If located in restrictive or exclusive buildings or areas like Free Zones, HR assistants are also the responsible for paperwork relating to requirements for receiving guests to the zone.
• Receiving official correspondences from employees. When employees have complaints or suggestions or any issues that need to go through the formal communication process, HR assistants are in charge of receiving such communications. In this function, a basic knowledge of labour laws and company policies relating to employees would come handy. Often, employees would not know which form to fill out or how to file a certain type of request. HR Assistants help them resolve these questions.

Qualifications:

• Education – A Bachelor’s degree is a basic requirement; one with concentration in Human Resources Management or Accounting is often an edge.
• Language Skills – Excellent oral and written communication skills is vital in this position. Often, companies would prefer a bi-lingual individual for this position; that’s not necessarily Arabic-English. Depending on the nature of the business, some companies would hire Mandarin-English speakers, or even those who speak Urdu or any other Asian language. Obviously, English skills is a must.
• Technical Skills – HR Assistants are also expected to be proficient in MS Office applications – Word, Excel, Powerpoint. In the Dubai job market however, familiarity with online CV or resume portals or basic internet skills would give you an advantage. As you may be assisting in the management of an HR database, familiarity with an HR-specific information system would also be very attractive to employers.
• Other requirements – Experience is often required. Basic familiarity with Dubai and UAE labor laws is a competitive advantage. Familiarity with the recruitment, hiring and retention process may also be required along with an understanding of compensations and salary schemes.

Salary Range:

AED 3,000-5,000

Employers’ Description:

Companies with separate HR departments are the employers of HR assistants. These are multi-national corporations, usually with regional Middle East and Africa operations or a global presence in all five continents. Besides these large businesses, construction companies importing labor from India, China and other Third World countries would need HR assistants for coordinating issues and paperwork with this foreign workforce.

Job Description:

The administrative assistant position is very similar to an Office Assistant; the difference is only in the emphasis of administrative support services required of Admin Assistants. Much like Office Assistants, Admin Assistants are required to have a general knowledge and understanding of office management. Admin Assistants primarily report to Office Managers or Administrative Coordinators in a firm.

Duties:

• Sales, Accounting and Administrative support. Administrative assistants in Dubai often provide office support to Sales and Marketing teams who are often out on business. Often, it is an admin assistant’s job to generate leads, handle phone, fax or email queries and set up meetings for onsite visits. Admin Assistants also take care of the backend – follow up calls, minutes of meetings with clients, drafting and screening of contracts, forwarding and receiving of invoice, including releasing of checks to various suppliers.
• Documentation and filing. Administrative Assistants are basically in-charge of documenting company and staff activities especially relating to clients and suppliers. In addition to the logs, documents and filing similarly required of Office Assistants, Admin Assistants manage supplier, customer and prospect database systems.
• Technical support. Administrative assistants help with the preparation of presentations, quotes and all other documents for internal and external purposes. Although the Office Manager or Administrative Coordinator is their direct supervisor, administrative assistants are lent to various teams as the need arises.

Qualifications:

At the very least, top-notch Administrative Assistants would have the education and technical skills of an Office Assistant and the flexibility of an executive-level PA.

Salary Range:

AED 2,500-4,500

Employer’s Description:

Most Dubai businesses, regardless of size hire an administrative assistant. In small enterprises, you’d often encounter the terms, secretary cum receptionist, or accountant cum secretary and similar combo titles to denote an administrative assistant’s position. For medium to large businesses, the job title is pretty straightforward. In any case, these businesses look for someone with excellent multi-tasking skills.

Job Description:

Executive level PAs perform a comprehensive range of support services to support and enhance both the personal and professional lives of middle-top management executives. Department heads such as Sales Directors, Regional Managers and Chief Executives are the common employers of personal/executive assistants. Because of the close working relationship forged with the person holding the office, these types of PAs perform tasks relating to the personal lives of their bosses, in addition to professional and/or business support services.

Duties:

• Preparation and review of official correspondences. Director’s PA would have access to the Director’s mails and email accounts, PDAs, faxes and all other sources and methods of communications. Often, the PA screens these correspondences, filters unwanted mails and prioritizes replies. Director’s PA also often drafts agreements, memos and circulars and other official communications issued by the director’s office. In some cases, the PA picks up or delegates phone calls to and from the director’s office.
• Calendar and Scheduling. The PA takes charge of the director’s daily planner, usually plotting and prioritizing engagements. Executive PAs also make travel arrangements for the executive, from flight schedules and bookings to hotel accommodations and rental cars.
• Documentation and technical assistance. The PA may prepare the director’s presentations; write analyses, summaries and reports for the office. The PA would also be in-charge of updating file systems and reporting consistent with head office requirements.
• Personal support services would vary depending on the needs of the director or executive the PA works for. Tasks may include choosing presents for family members, reminding the director of family engagements, scheduling doctor visits, doing some personal shopping for the boss, etc.

Qualifications:

• Education – A Bachelor’s degree in a field specific to the executive office is a must. Most PAs at this level would either have at least a master’s degree to compensate for a relatively minimal experience or at least a three-year experience without the additional degree. Industry-specific training hours or credit units will also boost your chances to be hired for this position.
• Technical skills – Strong organizational skills and excellent written and oral communication skills is a given. Above average computer skills is normally required. That means being excellent with common MS Office applications, familiarity with special applications like CRMs, sales and forecasting tools, etc. Proficiency with online media and web-based applications is definitely a plus.
• Other Requirements – Flexibility is a basic requirement for PAs at this level. Management executives in Dubai often keep long hours and hectic days. When your boss is working or present, so should you. In many cases, these executive PA speak English and another major language (e.g. French, Italian, Spanish) or Arabic.

Salary Range:

AED 8,000-20,000

Employer’s Description:

Department Chiefs, Directors, Chief Executives in Dubai are no different than their American or European counterparts; they lead hectic professional lives. They need to be able to do more with their 24-hour days. Because these professionals are decision-makers, their professional hours need to be focused on assessing, evaluating and implementing strategic plans to meet organizational objectives. Thus, they need technical and personal support for tasks that need to be done to help them with these processes.

Job Description:

PA jobs in Dubai that are otherwise called office assistant jobs are in-house support positions to an entire office. That means a person holding this position should have a basic knowledge of how an office is run and should learn, within a reasonable amount of time, the tasks and systems specific or unique to the company they work for. Office Assistants directly report to the Office Manager who would most often be their direct supervisor. This position would generally involve administrative and/or clerical support services. Rarely would an office assistant be doing anything related to anyone’s personal affairs as this position does not give anyone in the firm exclusive rights to the office assistant’s professional services or time.

Duties:

• Phone & Fax Management. This function include picking up, screening and fielding phone calls and faxes. This is more than a switchboard operator function as office assistants usually decide whether each incoming phone call or fax deserves further attention from core or non-core staff at the firm. They would take messages for anyone in the firm but are generally the gatekeepers of the phone and fax lines. They would also be placing phone calls or sending out faxes and normally keep a log of nonlocal calls and both incoming and outgoing faxes.
• Calendar & Scheduling. Office assistants manage company calendars and schedule and/or coordinate events. In this role, they would coordinate with managers who plan business events and affairs. In most cases, scheduling tasks would relate to assisting with travel arrangements for managers and staff, along with internal or external meetings or conferences held within the office.
• Professional support. Office assistants help in preparing presentations, spreadsheets, documents and contracts, documentation and filing, quotes requests, supplier relations and a host of other administrative support functions. These may be required by individual firm members (usually the office manager or the managing director), team (logistics for the sales team), or the entire office (such as when requesting replenishment of office supplies or sending out quote requests).
• Auxiliary Tasks. These include photocopying, distributing mails, collating, logging and filing of documents that come in or are sent out via courier services and keeping hard copies of important emails. Office assistants also manage company contact lists for internal contact information, supplier contacts and client contact information.

Qualifications:

• Education – Office Assistants in Dubai must have a bachelor’s degree. Depending on the industry or the specific type of business the company you’re after is in, your particular degree may be an advantage or not. However, those with a business or management degree are attractive prospects for office assistant jobs in virtually any industry or business.
• Technical skills – Proficiency in the three basic MS Office applications – Word, Excel and Powerpoint- is a common requirement. Excellent oral and written communication skills is another common qualification for office assistants.
• Other Skills. Reasonable typing speed is an implied requirement for this position. You’d also be presumed to be familiar with business correspondences – fax, memo, email, contracts, etc.

Salary Range (monthly):

AED 2,000-4,500. Average going rate: AED 3,250

Employers Description:

The position office assistant is usually used by relatively larger firms with offices in various locations. Often, these are foreign-based firms with Middle East operations or local UAE businesses with at least a national operation. Their Dubai offices hire office assistants to support their operations. The small and medium-sized enterprises’ counterpart position is normally called an office secretary or receptionist.