Organization:
One of the Leading Insurance Companies in the Region.
Job Title:
Fixed Income Trader – GCC & International Credit
Job Purpose
Manage and execute COMPANY's fixed income investments across GCC bonds and sukuk and international credit markets. The aim is to generate stable, risk-adjusted investment income that supports the company's claims obligations, solvency position and regulatory capital.
The role sits at the centre of COMPANY's investment portfolio. It ensures every bond trade is well priced, compliant with the Central Bank of the UAE insurance investment regulations and internal limits, and aligned with the company's asset-liability profile.
Key Operational Responsibilities
- Execute buy and sell trades in GCC bonds and sukuk and international investment-grade, high-yield and emerging-market credit, achieving best price and timely settlement.
- Source prices and liquidity from regional and international bank dealers and brokers; maintain an active, well-documented counterparty network.
- Monitor the fixed income portfolio daily: positions, yields, spreads, duration, credit ratings and cash flows.
- Ensure every trade complies with Central Bank of the UAE insurance investment regulations, COMPANY's investment policy, and approved issuer, country, rating and concentration limits.
- Prepare credit notes on new and existing issuers covering financials, ratings, outlook and relative value before investment.
- Track rating actions, issuer news, coupon payments, maturities and calls; flag credit deterioration early with a recommended action.
- Coordinate with Treasury, Finance, Risk and Operations on trade booking, settlement, custody reconciliation and cash planning.
- Produce daily, monthly and quarterly reports on portfolio performance, income, risk metrics and limit utilisation for the CIO and Investment Committee.
- Support IFRS 9 classification and valuation inputs, and provide data for solvency and risk-based capital reporting.
- Maintain complete trade records and audit trails for internal audit, external audit and regulatory review.
Key Strategic Responsibilities
- Contribute to COMPANY's fixed income strategy: allocation between GCC and international credit, sovereign versus corporate, sukuk versus conventional, and investment-grade versus high-yield.
- Align portfolio duration and cash flows with COMPANY's insurance liabilities, working with Actuarial and Risk on asset-liability management.
- Identify relative-value and yield-enhancement opportunities across GCC and global credit within the company's risk appetite.
- Develop interest-rate and credit outlooks and present investment recommendations to the CIO and Investment Committee.
- Recommend updates to the investment policy, issuer limits and credit approval process as markets and regulations change.
- Assess the capital impact of investment decisions under the Central Bank's solvency framework, favouring the best return per unit of capital.
- Build long-term relationships with GCC issuers, arrangers and dealers to secure primary-market allocations in new bond and sukuk issues.
- Support ESG and sustainability considerations in the fixed income book where the company's investment policy requires it.
QUALIFICATIONS, RELEVANT CERTIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:
QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Mathematics or a related field
RELEVANT CERTIFICATIONS:
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 04 to 06 to years of relevant experience
REQUIRED SKILLS : Advanced use of Bloomberg; Excel modelling skills
Familiarity with IFRS 9 investment accounting is an advantage
Strong credit analysis skills: reading issuer financials, rating methodologies, spreads and relative value
Hands-on trading and investing in GCC bonds and sukuk, with an established dealer network across regional banks.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: Full Professional Proficiency in English
