Trade Finance Jobs Dubai offer senior professionals the chance to operate at the core of international trade, banking, and energy-driven commerce. These roles typically involve end-to-end management of letters of credit, bank releases, trade insurance, and complex documentation, while working closely with global banks, traders, and internal stakeholders. Based in Dubai, a global trading hub, professionals benefit from exposure to high-value transactions, fast-paced decision-making, and lean, high-impact teams. Ideal candidates bring deep Oil & Gas or petrochemicals experience, strong risk awareness, and relationship-led execution skills that directly enable deal flow, liquidity, and sustainable commercial growth across global markets worldwide.
Table of Contents
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Job Overview
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About the Company
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Available Jobs
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Job Description
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Job Responsibilities
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Why This Role?
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Requirements
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How to Apply
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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Job Overview
Job Title: Senior Trade Finance Role (WF3KWR-265BAFF5)
Company Name: Robert Walters (Recruitment Partner)
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Employment Type: Full-time (senior professional role)
Start Date: ASAP (based on business need)
If you’re searching for trade finance jobs in Dubai 2025 and you’ve built your career around Oil & Gas, petroleum, or refined products, this is the kind of senior seat that can elevate your influence fast. It’s a high-trust role designed for someone who can run complex documentary trade flows end-to-end, keep deals moving in a lean environment, and build strong relationships with international banks.
A critical fit note: Oil & Gas experience is required (petrochemicals can work), and soft commodities experience is not suitable for this specific role.
About the Company
Robert Walters is a well-known professional recruitment partner, connecting experienced specialists and leaders with high-impact roles across finance, banking, and commercial sectors. In Dubai, these opportunities often sit at the intersection of international business, structured trade, and global banking networks—making Robert Walters a common gateway for senior talent looking for roles with scope, visibility, and progression.
In this case, Robert Walters is hiring for a Dubai-based senior Trade Finance position that demands deep technical strength and commercial judgement—especially around how banks evaluate risk, documentation, and releases.
Available Jobs
Even when you’re focused on a specific opportunity, it’s smart to keep adjacent roles on your radar—especially in Dubai’s competitive trade and financial services market. Here are related roles frequently aligned with this level of trade finance seniority:
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Trade Finance Manager – Oil & Gas / Energy Trading (Dubai)
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Senior Documentary Credits Specialist (LC / SBLC / Collections) – UAE
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Trade Services & Guarantees Lead (Banking or Corporate) – Dubai
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Treasury & Trade Finance (Working Capital / Bank Facilities) – Dubai
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Trade Operations Manager (Energy / Petrochemicals) – Dubai
These roles overlap in core skills: bank negotiation, LC lifecycle ownership, discrepancy management, document checking, insurance alignment, and stakeholder coordination.
Job Description
This Senior Trade Finance role is designed for an experienced professional who can operate as the stabilizing force in a lean team. The team is currently two people, and this position sits between the head of the team and a junior analyst—meaning you’ll play a decisive role in both execution quality and team leverage.
The day-to-day work centers around end-to-end trade finance management: bank releases, insurance coordination, Letters of Credit, and shipping/trade documentation (including Bills of Lading and related documents). You’ll also serve as the go-to reviewer who can quickly identify errors in document presentations and guide junior staff to fix issues before they become delays, discrepancies, or financial risk.
What makes this role different from many “trade finance” job descriptions is the commercial proximity. You’re expected to work closely with Oil & Gas / petroleum and refined products traders to make deals executable—turning commercial intent into bankable, document-clean transactions.
Job Responsibilities
Below is what this role typically involves, written in clear, SEO-friendly language:
Banking Relationships and Commercial Execution
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Build and maintain strong working relationships with international banks supporting trade flows.
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Understand what banks “want” in practice—risk signals, documentation expectations, and release requirements.
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Act as a credible counterpart to bankers to accelerate approvals, clarify issues, and prevent unnecessary friction.
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Bring a business development and relationship management mindset, especially when dealing with bank contacts.
Letters of Credit and Documentary Trade Management
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Manage LC (Letters of Credit) processes end-to-end, including amendments, presentation timelines, and settlement coordination.
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Oversee and coordinate trade documentation requirements, ensuring they match contract terms and bank conditions.
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Manage bank releases tied to cargo movement, title documents, and other critical trade milestones.
Document Checking and Error Prevention
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Review document presentations quickly and accurately, spotting errors early.
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Advise junior staff on how to correct discrepancies and improve presentation quality.
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Reduce delays caused by document mismatches, missing data, or non-compliant formats.
Insurance and Risk Alignment
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Coordinate trade insurance elements relevant to energy and refined product transactions.
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Ensure the documentation package is consistent with insurance requirements and internal controls.
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Protect the business by anticipating where risk can surface in documentation, releases, or timing.
Lean Team, High Ownership Operations
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Operate effectively in a start-up style or lean environment with minimal bureaucracy.
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Prioritize multiple transactions while keeping accuracy high under pressure.
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Build practical workflows that improve speed without compromising control and compliance.
Trader Partnership and Deal Enablement
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Work closely with traders (Oil & Gas / petroleum / refined products) to support execution.
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Translate deal structures into documentation and banking actions that make transactions viable.
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Become the person the front office trusts when time-sensitive deals need clean delivery.
Why This Role?
If you’re qualified, this position is attractive for several high-value reasons—especially in Dubai’s trade finance ecosystem.
Energy-Focused Trade Finance Is a Career Accelerator
Oil & Gas and refined products tend to involve high-value, time-sensitive transactions where documentation errors can be costly. Professionals who can manage this cleanly often become indispensable—and that’s where career leverage comes from.
You’ll Sit in the “Decision Zone”
Because you’re positioned between the team head and a junior analyst, your input will shape:
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How fast deals move
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How often banks raise issues
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How strong the documentation culture becomes
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How much traders rely on the trade finance function as an enabler
Real Bank Influence, Not Just Bank “Liaison”
Many roles say “liaise with banks.” This one expects someone who truly understands bank drivers and can proactively structure interactions to get to “released” faster—with fewer exceptions.
Strong Progression Potential
Senior trade finance professionals in Dubai often progress into:
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Head of Trade Finance / Trade Services
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Structured Trade Finance leadership
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Treasury / Working Capital leadership
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Risk and controls leadership within trading businesses
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Banking-facing relationship roles (credit, facilities, trade structuring)
Dubai Location Advantage
Dubai’s position as a global trade hub makes this experience highly portable—across the GCC, Europe, and key trading corridors.
Requirements
To be competitive for trade finance jobs Dubai 2025 at this senior level, the role requires:
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Minimum 10 years relevant international trade finance experience (ideally 15 years)
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Strong Oil & Gas background (petrochemicals also suitable)
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Soft commodities experience is not suitable for this specific role
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Proven ability to build and manage relationships with international banks
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Strong expertise across:
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Letters of Credit (LCs)
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Bank releases
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Trade insurance
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Bills of Lading / trade documentation
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Documentary presentation quality and discrepancy resolution
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Ability to work in a lean/start-up style environment with high ownership
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Capability to guide junior staff and quickly correct document presentation errors
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Strong commercial mindset and stakeholder confidence, especially with traders and bankers
Visa/eligibility note:
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The application includes an eligibility question for the country you’re applying to. If you’re already eligible to work in the UAE, make that clear in your application.
How to Apply
To apply through Robert Walters:
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
1) Is soft commodities trade finance experience acceptable for this role?
No. This specific role is targeting Oil & Gas (petrochemicals can fit) and explicitly notes that soft commodities experience will not be suitable on this occasion.
2) How many years of experience do I need for this senior trade finance job in Dubai?
The requirement is a minimum of 10 years of relevant international trade finance experience, ideally 15 years for strongest fit.
3) What trade finance products and documents are most important here?
Strong experience with Letters of Credit (LCs), bank releases, insurance, and key trade documents such as Bills of Lading, plus the ability to spot and fix presentation errors.
4) What kind of team environment should I expect?
A lean team: currently two people, with this role sitting between the head of the team and a junior analyst—high ownership, high responsibility.
5) What will help my application stand out?
Clear evidence of international bank relationships, proven Oil & Gas/refined products exposure, and examples where you prevented discrepancies, accelerated releases, and supported traders to execute deals smoothly.