Onboarding Business Partner

Onboarding Business Partner | Barclays | Geneva

We are seeking an experienced, client-focused, and highly organised Onboarding Business Partner to manage the end-to-end onboarding of clients into Barclays Switzerland. Acting as the primary point of contact throughout the onboarding journey, you will deliver an exceptional client experience while demonstrating strong ownership, accountability, and sound judgement in a highly regulated environment. You will work collaboratively with Front Office, Operations, Risk, and Financial Crime teams to navigate complex onboarding requirements, proactively solve problems, and ensure full compliance with Swiss regulatory and Barclays policy standards. This role requires a strong understanding of the Swiss regulatory environment, excellent stakeholder management skills, and a continuous improvement mindset focused on efficiency, quality, and risk awareness.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end onboarding process for clients of Barclays Switzerland, from prospect stage through to account opening.
• Act as the primary point of contact for clients, providing a professional, responsive, and personalised onboarding experience.
• Build strong relationships with clients and internal stakeholders to ensure efficient and timely onboarding outcomes.
• Partner closely with Front Office, Operations, Risk, Compliance, and Financial Crime teams to facilitate account openings and resolve onboarding queries.
• Ensure all client onboarding files meet Barclays policy requirements and Swiss regulatory standards.
• Conduct thorough reviews of client documentation, KYC, AML, and Client Due Diligence requirements.
• Identify and escalate potential risks, issues, or regulatory concerns in a timely manner.
• Drive continuous improvement in onboarding processes, controls, and client experience.
• Act as a subject matter expert on onboarding procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Support the development and enhancement of Client Due Diligence policies and onboarding procedures.
• Serve as a role model for procedural excellence, risk awareness, and regulatory compliance.

Required Skills & Experience

• Fluency in both English and French, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong knowledge of the Swiss onboarding and regulatory framework, including KYC, AML, and Client Due Diligence requirements.
• Proven experience managing client onboarding within Private Banking, Wealth Management, or Financial Services.
• Experience supporting or onboarding clients from the Middle East region.
• Demonstrated ability to engage directly with high-profile and demanding clients in a professional and confident manner.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with excellent attention to detail.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple onboarding cases simultaneously.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Fluency in Arabic.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including the creation and maintenance of complex formulas, management reporting, dashboards, and data analysis.
• Experience working within an international private banking or wealth management environment.

This role is based in Geneva.

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

Purpose

Support and assist Relationship Managers in acquiring, onboarding, servicing and retaining clients to deliver overall business goals, managing complex client situations.

Where required liaise directly with clients regarding complex client requests in respect of various banking and servicing requirements such as onboarding, banking transactions, Investments, credit & digital solutions.

Work closely with Operations and other support functions to deliver positive outcomes for clients.

Accountabilities

• Establish strong client and internal relationships alongside relationship managers to ensure high quality service is provided at all times
• Responsible for all aspects of clients servicing and service engagement plans. To include leading client service review visits to support and improve client experience
• Develop relationships with other areas of the bank; in doing so, they will have joint responsibility with internal colleagues for the end-to-end client experience, ensuring high levels of client satisfaction.
• Point of contact for all new account queries, complex servicing requests and a liaison between relationship teams and support/specialist teams
• Ensure legal and regulatory standards and internal policies and procedures are adhered to, support relationship managers with risk related activities

Analyst Expectations

• To perform prescribed activities in a timely manner and to a high standard consistently driving continuous improvement.
• Requires in-depth technical knowledge and experience in their assigned area of expertise
• Thorough understanding of the underlying principles and concepts within the area of expertise
• They lead and supervise a team, guiding and supporting professional development, allocating work requirements and coordinating team resources.
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.
• OR for an individual contributor, they develop technical expertise in work area, acting as an advisor where appropriate.
• Will have an impact on the work of related teams within the area.
• Partner with other functions and business areas.
• Takes responsibility for end results of a team’s operational processing and activities.
• Escalate breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Take responsibility for embedding new policies/ procedures adopted due to risk mitigation.
• Advise and influence decision making within own area of expertise.
• Take ownership for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work you own or contribute to. Deliver your work and areas of responsibility in line with relevant rules, regulation and codes of conduct.
• Maintain and continually build an understanding of how own sub-function integrates with function, alongside knowledge of the organisations products, services and processes within the function.
• Demonstrate understanding of how areas coordinate and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the organisation sub-function.
• Make evaluative judgements based on the analysis of factual information, paying attention to detail.
• Resolve problems by identifying and selecting solutions through the application of acquired technical experience and will be guided by precedents.
• Guide and persuade team members and communicate complex / sensitive information.
• Act as contact point for stakeholders outside of the immediate function, while building a network of contacts outside team and external to the organisation.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.