GRC Director | Non-Financial Risk | Regulatory Advisory
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Key skills for this role
About the Role
Grant Thornton seeks an experienced Director to lead complex regulatory advisory engagements in the UAE. The role involves shaping strategic client relationships, driving business growth, and delivering market-leading solutions in governance, risk, and compliance.
Key Skills for This Role
Responsibilities
- Lead end to end delivery of complex Regulatory & Risk Advisory engagements for Banks, Licensed Financial Institutions, Regulatory Authorities, and Sovereign Wealth Funds
- Maintain deep expertise in the UAE regulatory landscape, including CBUAE Rulebook, CMA regulations, ADGM/FSRA and DIFC/DFSA frameworks
- Drive large scale regulatory engagements including Third Party Monitorships, Independent Validations, Operational Readiness Assessments, Skilled Person Reviews, Compliance Risk Assessments, Licensing Support, and Regulatory Remediation Programmes
- Partner with regulatory authorities on development and enhancement of non financial risk frameworks
- Build and strengthen trusted relationships with UAE D SIBs and senior stakeholders across Governance, Risk, Compliance, and Regulatory functions
- Provide strategic leadership, market insights, and regulatory guidance to clients
- Mentor and develop high performing teams, fostering technical excellence and innovation
Requirements
- 12–15+ years of experience within financial institutions, regulatory bodies, or leading consulting firms, with a significant focus on regulatory advisory, governance, risk, and compliance
- Extensive expertise across regulatory compliance, corporate governance, non financial risk management, consumer protection, and internal audit
- Deep understanding of UAE financial services regulations, including CBUAE, CMA, ADGM/FSRA, DIFC/DFSA
- Demonstrated success in advising regulators, boards, executive management, and financial services clients
- Leading and shaping large scale regulatory transformation, compliance, governance, risk management, and consumer protection programmes
- Holding a recognised professional qualification such as ICA, CIA, Company Secretary, or equivalent
- Driving business growth through strategic client relationships and market opportunities
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic language proficiency is highly desirable
- Thriving in a multicultural, fast paced environment while leading and developing high performing teams
Full Job Posting
Job Description
- We’re a large and growing professional services firm with over 76,000 professionals in more than 150 countries.
- As an Experienced Director, you will lead complex regulatory advisory engagements, shape strategic client relationships, drive business growth, and provide leadership across the practice.
About the Regulatory Advisory Service Line
- Our Regulatory / Governance, Risk and Compliance Advisory practice supplies services to regulatory authorities, licensed financial institutions and other relevant organizations.
- Work falls into: Regulatory Compliance Advisory, Corporate Governance Advisory, Non Financial Risk Management, Consumer Protection Advisory and Islamic Finance Advisory.
As an Experienced GRC Director some of your responsibilities will include:
- Leading the end to end delivery of complex Regulatory & Risk Advisory engagements for Banks, Licensed Financial Institutions, Regulatory Authorities, and Sovereign Wealth Funds.
- Maintaining deep expertise in the UAE regulatory landscape, including the CBUAE Rulebook and standards, CMA regulations, ADGM/FSRA and DIFC/DFSA frameworks.
- Driving large scale regulatory engagements, including Third Party Monitorships, Independent Validations, Operational Readiness Assessments, Skilled Person Reviews, Compliance Risk Assessments, Licensing Support, and Regulatory Remediation Programmes.
- Partnering with regulatory authorities on the development and enhancement of non financial risk frameworks.
- Building and strengthening trusted relationships with UAE D SIBs and senior stakeholders across Governance, Risk, Compliance, and Regulatory functions.
- Providing strategic leadership, market insights, and regulatory guidance to clients navigating complex and evolving regulatory environments.
- Mentoring and developing high performing teams, fostering technical excellence, innovation, and a culture of continuous growth.
Think you've got what it takes?
- 12–15+ years of experience within financial institutions, regulatory bodies, or leading consulting firms, with a significant focus on regulatory advisory, governance, risk, and compliance.
- Extensive expertise across regulatory compliance, corporate governance, non financial risk management, consumer protection, and internal audit, with Islamic Finance experience considered a strong advantage.
- Demonstrated success in advising regulators, boards, executive management, and financial services clients.
- Deep understanding of UAE financial services regulations, including extensive experience with the Central Bank of the UAE, Capital Markets Authority, ADGM/FSRA, DIFC/DFSA, and other regional regulatory frameworks.
- Leading and shaping large scale regulatory transformation, compliance, governance, risk management, and consumer protection programmes across complex organisations.
- Providing strategic oversight on Market Conduct, Consumer Protection, Islamic Finance, and broader regulatory compliance frameworks.
- Holding a recognised professional qualification such as ICA, CIA, Company Secretary, or an equivalent governance, risk, or compliance certification.
- Driving business growth through the development of strategic client relationships, market opportunities, and high value regulatory advisory engagements.
- Building and maintaining trusted relationships with regulators, board members, C suite executives, and other senior stakeholders.
- Providing thought leadership on emerging regulatory developments, supervisory expectations, and industry best practices.
- Demonstrating exceptional commercial acumen, stakeholder management, and engagement leadership skills.
- Communicating effectively with diverse audiences through outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic language proficiency is highly desirable.
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