Head of Compliance
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Key skills for this role
About the Role
A regulated payments/fintech business in the UAE is seeking a senior compliance leader to own the financial crime framework, focusing on AML governance, investigations, and regulatory engagement.
Key Skills for This Role
Responsibilities
- Lead AML / financial crime compliance strategy and execution
- Oversee transaction monitoring, investigations, and escalation processes
- Own STR/SAR decisioning support and regulatory reporting readiness
- Manage and develop a small but high performing compliance/AML team
- Ensure robust governance, audit readiness, and regulatory alignment
- Act as a key point of contact for internal and external regulatory matters
- Strengthen case management quality, documentation, and defensibility standards
Requirements
- 10–15+ years of experience in AML, financial crime, or compliance within regulated financial institutions
- Experience in payments, fintech, or banking environments in the UAE/GCC
- Direct exposure to UAE Central Bank AML CFT framework
- Led AML investigations, transaction monitoring, or financial crime operations
- Worked closely with MLRO, compliance committees, and regulators
- Built and strengthened compliance frameworks in growth environments
- Managed teams responsible for alert handling, investigations, or case management
Full Job Posting
Role Overview
- We are seeking a senior compliance leader to join a regulated payments / fintech business operating under UAE Central Bank oversight.
- This position sits at Head of Compliance level and has direct ownership of the financial crime framework, with a strong focus on AML governance, investigations, and regulatory engagement.
- The successful candidate will lead the financial crime and AML compliance agenda across the business, ensuring robust controls aligned with UAE AML CFT regulations and Central Bank expectations.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead AML / financial crime compliance strategy and execution
- Oversee transaction monitoring, investigations, and escalation processes
- Own STR/SAR decisioning support and regulatory reporting readiness
- Manage and develop a small but high performing compliance/AML team
- Ensure robust governance, audit readiness, and regulatory alignment
- Act as a key point of contact for internal and external regulatory matters
- Strengthen case management quality, documentation, and defensibility standards
Candidate Profile
- 10–15+ years’ experience in AML, financial crime, or compliance within regulated financial institutions.
- Experience in payments, fintech, or banking environments in the UAE/GCC
- Direct exposure to UAE Central Bank AML CFT framework
- Led AML investigations, transaction monitoring, or financial crime operations
- Worked closely with MLRO, compliance committees, and regulators
- Built and strengthened compliance frameworks in growth environments
- Managed teams responsible for alert handling, investigations, or case management
Important Note
- This role is not suitable for purely advisory compliance backgrounds, sanctions only specialists without AML investigations exposure, or candidates without hands on leadership in financial crime operations.
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