Head of Shariah Compliance

About the Role

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the Shariah compliance function, policies, governance framework, and operating procedures.
• Ensure compliance with the CBUAE Higher Shari’ah Authority and other applicable regulatory requirements.
• Liaise with the Internal Shariah Supervision Committee, coordinate meetings, and implement its decisions and rulings.
• Advise on strategy, product development, commercial activity, contracts, customer documents, marketing, policies, and processes.
• Embed Shariah requirements throughout digital products and oversee AI-enabled processes, automated decisions, algorithms, and data usage.
• Translate Shariah rulings into scalable technology controls and maintain monitoring and testing programs.
• Investigate and resolve non-compliance events, oversee remediation and reporting, and support Shariah audits.
• Maintain records, deliver reporting and training, monitor Islamic finance and regulatory developments, and lead team growth.

Experience and Qualifications

• Significant Shariah compliance, governance, or Islamic finance experience in a regulated bank, financial institution, or FinTech.
• Previous leadership or senior experience in an Internal Shariah Compliance Department or equivalent function.
• Strong knowledge of the CBUAE Higher Shari’ah Authority framework and UAE Islamic finance regulations.
• Detailed knowledge of Islamic banking products and structures, potentially including Murabaha, Ijarah, Mudarabah, Musharakah, Wakala, Tawarruq, and Sukuk.
• Experience reviewing financial products, contracts, policies, and processes for Shariah compliance.
• Experience working with Internal Shariah Supervision Committees and senior regulatory stakeholders.
• Relevant degree in Shariah, Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic finance, law, banking, or a related discipline.
• Postgraduate Shariah or Islamic finance qualification or recognised professional certification is advantageous.
• Knowledge of AAOIFI standards and other recognised Islamic finance frameworks.
• AI banking, digital banking, FinTech, AI governance, or automated decision-making experience is desirable.
• Arabic and English language capabilities are strongly preferred.

Personal Attributes

• Strong technical understanding of Shariah principles combined with sound commercial judgement.
• Ability to translate complex Shariah requirements into practical business and technology solutions.
• Credibility with Shariah scholars, regulators, board members, and executive leadership.
• Strong communication, stakeholder-management, and leadership skills.
• Ability to build a function, framework, and team from the ground up.