Chief Risk Officer - Enterprise Risk

AlFuttaim; Dubai; On-site; AED 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Al‑Futtaim in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, seeks a Chief Risk Officer – Enterprise Risk to lead the second line of defense and oversee a comprehensive risk architecture. The CRO will shape enterprise risk governance across credit, operational, regulatory, and technology risk areas, reporting to the Board and senior management.

Ideal candidates bring 12–15 years in financial services risk, with senior leadership experience and strong regulatory acumen.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Risk Management, Economics, or related field.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Professional qualifications such as FRM, PRM, CFA advantageous.
• Minimum 12–15 years of progressive risk management experience within Financial Services.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and periodically review the Enterprise Risk Management Framework.
• Own the Risk Appetite Framework, including risk limits, thresholds, key risk indicators, monitoring standards, and escalation procedures.
• Ensure enterprise risk policies remain aligned with regulatory expectations, business strategy, portfolio characteristics, and governance standards.
• Present timely and accurate risk reports to the Board, Board Risk Committee, executive committees, and senior management.
• Provide independent risk opinions on material exposures, policy deviations, control weaknesses, risk appetite breaches, and strategic decisions.
• Escalate significant risk matters promptly through the appropriate governance channels.
• Deliver second‑line oversight of credit risk without assuming responsibility for first‑line underwriting or credit approval execution.
• Review material credit exposures, restructurings, write‑offs, exceptions, concentration risks, provisioning indicators, and signs of portfolio deterioration.
• Challenge first‑line credit decisions, methodologies, policies, and assumptions where risk concerns arise.
• Monitor delinquency trends, portfolio quality, concentration levels, provisioning movements, early warning indicators, and stress signals.
• Oversee stress testing, sensitivity analysis, scenario assessment, and interpretation of potential portfolio impacts.

Skills

Enterprise Risk Management

Risk Appetite Framework

Credit risk oversight

Portfolio risk monitoring

Regulatory reporting

Board interaction

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Risk Management, Economics, or related discipline

Master’s degree preferred

FRM/PRM/CFA advantageous

Job description

Job Snapshot

Role: Chief Risk Officer – Enterprise Risk

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Financial Services

Function: Risk Management

Experience: Minimum 12-15 years

Job Type: Full-time

Position Overview

Chief Risk Officer – Enterprise Risk in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a senior financial services hiring opportunity responsible for leading the independent risk management function of a CBUAE‑regulated finance company. The role provides enterprise‑wide oversight across credit, portfolio, operational, outsourcing, technology, information security, resilience, strategic, regulatory, emerging, and model‑related risks where applicable. This executive position requires an experienced risk leader who can maintain independence from revenue‑generating activities, challenge first‑line decisions, advise the Board and senior management, and strengthen regulatory readiness across the organization.

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Dubai

Industry: Financial Services

Function: Risk Management

Salary: 65,000–90,000

Gender: Any

Candidate Nationality: Any

Job Type: Full‑time

Role Context

The Chief Risk Officer – Enterprise Risk will lead the second line of defense and maintain independent oversight of the company’s overall risk profile. The position owns the Enterprise Risk Management Framework, Risk Appetite Framework, risk policies, key risk indicators, limits, escalation protocols, governance reporting, and monitoring processes. The CRO will provide objective challenge and risk opinions to the Board, Board Risk Committee, executive leadership and senior management. The role will also act as the principal risk representative in engagements with the Central Bank of the UAE and support supervisory examinations, regulatory submissions, remediation programs, and governance improvements.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and periodically review the Enterprise Risk Management Framework.
• Own the Risk Appetite Framework, including risk limits, thresholds, key risk indicators, monitoring standards, and escalation procedures.
• Ensure enterprise risk policies remain aligned with regulatory expectations, business strategy, portfolio characteristics, and approved governance standards.
• Present timely and accurate risk reports to the Board, Board Risk Committee, executive committees, and senior management.
• Provide independent risk opinions on material exposures, policy deviations, control weaknesses, risk appetite breaches, and strategic decisions.
• Escalate significant risk matters promptly through the appropriate governance channels.
• Deliver second‑line oversight of credit risk without assuming responsibility for first‑line underwriting or credit approval execution.
• Review material credit exposures, restructurings, write‑offs, exceptions, concentration risks, provisioning indicators, and signs of portfolio deterioration.
• Challenge first‑line credit decisions, methodologies, policies, and assumptions where risk concerns arise.
• Monitor delinquency trends, portfolio quality, concentration levels, provisioning movements, early warning indicators, and stress signals.
• Oversee stress testing, sensitivity analysis, scenario assessment, and the interpretation of potential portfolio impacts.
• Evaluate whether risk appetite metrics remain suitable for current and anticipated market conditions.
• Oversee operational risk management across business processes, systems, people, suppliers, and external service providers.
• Review outsourcing arrangements, third‑party dependencies, service continuity, concentration exposure, and control effectiveness.
• Provide oversight of technology risk, information security risk, cyber risk, data‑related risk, business continuity, and operational resilience.
• Challenge first‑line controls and require remediation where weaknesses could create material financial, operational, customer, or regulatory exposure.
• Support CBUAE examinations, supervisory reviews, information requests, regulatory meetings, and risk‑related submissions.
• Coordinate risk input for regulatory remediation plans and monitor completion of agreed corrective actions.
• Act as the organization’s primary risk representative when engaging with CBUAE on risk management matters.
• Provide independent risk assessments for new products, services, distribution channels, outsourcing proposals, and strategic initiatives.
• Review risk implications connected with delegation of authority changes, policy amendments, system implementations, and major business transformation.
• Ensure material changes undergo appropriate risk assessment before approval and implementation.
• Lead the Risk function, establish clear priorities, and develop the capability of risk team members.
• Promote a strong risk culture through training, governance forums, awareness programs, and engagement with business leaders.
• Ensure risk decisions, exceptions, escalations, committee papers, and challenge outcomes are properly documented.
• Strengthen risk data governance, reporting quality, management information, and evidence retained for regulatory and Board review.
• Maintain effective working relationships with Finance, Credit, Operations, Compliance, Internal Audit, Legal, Technology, Information Security, and business leadership.
• Preserve the independence of the Risk function from commercial targets, first‑line credit ownership, and operational decision‑making.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Risk Management, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, Mathematics, or a related discipline.
• Master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred.
• Professional qualifications such as FRM, PRM, CFA, CA, CPA, or ACCA are advantageous.
• Minimum 12‑15 years of progressive risk management experience within Financial Services.
• Significant senior leadership experience in a regulated lending, finance company, consumer finance, commercial finance, or banking environment.
• Strong understanding of Central Bank of the UAE regulatory expectations and supervisory practices.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining enterprise risk frameworks and risk appetite structures.
• Advanced knowledge of credit risk oversight, portfolio monitoring, concentration risk, provisioning indicators, delinquency trends, and early warning systems.
• Practical experience overseeing stress testing, scenario analysis, and portfolio sensitivity assessments.
• Strong background in operational risk, outsourcing risk, third‑party risk, technology risk, cyber risk, information security, and operational resilience.
• Experience preparing Board‑level risk reports, committee submissions, independent opinions, and regulatory responses.
• Proven ability to challenge senior stakeholders objectively while maintaining constructive working relationships.
• Sound judgment with the confidence to escal…

Skills Set

• Enterprise Risk Management Framework
• Risk Appetite Framework
• Credit risk oversight
• Portfolio risk monitoring
• Concentration risk management
• Stress testing
• Scenario analysis
• Early warning indicators
• Key risk indicators
• Risk limits and thresholds
• Board risk reporting
• Board Risk Committee governance
• CBUAE regulatory engagement
• Regulatory examination support
• Regulatory remediation
• Operational risk management
• Outsourcing risk
• Third‑party risk
• Technology risk
• Information security risk
• Cyber risk oversight
• Business continuity
• Operational resilience
• Model risk oversight
• Emerging risk assessment
• Strategic risk
• Policy governance
• Delegation of authority review
• New product risk assessment
• Risk data governance
• Provisioning indicators
• Credit portfolio deterioration analysis
• Independent risk challenge
• Executive stakeholder management
• Risk culture development
• Governance documentation
• Regulatory submissions

Why Join Us

This opportunity offers the chance to shape the risk architecture of a regulated finance company operating within Dubai’s established Financial Services market. The Chief Risk Officer will have direct influence over enterprise governance, portfolio resilience, regulatory readiness, Board decision‑making, and the long‑term sustainability of the business. The position provides meaningful executive exposure across credit, technology, operations, strategy, regulatory affairs, and organizational transformation. It is particularly suitable for a senior risk professional seeking a high‑impact leadership mandate within a diversified regional group that offers stability, scale, and long‑term career potential.

About the Company

Al‑Futtaim is a diversified privately held regional business headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The group operates across automotive, financial services, real estate, retail, and healthcare, with activities spanning the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Al‑Futtaim Finance Company operates within the group’s Financial Services portfolio and serves customers through regulated lending and finance solutions. Its governance model emphasizes responsible growth, regulatory compliance, independent risk oversight, strong controls, and sustainable customer‑focused financial services.