Compliance Lead

Pemo; Dubai; On-site; AED 480,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Pemo, a Dubai-headquartered fintech, seeks a founding compliance leader to build and own the compliance function. You will be the primary contact with the Central Bank of the UAE, running risk assessment, policies, monitoring and reporting day to day, collaborating with Onboarding, Operations, Product, Engineering, Legal and our financial partners.

As the company grows, so will the function and your role, with scope to shape regulatory strategy and drive licensing efforts in a fast-paced,

Qualifications

• 7+ years in compliance or AML/CFT within regulated financial services, fintech or payments.
• Direct experience dealing with the CBUAE, including inspections, licensing or regulatory submissions.
• Strong working knowledge of UAE AML/CFT laws and the CBUAE framework, ideally the Stored Value Facilities and Retail Payment Services regulations.
• A track record of building compliance frameworks, not just running them.
• Clear, practical writing, and the confidence to explain compliance to senior leaders and regulators.
• Eligibility for CBUAE approval as a compliance officer or MLRO.

Responsibilities

• Own the CBUAE relationship, including correspondence, inspections, information requests and supervisory dialogue, and build strong working relationships with the UAE regulatory bodies and our partners.
• Lead the compliance workstream of our CBUAE licensing programme, and keep us audit-ready once we are licensed.
• Execute on our compliance framework, ensuring policies, procedures, controls and a risk-based Compliance Monitoring Programme (CMP) is in place and well executed.
• Run our Enterprise-Wide Risk Assessment (EWRA) and regular compliance reviews, and turn findings into clear, practical fixes.
• Own our AML/CFT programme as MLRO, including CDD and KYB standards, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring and STR filing.
• Track regulatory change, assess its impact on the business, and drive implementation with the right owners.
• Prepare compliance reporting for the CBUAE and updates for senior management and the Board.
• Design smart, tech-led compliance processes, and build compliance into product development, marketing and customer service from the start.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

AML/CFT

Risk management

Regulatory submissions

Policy drafting

Communication

Tools

goAML

Job description

About Pemo

Pemo helps SMEs take control of their business spend. Corporate cards, expense management, bill pay and accounting integrations all sit in one platform. We’re headquartered in Dubai, and our cards are issued through our CBUAE-licensed partner. As we move towards holding our own CBUAE licence, we’re building a compliance function to match, and that’s where you come in.

The role

This is a founding role. You’ll build compliance at Pemo rather than inherit it. You’ll be our main point of contact with the Central Bank of the UAE, and you’ll run our compliance framework day to day, from risk assessment and policies to monitoring and reporting. You’ll work closely with our Client Onboarding team and with Operations, Product, Engineering, Legal and our financial partners. As Pemo grows, the function, and your role in it, will grow with you.

What you’ll do

• Own the CBUAE relationship, including correspondence, inspections, information requests and supervisory dialogue, and build strong working relationships with the UAE regulatory bodies and our partners.
• Lead the compliance workstream of our CBUAE licensing programme, and keep us audit-ready once we are licensed.
• Execute on our compliance framework, ensuring policies, procedures, controls and a risk-based Compliance Monitoring Programme (CMP) is in place and well executed.
• Run our Enterprise-Wide Risk Assessment (EWRA) and regular compliance reviews, and turn findings into clear, practical fixes.
• Own our AML/CFT programme as MLRO, including CDD and KYB standards, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring and STR filing.
• Track regulatory change, assess its impact on the business, and drive implementation with the right owners.
• Prepare compliance reporting for the CBUAE and updates for senior management and the Board.
• Design smart, tech-led compliance processes, and build compliance into product development, marketing and customer service from the start.

What we’re looking for

Must have

• 7+ years in compliance or AML/CFT within regulated financial services, fintech or payments, including time leading compliance workstreams or a small team.
• Direct experience dealing with the CBUAE, including inspections, licensing or regulatory submissions.
• Strong working knowledge of UAE AML/CFT laws and the CBUAE framework, ideally the Stored Value Facilities and Retail Payment Services regulations.
• A track record of building compliance frameworks, not just running them.
• Clear, practical writing, and the confidence to explain compliance to senior leaders and regulators.
• Eligibility for CBUAE approval as a compliance officer or MLRO.

Nice to have

• Experience in card issuing, corporate cards, B2B fintech or payments.
• Hands-on experience with goAML, screening and transaction monitoring systems.
• Exposure to other GCC regulators.
• Professional Arabic, including drafting regulatory correspondence.