Compliance Policy Governance Manager

Confidentiel; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidentiel in Abu Dhabi seeks an experienced Compliance Policy & Governance Manager to develop and implement compliance policies in a CB UAE-regulated environment. The role is hands-on, focusing on policy development, regulatory change, and governance rather than pure AML/KYC monitoring.

You will translate regulatory requirements into practical internal controls, coordinate across functions, and support governance updates for senior management.

Qualifications

• 7-12+ years in Compliance, Regulatory Compliance, Governance, Policy or Regulatory Affairs.
• Experience in banking, financial services, fintech or other regulated financial institutions.
• Hands-on policy drafting and development experience.
• Ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical policies and controls.
• Strong understanding of regulatory change management and impact assessment.
• Experience with regulatory gap analysis and remediation activities.
• Familiarity with governance frameworks and staff training on compliance.

Responsibilities

• Develop, draft, review and maintain compliance policies, procedures and frameworks.
• Translate regulatory requirements into clear and practical internal policies.
• Ensure policies align with CBUAE requirements and other regulations.
• Identify gaps between regulatory requirements and internal policies.
• Coordinate policy updates and implementation across relevant functions.
• Monitor regulatory changes and assess impact on the organization.
• Maintain records of regulatory changes, assessments and actions taken.
• Support design and implementation of controls arising from regulatory requirements.
• Assist in governance activities and prepare updates for senior management.

Skills

Compliance

Regulatory Compliance

Policy drafting

Change management

Gap analysis

Governance frameworks

Stakeholder management

CBUAE experience

Communication

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Compliance Policy & Governance Manager with strong experience in financial services, preferably within a CBUAE-regulated environment.

The role will be responsible for developing, reviewing and implementing compliance policies and procedures, translating regulatory requirements into practical internal frameworks and controls, and ensuring that regulatory changes are assessed and appropriately implemented across the organisation. This is a hands-on policy and regulatory change role, rather than a pure AML/KYC, compliance monitoring or advisory position.

Key Responsibilities

Policy Development & Management

• Develop, draft, review and maintain compliance policies, procedures and frameworks.
• Translate regulatory requirements into clear and practical internal policies.
• Ensure policies are aligned with applicable CBUAE requirements and other relevant regulations.
• Identify gaps between regulatory requirements, existing policies and internal procedures.
• Coordinate policy updates and implementation across relevant business functions.

Regulatory Change Management

• Monitor and track new and amended regulatory requirements.
• Conduct regulatory impact assessments to understand how regulatory changes affect the organisation.
• Perform regulatory gap assessments and identify required changes to policies, procedures and controls.
• Work with stakeholders to ensure regulatory changes are implemented within required timelines.
• Maintain appropriate records of regulatory changes, assessments and implementation actions.

Controls & Implementation

• Support the design and implementation of controls arising from regulatory and policy requirements.
• Assess whether policies and related controls are operating effectively.
• Work with Compliance, Risk, Operations and other stakeholders to address control gaps.
• Support remediation activities and track closure of identified gaps.
• Participate in compliance monitoring, testing and control effectiveness reviews.

Governance

• Support the development and maintenance of the Compliance Governance Framework.
• Establish appropriate governance processes around policies, procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Prepare compliance and governance updates for senior management and relevant committees.
• Ensure appropriate ownership, approval, communication and periodic review of policies.
• Develop and coordinate compliance and regulatory training related to new or updated policies.
• Communicate regulatory and policy changes to relevant employees and stakeholders.
• Support staff awareness of compliance obligations and internal requirements.

Required Skills:

• 7-12+ years of relevant experience in Compliance, Regulatory Compliance, Compliance Governance, Policy or Regulatory Affairs.
• Experience within banking, financial services, fintech, payments or another regulated financial institution.
• Strong hands-on experience in policy drafting and development.
• Experience translating regulatory requirements into practical policies, procedures and controls.
• Strong understanding of regulatory change management and impact assessment.
• Experience conducting regulatory gap analysis.
• Experience implementing or reviewing compliance controls.
• Strong understanding of compliance governance frameworks.
• CBUAE experience is highly preferred, particularly experience dealing with CBUAE regulations, circulars, standards or regulatory requirements.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work with Compliance, Risk, Operations, Legal and business stakeholders.