Head of Account Operations

Confidential Careers; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution in Abu Dhabi is seeking a Head of Account Operations to manage the complete customer account lifecycle. The successful candidate will ensure all account-related operational activities are executed accurately and compliantly, working closely with compliance and risk teams. The role requires 8–12 years of banking operations experience and a hands-on background in account servicing, operational controls, and compliance management. This is a senior position reporting to the COO.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years banking operations experience.
• Strong hands-on background in account servicing and lifecycle management.
• Proven experience working closely with Compliance / AML teams.

Responsibilities

• Own and oversee the full account lifecycle including maintenance and amendments.
• Ensure account servicing activities are executed in line with approved policies.
• Supervise Account Operations Officer(s) and ensure operational compliance.

Skills

Account servicing

Operational controls

Compliance

Digital banking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, or related field

Job description

Global Digital Bank – ADGM

Role Title - Head of Account Operations

Reporting Line - Reports to the Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Role Purpose

The Head of Account Operations is responsible for the end-to-end operational ownership of the customer account lifecycle at a leading bank – ADGM.

The role ensures that all account-related operational activities — whether system-driven, operations-assisted, or exception-based — are executed accurately, compliantly, and within defined controls, in coordination with Compliance, Risk, and other Operations teams.

This role is a senior control and approval position within Operations, ensuring that account servicing, KYC operational actions, dormancy, restrictions, and closures are properly governed, auditable, and compliant with FSRA expectations.

Key Responsibilities

1 Account Lifecycle Ownership

• Own and oversee the full account lifecycle, including:
• Account maintenance and amendments
• Customer detail updates
• Account status changes, restrictions, and closures
• Ensure account servicing activities are executed in line with:
• Approved policies and SOPs
• Defined service standards and SLAs
• Maker–checker and segregation of duties requirements

2 Digital vs Operations-Assisted Servicing Governance

• Define and maintain the account servicing catalogue, clearly distinguishing:
• Fully digital / STP activities
• Operations-assisted activities
• Restricted or non-permitted actions
• Ensure proper operational handling of:
• Failed or incomplete digital journeys
• System validation or data mismatches
• Coordinate with IT and Product to improve STP rates and reduce manual intervention

3 Dormancy, Reactivation & Account Status Controls

• Own operational management of dormant accounts, including:
• Identification and classification
• Application of dormancy controls
• Reactivation processing with required approvals
• Ensure dormancy and reactivation processes meet regulatory and internal requirements
• Escalate unusual or high-risk dormancy cases to the COO and Compliance

Exceptions, Overrides & Approvals

• Approve account-related operational exceptions within delegated authority, including:
• Non-standard servicing requests
• Account status or restriction overrides
• Review and resolve escalated cases from Account Operations Officer(s)
• Escalate material, high-risk, or unresolved exceptions to the COO
• Ensure all overrides are properly documented and evidenced

KYC, AML & Compliance Operational Coordination

• Act as the primary Operations counterpart to Compliance for:
• KYC refresh and periodic review support
• Trigger-based KYC events (e.g., profile changes, risk flags)
• Operational execution of AML, sanctions, or risk-driven account actions
• Ensure timely and accurate execution of Compliance-approved account restrictions, blocks, or updates
• Maintain full audit trail for all Compliance-driven actions

Complaints & Account Servicing Support

• Oversee resolution of account-related customer complaints in coordination with:
• Complaints & Account Servicing Officer
• Contact Center CX & Governance Officer
• Support root-cause analysis for recurring account servicing issues
• Ensure account-related complaints are resolved within regulatory timelines

Controls, Governance & Oversight

• Supervise Account Operations Officer(s)
• Act as Checker for all account servicing activities executed by Officer(s)
• Ensure maker–checker, segregation of duties, and approval thresholds are consistently applied
• Ensure proper documentation, evidence retention, and audit readiness

Decision Authority

The Head of Account Operations is authorized to:

• Approve standard and non-standard account servicing actions
• Approve account-related operational exceptions within delegated authority
• Temporarily restrict or suspend account servicing where control or compliance risk is identified
• Escalate material or high-risk cases to the COO

Maker–Checker Role

• Acts as Checker for all account servicing activities executed by Account Operations Officer(s)
• Acts as Maker only in exceptional cases requiring senior operational intervention
• COO acts as checker/approver only where required to satisfy dual control at officer level

Key Interfaces

• Chief Operating Officer
• Compliance (KYC / AML / sanctions)
• Complaints & Account Servicing Officer
• Contact Center CX & Governance Officer
• Information Technology
• Operations Governance & Control Officer

Key KPIs (Indicative)

• Account servicing turnaround time
• Number and aging of account-related exceptions
• KYC refresh backlog attributable to Operations
• Dormant account reactivation accuracy
• Account-related complaint resolution time

Experience & Qualifications

• 8–12 years banking operations experience
• Strong hands-on background in:
• Account servicing and lifecycle management
• Operational controls and exception handling
• Proven experience working closely with Compliance / AML teams
• Experience in digital banking environments preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, or related field

Regulatory & Control Accountability

Supports FSRA expectations for:

• Account lifecycle governance
• Operational support for KYC and AML requirements
• Customer servicing and complaint handling controls

Accountable for the operational integrity of all account-related activities.