Head of Compliance

ZUPERCT; Dubai; On-site; AED 400,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

ZUPERCT seeks a Head of Compliance to own the regulatory and AML/CFT program in the UAE. You will act as the approved Compliance Officer and MLRO, manage CMA filings, and oversee client-acceptance and regulator interactions from Dubai.

Initially handling day-to-day compliance operations, you will transition to second-line oversight as volumes grow, coordinating with offshore affiliates while preserving independence of obligations.

Qualifications

• University degree with not less than 5 years’ experience in financial markets or related fields.
• Diploma or below with not less than 10 years’ relevant experience.
• 5 years’ relevant experience plus CMA-recognised qualifications (ICA, ACAMS).
• Fluent English; Arabic and Mandarin are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Maintain CMA licence conditions and regulator communications.
• Act as approved Compliance Officer and MLRO for the company.
• Operate Client Acceptance & Introduction framework with 10-year attribution.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

AML/CFT

MLRO

KYC

goAML

Regulatory reporting

Sanctions screening

CPD / training

Education

University degree (5+ yrs in finance)

Diploma with 10+ yrs exp

CMA qualifications (ICA, ACAMS)

Job description

The Company is the UAE promotion-and-introduction entity of an international online brokerage project. Upon licensing, it will promote the services of, and introduce UAE clients to, an affiliated offshore securities dealer regulated by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority. The Head of Compliance is the Company’s senior-most compliance role and a condition of the CMA licence itself.

About the Role

Own the Company’s regulatory compliance and AML/CFT program end-to-end: maintain the conditions of the CMA licence, act as the approved Compliance Officer and MLRO, operate the client-acceptance and introduction framework, and represent the Company before the CMA and the UAE FIU. During the initial phase (until business volumes reach a threshold agreed with management), the role additionally covers day-to-day compliance operations; a dedicated compliance operations officer will be added at that threshold, after which the role reverts to second-line oversight. This is a substantive working appointment: the Company does not operate name-only or signature-only arrangements.

Responsibilities

• Regulatory: maintain compliance with the CMA licence conditions and the Regulations Manual of the Financial Activities (Decision No. (13/Chairman) of 2021, as amended); manage CMA filings, notifications, approved-person matters and regulator correspondence; monitor regulatory change and advise the CEO/Board.
• AML/CFT & MLRO: own the Company’s Compliance & AML Manual and its implementation; sanctions and UAE Local Terrorist List screening; PEP identification and EDD; suspicious-activity escalation, decision and STR filing via goAML; tipping-off controls; AML/CFT training program.
• Client acceptance & introduction: operate the Company’s Client Acceptance & Introduction Procedure, including the CDD gate before any introduction, introducer disclosures, and record attribution in the Company’s name with 10-year retention.
• Policies & governance: maintain the Company’s compliance policy suite; run the annual compliance monitoring plan; report to the Board on the quality and operation of the compliance and AML framework.
• Cross-entity coordination: coordinate with the affiliated Seychelles entity’s compliance function under the intercompany framework (single data-collection flow, independent reporting channels, stricter-of-two standards), while preserving the independence of the Company’s own obligations.
• Interim operational duties (initial phase): first-line KYC/screening alert handling, case processing, discrepancy-log maintenance and compliance record-keeping, until the agreed volume threshold triggers a dedicated operations hire.

Qualifications

• University degree with not less than 5 years’ experience in financial markets or related fields; or
• Diploma or below with not less than 10 years’ relevant experience; or
• 5 years’ relevant experience combined with one of the CMA-recognised professional qualifications (e.g. ICA, ACAMS).

In addition:

• CISI "UAE Financial Rules and Regulations" examination completed, or to be completed before submission of the CMA appointment application.
• UAE residence (or eligibility for a UAE residence visa) and availability to work on-site in Dubai.
• Fluent professional English (Arabic an advantage; Mandarin an advantage given the shareholder background).

Required Skills

• Fit and proper requirements: The appointment is subject to CMA fit-and-proper review. Candidates must be able to provide, with issue dates not older than one month at the time of CMA submission where applicable: valid passport, UAE residence visa and Emirates ID; Dubai Police Clearance Certificate; Al Etihad Credit Bureau credit report with score; updated CV; degree and professional certificates; an experience letter evidencing not less than 5 years’ employment; details of current and past directorships and of any previous approvals or rejections by regulatory authorities; and certificates of relevant AML/compliance training.

Preferred Skills

• Compliance or MLRO roles in a CMA/SCA-licensed firm, or in DFSA/FSRA/CBUAE-regulated financial institutions.
• Retail brokerage, CFD/FX or fintech-brokerage sector knowledge, including introduction/IB structures.
• Hands-on goAML reporting experience and familiarity with Cabinet Resolution No. (74) of 2020 (Local Terrorist List) screening obligations.
• Experience building compliance functions in newly licensed entities (policies, systems, regulator onboarding).