Head of Financial Crime (EMIRATI)

Salt; Dubai; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

You will lead the financial crime function, drive strategy, and embed a proactive culture of compliance across the organization, aligning governance with evolving regulatory expectations and business risk.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience within banking or financial services, with deep financial crime compliance and related control functions.
• Head of Financial Crime, Head of AML, MLRO, or equivalent experience strongly preferred.
• Broad knowledge across AML/CFT, sanctions, fraud risk, KYC/CDD/EDD, monitoring, investigations, and regulatory reporting.
• Extensive experience with UAE regulators and senior regulatory matters.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction for financial crime risk management and governance as regulations evolve.
• Provide senior oversight across AML, sanctions, fraud, investigations, and reporting.
• Advise executive leadership and Board stakeholders, translating complex issues into clear risks and actions.
• Strengthen monitoring, escalation, case management, screening, reporting, and remediation practices.
• Maintain relationships with regulators and authorities, coordinating examinations and information requests.
• Lead and develop the financial crime function, embedding accountability and a proactive compliance culture.

Skills

Financial crime

Regulatory engagement

Leadership

Strategic direction

Board liaison

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Banking/Law

CAMS/CFCS/ICA/CFE certifications

Job description

We are hiring a for a senior compliance leadership opportunity in .

This role is suited to an experienced financial crime leader who can strengthen enterprise-wide controls, guide regulatory engagement, and provide senior oversight across AML, sanctions, fraud, investigations, and broader financial crime risk.

Key Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction for financial crime risk management, ensuring frameworks, controls, and governance remain effective as regulatory expectations and business risks evolve.
• Provide senior oversight across AML, sanctions, fraud prevention, investigations, customer due diligence, and suspicious activity reporting.
• Act as a trusted adviser to executive leadership and Board-level stakeholders, translating complex financial crime issues into clear risks, decisions, and required actions.
• Strengthen monitoring and investigative capabilities by improving escalation, case management, screening, reporting, and remediation practices.
• Maintain effective relationships with regulators and relevant authorities, coordinating supervisory engagements, examinations, information requests, and corrective actions.
• Lead and develop the financial crime function, embedding strong accountability, technical capability, regulatory awareness, and a proactive compliance culture.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of experience within banking or financial services, including substantial depth across financial crime compliance, AML, investigations, or related control functions.
• Experience as Head of Financial Crime, Head of AML, MLRO, or equivalent is strongly preferred.
• Broad practical knowledge across AML/CFT, sanctions, fraud risk, KYC, CDD/EDD, transaction monitoring, investigations, and regulatory reporting.
• Strong track record of working with UAE regulators and handling senior-level regulatory, remediation, or examination matters.
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Banking, Accounting, Law, Business, Criminology, Risk Management, or a related discipline.
• Professional certifications such as: CAMS, CFCS, ICA, CFE, or equivalent are highly desirable.

This is an opportunity to lead a critical control function, influence financial crime strategy at the highest level, and help strengthen the organisation’s resilience against evolving regulatory and financial crime risks.

If you are a senior financial crime professional with extensive UAE banking experience and the confidence to operate with regulators, executives, and Board stakeholders, we would be pleased to hear from you.

***Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted***