Programme Manager - Regulatory Change - UAE

Copper.co; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital asset infrastructure firm in Abu Dhabi seeks an experienced Programme Manager to lead complex regulatory change projects. You will ensure compliance with evolving regulations, engage with senior stakeholders, and drive operational resilience. Ideal candidates have a strong background in financial services, excellent leadership skills, and project management expertise. Join a dynamic team in a fast-growing environment that values diversity and innovation.

Benefits

Career opportunities

Welcoming working environment

Qualifications

• Proven track record in programme / project management with a focus on regulatory change.
• Strong leadership influencing and stakeholder engagement skills at C-suite level.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet project timeframes.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of UAE local regulatory change project.
• Engage and influence senior stakeholders across various departments.
• Establish governance frameworks and reporting mechanisms.

Skills

Programme / project management

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder engagement

Financial services experience

Education

Professional certifications (e.g. MSP, PMP, PRINCE2, Agile)

Job description

Since being founded in 2018 Copper has been building the standard for institutional digital asset infrastructure with a focus on custody collateral management and prime services.
Led by Amar Kuchinad Coppers Global CEO the firm provides a comprehensive suite of custody trading and settlement solutions that reduce counterparty risk and bring greater capital and operational efficiency to digital asset markets. At the heart of Coppers offering is Multi-Party Computation (MPC) technology the gold standard in secure custody. Coppers multi-award winning custody system is unique in that it can be connected to centralised exchanges DeFi applications and even staking pools without the assets leaving the custody.
Built on top of this state-of-the-art custody ClearLoop is the first solution in the market that overcomes a growing industry challenge; counterparty risk with exchanges. This solution underpins a full prime services offering connecting global exchanges and enabling customers to trade and settle directly from the safety of their MPC-secured wallets. By reducing settlement time for transfers to a few milliseconds (without blockchain network dependency) and offering enhanced security measures ClearLoop is rapidly reshaping the way asset managers trade and manage capital.
In addition to industry-leading security certifications Copper has one of the strongest insurance coverages in the industry from an A rated insurer positioning the firm as the partner of choice for institutions seeking to safeguard their assets.

Department environment

With a set of market leading products in custody settlement clearing liquidity access and our position as a leading infrastructure provider in the industry Copper is well placed to become a pillar of future digital and tokenised assets industry.

Role purpose

Your role at Copper will be a highly experienced and delivery‑focussed Programme Manager to lead a complex cross‑functional regulatory change project for Copper UAE affiliate with ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority in ADGM. This role is pivotal in ensuring our products platforms and services remain compliant with evolving global regulatory frameworks while driving business value and operational resilience.

Key Responsibilities of the role

• Own end‑to‑end delivery of UAE local regulatory change project ensuring alignment with strategic objectives regulatory timelines and risk appetite.
• Engage and influence senior stakeholders and C‑Suite across Compliance Legal Risk Operations and Technology to ensure programme success.
• Collaborate with SMEs to interpret new and existing regulations (e.g. FRSA Virtual Assets rulebook) and translate them into actionable change initiatives.
• Analyse and define business processes to identify gaps and operational improvements.
• Establish and maintain robust governance frameworks steering committees and reporting mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Proactively identify assess and mitigate programme risks and issues ensuring timely escalation and resolution.
• Manage third‑party vendors to deliver within scope time and cost constraints where required.
• Drive business readiness training and communication plans to embed regulatory changes effectively across impacted teams.
• Support internal and external audits and compliance reviews to ensure alignment with legal and regulatory standards.

Your experience skills and knowledge

Essential

• Proven track record in programme / project management with a strong focus on regulatory or compliance‑driven change.
• Background in financial services fintech or a similarly regulated industry.
• Experience with regulatory engagement and audit readiness.
• Strong leadership influencing and stakeholder engagement skills at C‑suite level.
• Experience working cross functional teams within global organisations with complex governance structures.
• Excellent analytical problem‑solving and communication skills with the ability to present to a range of audiences motivate others and lead change.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet project timeframes
• Professional certifications (e.g. MSP PMP PRINCE2 Agile) are desirable.

Desirable

• Understanding of FSRA rulebook and other regulatory frameworks (e.g. MiCA DORA).
• Familiarity with blockchain technology crypto custody and digital asset infrastructure.
• Experience working in or with crypto exchanges custodians or blockchain infrastructure providers.
• Knowledge of compliance tooling (e.g. Chainalysis ComplyAdvantage Case Management Tools) and regulatory tech platforms.
• Background in legal compliance or risk management is a plus.

The benefits offered

In return for everything you can bring to Copper we can offer you an exciting challenging role in a fast‑growing and dynamic business with career opportunities and welcoming working environment.

If you think you have everything were looking for and more then wed love you to apply for the opportunity.

Copper is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and equal opportunities in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds perspectives and skills. The more inclusive we are the better our work will be. So bring us your experience perspectives and skills. It is in our differences that we will continue to grow and ensure Copper is transforming how institutional investors engage with digital assets. Copper is a Disability Confident Employer please let us know if you have a disability.

If you require us to provide any assistance during the recruitment process then we would ask you to highlight this to us and we will be happy to accommodate.

Required Experience:

Manager