Senior Compliance Specialist

Client of Weekday AI; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 223,000 - 446,000; Full time

Job summary

Client of Weekday AI in Abu Dhabi seeks an experienced Assistant Manager Regulatory Compliance & Financial Crime Compliance to oversee the second line of defence for a licensed financial institution. The role focuses on Regulatory Compliance and Financial Crime Compliance (AML/CFT, KYC, sanctions) with strong policy development and risk assessment duties.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in regulatory and financial crime compliance, deep UAE regulatory knowledge, and the ability to translate

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in regulatory compliance and financial crime compliance within banking, fintech, or a regulated institution
• Strong knowledge of UAE regulatory requirements (FSRA/ADGM), UAE AML/CFT legislation and sanctions
• Experience with KYC, CDD, EDD, sanctions screening, and transaction monitoring
• Ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical controls and policies
• Excellent report writing, documentation, and stakeholder management skills

Responsibilities

• Support Regulatory Compliance Framework implementation and maintenance per UAE regulatory requirements
• Provide regulatory guidance to business operations and support functions
• Monitor regulatory developments and coordinate impact assessments
• Conduct compliance monitoring reviews and control testing
• Track audit findings and remediation actions to closure
• Prepare compliance reports and management updates
• Draft and maintain compliance policies and governance documents
• Support regulatory inspections and audit reviews
• Review customer onboarding and KYC case reviews including EDD and beneficial ownership
• Investigate sanctions screening alerts and MLRO escalations
• Contribute to enterprise-wide financial crime risk assessments and monitoring
• Maintain AML/CFT policies and procedures and support reporting timelines

Skills

Regulatory Knowledge

Financial Crime

AML/CFT

KYC

Regulatory Reporting

Stakeholder Management

Analytical Thinking

Investigative Skills

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Law/Finance

ACAMS or ICA AML Diploma

Job description

Experience 5 yrs Location Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Job Type Full-time

We are looking for an experienced Assistant Manager Regulatory Compliance amp Financial Crime Compliance to support the regulatory compliance and financial crime risk management framework of a regulated financial institution.

This role operates within the Second Line of Defence providing compliance oversight regulatory guidance monitoring and risk management support.

The position has two equally important areas of focus Regulatory Compliance 50 and Financial Crime Compliance 50 covering Anti-Money Laundering AML Counter-Terrorist Financing CFT sanctions and Know Your Customer KYC requirements.

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of UAE financial regulations sound analytical and investigative capabilities and the ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical controls and effective compliance processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the implementation and maintenance of the Regulatory Compliance Framework in line with applicable FSRA ADGM and UAE regulatory requirements
• Provide compliance guidance to business Operations and support functions on regulatory obligations new products business initiatives and outsourcing arrangements
• Monitor regulatory developments and coordinate impact assessments policy updates and implementation of required changes
• Conduct compliance monitoring reviews thematic assessments and control testing in accordance with the Compliance Monitoring Programme
• Track audit findings regulatory observations and remediation actions to ensure timely closure
• Prepare compliance reports regulatory submissions committee materials and management updates
• Draft and maintain compliance policies procedures governance documents and control frameworks
• Support regulatory inspections information requests and internal and external audit reviews
• Review customer onboarding periodic reviews and event-driven KYC cases including customer risk assessments beneficial ownership structures and Enhanced Due Diligence EDD
• Investigate sanctions screening alerts document findings elevate potential matches and support sanctions risk assessments
• Review transaction monitoring alerts investigate unusual activity document conclusions and elevate suspicious cases to the MLRO
• Assist with suspicious activity investigations supporting documentation internal escalations and applicable reporting timelines
• Contribute to enterprise-wide financial crime risk assessments and monitor emerging AML CFT sanctions fraud and other financial crime risks
• Maintain and enhance AML CFT sanctions customer due diligence and transaction monitoring policies and procedures
• Prepare financial crime management information and analyse trends across KYC reviews transaction monitoring alerts sanctions alerts and suspicious transaction reporting
• Support compliance awareness initiatives and promote regulatory accountability across the organisation

5+ years of relevant experience in regulatory compliance, financial crime compliance, AML/CFT, risk, or compliance operations within banking, financial services, fintech, or another regulated institution. Practical experience across both Regulatory Compliance and Financial Crime Compliance. Strong knowledge of FSRA regulations, ADGM requirements, UAE AML/CFT legislation, and sanctions frameworks. Understanding of FATF Recommendations and international financial crime compliance standards. Experience with KYC, Customer Due Diligence (CDD), EDD, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, and suspicious activity investigations. Familiarity with regulatory change management, compliance monitoring, control testing, audit coordination, and regulatory reporting. Experience supporting corporate, institutional, and high-risk customer relationships. Strong analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills, with excellent attention to detail. Ability to interpret regulations and translate requirements into practical policies, procedures, and controls. Excellent report-writing, documentation, communication, and stakeholder-management skills. Ability to exercise independent judgement, challenge constructively, and escalation issues appropriately. Proficiency in compliance monitoring, case management, and financial crime systems. A bachelor s degree in Law, Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, Risk Management, or a related discipline. Professional qualifications such as ICA Diploma in Compliance, ICA Diploma in AML, ACAMS, or equivalent certifications are preferred.