Senior Officer - Shari’a Assessment & Testing

ADIB - Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

ADIB – Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank in Abu Dhabi is seeking a Senior Officer for Shari’a Assessment & Testing to support the leadership in maintaining Shari’a compliance across the Group. You will monitor business activities and operations in line with HSA standards, CBUAE regulations and ISSC resolutions, following SCD policies and ISCG guidance.

You will lead and coordinate annual testing plans, perform risk-based reviews, draft findings, and report to senior leadership, collaborating across

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Shari’a/Islamic banking or equivalent.
• Strong knowledge of Shari’a compliance requirements.
• AAOIFI CSAA and/or CIPA certifications (or equivalent).
• Experience with HSA standards and CBUAE regulations.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Fluent in Arabic and English.
• Ability to balance compliance with business needs.

Responsibilities

• Assist Head of the Unit in managing SAT functions and the team.
• Perform Shari’a monitoring and assurance reviews across units.
• Evaluate operations for compliance with HSA standards and CBUAE regulations.
• Draft detailed reports on review findings and present to leadership.
• Communicate findings effectively to the leadership team.
• Develop information management reporting for committees.

Skills

Sharia compliance

Communication skills

Arabic & English fluency

Risk-based testing

Team supervision

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Shari’a/Islamic banking or equivalent

Job description

Role

Senior Officer - Shari’a Assessment & Testing

Location

Abu Dhabi

Role Purpose

Assisting the leadership team in maintaining Shari’a Compliance across the ADIB Group by continuously monitoring the Bank’s business activities an operations in accordance with the prevailing standards and resolutions of the Higher Shari’a Authority (HSA), the relevant regulations issued by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), and the related resolutions of the Bank’s Internal Shari’a Supervisory Committee (ISSC), in alignment with the SCD policies, procedures, methodologies, and the policies and frameworks established by the ISCG.

Key Accountabilities of the role

Implement the SAT’s Annual Shari’a Assessment and Testing Plan “Annual Plan” in line with internal policies, procedures, and methodologies utilizing a risk-based methodology supported by systems, such as the Governance, Risk and Control (GRC) platform.

• Assist the Head of the Unit in effectively managing and supervising the SAT unit’s various functions and the team members in accordance with applicable procedures and policies.


• Perform thorough Shari’a monitoring and assurance reviews across the Bank’s business units, functions, departments, etc.


• Evaluate operations and transactions for compliance with HSA standards and CBUAE regulations and other regulating bodies.


• Assist in drafting detailed reports on the review findings and results.


• Communicate these reports effectively to the leadership team.


• Assist developing information management reporting when required for the appropriate committees and forms.


• Monitor the implementation of action plans derived from the field reviews.


• Assist with continuous monitoring and enhance the compliance of the bank’s business and operations with prevailing HSA standards and resolutions, related ISSC Resolutions and any other CBUAE requirements.


• Assist the team in assessing and evaluating the Shari’a Non-Compliance “SNC” Risks and related controls andmaintain regular coordination with Business Units and Operational Risk Management teams to identify issues and develop and implement effective controls.


• Support the leadership team in maintaining Sharia compliance across the ADIB Group.


• Provide support to other SCD functions as and when required.

Specialist Skills / Technical Knowledge, Technical Competencies Required for this role

• Bachelor’s degree in Shari’a/Islamic banking or equivalent.


• Strong academic skills or experience in Shari’a compliance.


• AAOIFI CSAA and/or CIPA certifications (or equivalent certifications).


• Expert knowledge of banking and Islamic banking products.


• Expert knowledge about principles of Islamic Commercial Jurisprudence, Shari’ah standards, products and Islamic banking operations


• Expert knowledge of AAOIFI Shari’a Standards.


• Excellent communication and presentation Skills.


• Reasonable legal and compliance background.


• Ability to balance between compliance requirements & business needs.


• Fluent/proficiency in Arabic and English.

Previous experience

5+ years of experience in Shari’a related functions in Islamic banking, preferably in Shari’a Compliance, Shari’a Consultation and/or Shari’a Audit.