Group Risk Director (GRD001)

Foreground Consultancy; Kuwait; On-site; KWD 15,000 - 20,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in Kuwait seeks a Group Risk Director to institutionalize its risk management framework across diversified sectors, ensuring alignment with regulatory standards and governance. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in risk management and strong leadership skills to enhance decision-making processes across the organization.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in enterprise risk, internal controls, or audit leadership.
• Strong knowledge of Kuwait CMA governance guidelines.
• Fluency in English; proficiency in Arabic preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement an enterprise risk management framework.
• Oversee risk assessment activities across subsidiaries.
• Collaborate with compliance, audit, and legal teams.

Skills

Subsidiaries

Management Skills

Compliance

Risk Management

Stakeholder Management

Decision-Making

Training

Leadership

Risk Assessment

Financial Services

Education

Bachelors degree in Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, or related field

CIA, CPA, or IRM/FRM certification

Job description

Job Description:

Foreground is partnering with a diversified investment holding group in Kuwait to appoint a governance-oriented and enterprise-mindedGroup Risk Director, based in Kuwait City. With a portfolio spanning financial services, real estate, education, and healthcare, the group seeks to institutionalize its risk management framework to better align with regulatory expectations, shareholder governance, and sustainable growth priorities.

Role Purpose

To design, implement, and oversee a comprehensive enterprise risk management (ERM) framework across all business units and subsidiaries, enabling proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of operational, strategic, regulatory, and financial risks.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and institutionalization of the groups risk management framework, ensuring alignment with board governance structures and Kuwait Capital Markets Authority (CMA) requirements.


• Oversee enterprise risk assessment activities across all subsidiaries and asset classes, identifying emerging risks and defining acceptable thresholds of exposure.


• Establish internal policies and tools for risk identification, escalation, and mitigation, including scenario planning, stress testing, and incident response procedures.


• Act as the primary advisor to the Group CEO and Board Risk Committee, preparing quarterly risk dashboards, internal audit follow-ups, and board-level reporting.


• Collaborate closely with compliance, internal audit, and legal teams to ensure alignment on governance, financial controls, and regulatory obligations.


• Build and lead a cross-portfolio risk management team, embedding risk awareness across operational, project, and investment functions.


• Lead risk training sessions and awareness programs across the group to strengthen decision-making and accountability at all levels.


• Oversee risk management technology adoption, including risk registers, control libraries, and reporting systems.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 15+ years of progressive experience in enterprise risk, internal controls, or audit leadership roles within diversified groups, investment firms, or regulated entities.


• Strong working knowledge of Kuwait CMA governance guidelines and GCC regulatory standards for group-level risk management.


• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional risk functions with exposure to varied industries and jurisdictions.


• Bachelors degree in Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, or related field; CIA, CPA, or IRM/FRM certification strongly preferred.


• Excellent stakeholder management skills with fluency in English; Arabic proficiency is preferred.


• Strategic mindset with the discipline and structure to embed risk controls into high-growth and founder-led environments.

Required Skills:

Subsidiaries
Management Skills
Compliance
Adoption
Mitigation
Capital
Business Units
Escalation
Financial Services
Structures
Internal Audit
Internal Controls
Real Estate
Arabic
Stakeholder Management
Accountability
Healthcare
Risk Assessment
Decision-Making
Risk Management
Education
Accounting
Finance
Testing
Planning
Design
Business
English
Leadership
Training
Management