Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)

Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) 📍 Location: United Arab Emirates (UAE) 🏡 Work Arrangement: Hybrid / Remote (where applicable) 🕒 Employment Type: Full-time 🎯 Experience Level: Executive / Senior LeadershipAbout the Role We are looking for an experienced, strategic, and highly knowledgeable Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) to lead the company's compliance, regulatory, risk-control, and governance framework in the United Arab Emirates. The CCO will work closely with the CEO, Board of Directors, senior management, legal counsel, risk management, finance, operations, and other key stakeholders to ensure the organization operates in accordance with applicable UAE laws, regulations, regulatory requirements, internal policies, and international best practices. The successful candidate will provide independent compliance oversight, identify and manage regulatory and financial-crime risks, strengthen internal controls, and develop a culture of integrity, accountability, and regulatory excellence across the organization. For regulated or AML-relevant businesses, the role may include oversight of AML/CFT/CPF controls, KYC/CDD processes, suspicious transaction monitoring and reporting, sanctions compliance, and regulatory engagement, depending on the company's activities and applicable regulatory framework. {"fallbackMarkdown":"(UAE Legislation)","reference":{"matched_text":"","prefix":null,"start_idx":1672,"end_idx":1704,"safe_urls":["https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/3857/download","https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/3857/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com","https://www.uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1015/download","https://www.uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1015/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"refs":[],"alt":"(UAE Legislation)","prompt_text":null,"type":"grouped_webpages","items":[{"title":"Cabinet Resolution No. (10) of 2019 Concerning the Executive","url":"https://www.uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1015/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com","attribution":"UAE Legislation","pub_date":1716797932,"snippet":"","attribution_segments":null,"supporting_websites":[{"title":"13. Ensuring that Financial Groups apply appropriate additional measures to manage Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing risks where the laws of the host country do not permit proper implementation of the prescribed controls, procedures, and measures. Where such additional measures are insufficient, the Supervisory Authority shall take supervisory measures, including imposing further controls on the Financial Group or requiring the closure of its operations in that country.","url":"https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/3857/download?utm_source=chatgpt.com","pub_date":null,"snippet":"","attribution":"UAE Legislation"}],"refs":[{"turn_index":0,"ref_type":"search","ref_index":0},{"turn_index":0,"ref_type":"search","ref_index":2}],"hue":null,"attributions":null}],"status":"done","fallback_items":null,"style":null,"error":null},"showLoginRequiredCard":false}Key Responsibilities - Develop and implement the company's overall compliance strategy and framework. - Establish and maintain effective compliance policies, procedures, controls, and governance standards. - Ensure compliance with applicable UAE laws, regulations, regulatory requirements, and industry standards. - Monitor regulatory developments and assess their impact on the company's business and operations. - Provide independent compliance advice to the CEO, Board, executive management, and business leaders. - Establish and maintain an effective compliance monitoring and testing program. - Identify, assess, monitor, and report regulatory, compliance, conduct, and financial-crime risks. - Oversee AML/CFT/CPF compliance programs where applicable. - Establish appropriate KYC, Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) controls. - Oversee transaction monitoring, suspicious transaction identification, escalation, and reporting processes where applicable. - Ensure appropriate sanctions, watchlist, PEP, and adverse-media screening controls are implemented where relevant. - Maintain effective compliance risk assessments and ensure remediation of identified weaknesses. - Review and approve compliance-related policies, procedures, products, services, and business initiatives. - Provide compliance guidance for new products, markets, partnerships, customers, and strategic transactions. - Establish appropriate regulatory reporting and record-keeping processes. - Maintain effective communication and working relationships with relevant UAE regulatory authorities. - Coordinate regulatory inspections, examinations, requests for information, and compliance reviews. - Manage responses to regulatory findings and ensure timely remediation of identified issues. - Oversee compliance investigations, escalations, breaches, and potential misconduct. - Develop and maintain whistleblowing, conflict-of-interest, gifts and entertainment, anti-bribery, and ethical-conduct frameworks. - Work closely with Internal Audit, Risk, Legal, Finance, HR, IT, Cybersecurity, and Operations. - Ensure clear separation and effective coordination between compliance, risk, and internal audit functions. - Develop compliance training programs and ensure employees understand relevant regulatory and internal requirements. - Promote a strong culture of compliance, ethics, accountability, and responsible business conduct. - Monitor compliance KPIs, risk indicators, regulatory issues, incidents, and remediation plans. - Prepare regular compliance reports, dashboards, risk assessments, and executive-level presentations. - Provide periodic compliance reporting to the CEO, Board, Board Committees, and senior management. - Maintain appropriate compliance documentation, records, and evidence of regulatory controls. - Lead compliance transformation, technology adoption, automation, and regulatory-reporting improvements. - Evaluate compliance technology, RegTech, screening, monitoring, and case-management solutions. - Manage external compliance consultants, legal advisors, auditors, and specialist service providers where required. - Develop and mentor compliance professionals and build a high-performing compliance function. - Maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, independence, integrity, and professional judgment. - Perform other compliance and governance responsibilities assigned by the Board or CEO.What We're Looking For - Proven senior-level experience in compliance, regulatory affairs, risk management, financial crime, AML, governance, or a related discipline. - Strong understanding of the UAE regulatory and compliance environment. - Strong knowledge of AML/CFT/CPF principles and financial-crime risk management where applicable. - Excellent understanding of KYC, CDD, EDD, sanctions, PEP, transaction monitoring, and suspicious transaction reporting. - Strong knowledge of corporate governance, regulatory compliance, internal controls, and risk management. - Proven ability to establish and manage enterprise-wide compliance frameworks. - Strong analytical, investigative, and decision-making capabilities. - Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills. - Ability to communicate effectively with Boards, CEOs, regulators, senior executives, customers, and external advisors. - Strong understanding of compliance monitoring, testing, investigations, and remediation. - Ability to operate independently while working effectively with senior management and business functions. - Strong leadership and people-management skills. - High level of integrity, independence, discretion, confidentiality, and professional ethics. - Strong English communication and presentation skills. - Arabic language skills are an advantage. - UAE / GCC regulatory experience is highly desirable.Qualifications & Experience - Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Law, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Risk Management, Compliance, or a related field. - Master's degree, MBA, LLM, or relevant postgraduate qualification is an advantage. - Professional certifications such as CAMS, ICA, CRCM, CCEP, CFE, or relevant compliance/risk qualifications are highly desirable. - Typically 12+ years of progressive professional experience, including significant senior compliance, regulatory, risk, AML, or governance responsibility. - Previous experience as a Chief Compliance Officer, Compliance Director, Head of Compliance, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, MLRO, Compliance Manager, Regulatory Affairs Director, or equivalent senior leadership role is preferred. - Proven experience designing, implementing, and managing compliance frameworks. - Strong experience working with regulators, auditors, Boards, senior management, and external advisors. - Experience leading AML/CFT, KYC, sanctions, financial-crime, and regulatory compliance programs is highly desirable for relevant industries. - Experience managing compliance teams and multidisciplinary stakeholders. - Experience in financial services, banking, fintech, insurance, investment, payments, virtual assets, real estate, professional services, or other regulated industries is an advantage. - UAE / GCC compliance and regulatory experience is highly desirable. - International or multi-jurisdictional compliance experience is an advantage.What We Offer - Executive-level Chief Compliance Officer opportunity in the UAE - Hybrid / Remote working arrangement where applicable - Competitive executive-level compensation package - Direct exposure to the CEO, Board, and senior decision-makers - Opportunity to shape the company's compliance and governance framework - Strategic influence across business, risk, finance, operations, and technology - Exposure to UAE, GCC, and international regulatory environments - Opportunity to lead major compliance and risk-transformation initiatives - Professional and executive development opportunities - Opportunity to build and develop a high-performing compliance organization - Cross-functional exposure across Legal, Risk, Finance, Operations, HR, Technology, and Executive Management

• Chief Compliance Officer - Office of Compliance

  New York University Abu Dhabi · Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates