AVP – Financial Crime Compliance

About This Role

The AVP – Financial Crime Compliance plays a hands-on role in building, running, and continuously improving the Bank’s AML/CTF framework. This position is responsible for how the AML program works day to day — making sure it is practical, effective, and fully aligned with UAE AML laws, Central Bank regulations, and UAE FIU expectations.

The role combines technical ownership with operational leadership. It covers everything from maintaining AML policies and overseeing transaction monitoring systems, to guiding investigations and ensuring suspicious activity is identified, escalated, and reported properly. It also acts as a key escalation point to the Head of Compliance and the MLRO on AML risks, breaches, and program gaps.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Contribution

• Establish and maintain adequate support structures (people, processes, tools, frameworks, systems) to facilitate sustainable business growth and mitigate FCC risks.

People Management

• Lead and manage the AML team by setting clear individual goals, monitoring performance, and supporting the development and motivation of team members to help them perform at their best.
• Work closely with the Compliance Governance & Assurance team as a subject-matter expert, supporting the design and delivery of AML training programmes across the business.
• Provide day-to-day guidance and on-the-job coaching to junior colleagues and regularly facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions for the Compliance and FLOD teams.
• Act as a role model for both direct and indirect reports, promoting strong ethical standards, reinforcing organizational values, and helping to build a culture rooted in integrity and accountability across the bank.

AML/CTF Oversight and Advisory

• Oversee the design, implementation, and ongoing effectiveness of the AML/CTF program. Ensure the framework remains aligned with evolving regulatory expectations, current financial crime risks, and emerging typologies.
• Provide senior oversight of transaction monitoring, suspicious activity management, and AML systems, ensuring strong governance, effective controls, and timely escalation of material issues. Act as a key advisor on AML/CTF matters across the bank, supporting business units, Compliance teams, and senior management on complex or high-risk issues.
• Lead regulatory and external engagement on financial crime matters, including interactions with supervisory authorities, the FIU, correspondent banks, and law-enforcement agencies. Support the Head of Compliance in regulatory relationship management.
• Own AML transaction monitoring systems and oversee its effectiveness to support operational controls, including acting as an SME to define system requirements, parameters, scenarios, logic, and underlying models
• Own and continuously enhance the AML technology landscape, including transaction monitoring frameworks, system effectiveness, and risk models, working closely with Compliance systems vendor to ensure the program remains robust, scalable, and future-ready.
• Act as a subject-matter expert, providing trusted AML/CTF advice and support to business units and Compliance teams.
• Act as a subject-matter expert on customer risk assessment methodologies and rating models, supporting their periodic review, testing, and ongoing enhancement.
• Ensure timely and effective remediation of issues identified through RCSAs, internal and external audits, and regulatory supervisory reviews.
• Lead and contribute to AML/CTF-related projects in line with project governance standards.

Reporting

• Ensure that the Head of Compliance, and Senior Management are well informed of critical AML/CTF compliance plans, initiatives, escalations, and issues.
• Prepare MLRO report as required by CBUAE regulation.

Job Requirements:

• 10-12 years of experience in Financial Crime Compliance within banking, fintech, or financial services.
• Certifications such as CAMS, or ICA are highly desirable.
• Experience in advising or working in a Compliance function with a focus on delivering a robust AML/CTF compliance program.
• Exceptional knowledge of all aspects of AML/CTF and the relevant regulatory requirements.
• Ability to perform innovative thinking to solve complex problems with no established precedence while balancing risk, speed, and accuracy.
• Experience dealing with regulatory bodies such as CBUAE, SCA & other UAE regulatory bodies.
• Strong knowledge of UAE AML/CFT laws, FATF recommendations, and international compliance standards .
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with impact, build healthy professional connections, influence outcomes, simplify complex topics into actionable recommendations for decision-making.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Detail-oriented, proactive, and capable of handling high-pressure situations .
• Ability to work independently while ensuring collaboration across teams.
• Proficiency in English.