Chief Financial Officer

About the Role

Key Responsibilities

• Set and own the multi-year financial plan, capital plan, and funding strategy through launch and into growth.
• Lead ICAAP and ILAAP; own Basel III/IV capital and liquidity positions and calibrate internal buffers against risk appetite.
• Own all prudential and financial reporting to CBUAE, including regulatory returns, capital and liquidity submissions, and Pillar 3 disclosures.
• Ensure financial reporting complies with IFRS and the relevant AAOIFI standards for Islamic financial institutions.
• Coordinate financial matters with the Internal Shari'ah Supervisory Committee; prepare the finance inputs to external Sharia audit.
• Own the external auditor relationship and lead Mal's first full audit cycle.
• Stand up the Treasury function from zero: liquidity management, funding mix (wakala, murabaha, investment accounts), FX, and Sharia-compliant investment of surplus liquidity.
• Chair or co-chair ALCO and own the ALM framework, FTP, and interest-rate-in-the-banking-book equivalent risk governance.
• Select and implement the core finance stack, general ledger, consolidation, FP&A, regulatory reporting, expense and procurement — with an AI-native posture wherever it creates real leverage rather than noise.
• Design the chart of accounts and product-level accounting for Islamic banking products from inception.
• Build operator-grade management reporting: fast, granular, actionable.
• Hire and develop Financial Control, FP&A, Treasury, Regulatory Reporting, Tax, and Procurement. Design the function for the bank we'll be at 100, 500, and 2,000 staff, not just today.
• Set the cadence: monthly close, forecast, Board pack, ALCO — that the rest of the bank's operating rhythm hangs off.

Essential

• 10+ years of progressive finance leadership, including at least three years as CFO, Deputy CFO, or equivalent at a licensed retail, SME, or corporate bank.
• Hands-on experience building a Finance function at a pre-launch or early-stage digital bank, someone who has stood up the GL, designed the regulatory reporting stack, and taken a bank through its first full audit cycle.
• Deep working knowledge of Islamic banking finance: AAOIFI financial reporting standards, product-level accounting for murabaha, ijara, sukuk, wakala, and mudaraba structures, and the mechanics of working with a Sharia Supervisory Committee.
• Demonstrated experience operating under CBUAE or an equivalent major central-bank regime (SAMA, CBB, QCB, MAS, FCA/PRA).
• Eligible to be approved by CBUAE under its Fitness & Propriety framework as a Senior Executive.
• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or CPA) or CFA charter holder.
• Track record of hiring and developing senior finance talent; able to attract people who wouldn't otherwise have left their seat.

Desirable

• Experience at a digital-first or pre-launch bank in the GCC.
• Experience through a banking license application or equivalent regulatory launch milestone.
• Experience scaling a finance function through a Series A or B round.
• Arabic proficiency.
• Genuine fluency in AI-forward finance tooling and automation — not slideware, but in-production use.
• MBA or Master's in Finance.