Director - Financial Crime Advisory

We are looking for an exceptional Director to lead and grow a Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) Advisory practice based in Saudi Arabia, with reach across the wider GCC region.

This is a senior, client-facing role that combines deep regulatory expertise with hands-on delivery and entrepreneurial business development.

The successful candidate will be a self-driven practitioner with a proven track record of winning and delivering significant FCC advisory mandates for banks and financial institutions in the GCC.

You will be passionate about building a thriving FCC advisory practice for the long term, and will bring equal parts commercial drive, technical depth, and delivery discipline.

The role is a 50/50 split between business development and project delivery.

You will be expected to manage and grow a team while personally overseeing the quality and execution of client engagements.

Business development & practice growth (50%) Own and drive the end-to-end business development lifecycle for FCC advisory services across Saudi Arabia, with visibility across the GCC. Build, maintain, and expand a strong network of C-suite, CCO, CMLCO, and senior compliance relationships at local and international banks, payment firms, and financial institutions. Proactively identify, pursue, and close new advisory mandates across the full spectrum of FCC services, including: gap assessments, AML/CFT programme reviews, sanctions and transaction monitoring (TM) model validation, KYC/CDD/EDD remediation, financial crime risk assessments, monitorships/Skilled Persons Reviews, and technology selection and implementation. Develop compelling client proposals, presentations, and thought leadership content aligned to regional and international regulatory priorities. Build and commercialise innovative, technology-enabled FCC advisory solutions and take them to market. Achieve and exceed annual revenue targets of USD 1 million and above from managed client accounts. Represent the firm at industry forums, conferences, and regulatory engagement events across the GCC. Project delivery & quality assurance (50%) Lead delivery of complex, multi-workstream FCC advisory engagements across GCC clients, ensuring on-time, on-budget, and high-quality outcomes. Serve as senior engagement lead and subject matter expert across core FCC domains. Provide expert guidance on the selection, implementation, and configuration of leading sanctions screening and transaction monitoring technology platforms. Review and quality-assure all deliverables before client submission, ensuring analytical rigour, regulatory accuracy, and professional presentation. Mentor and develop junior and mid-level team members, fostering a culture of excellence and client focus. Team building & leadership Recruit, build, and manage a high-performing FCC advisory team, setting clear performance expectations and development pathways. Foster an inclusive, accountable, and high-energy team culture. Act as a role model for quality standards, client service, and ethical conduct. Core FCC domains You will act as senior engagement lead across the following areas: Gap assessments against SAMA, CBUAE, FATF, and internal standards AML/CFT programme design, remediation, and framework transformation Sanctions and transaction monitoring model validation (design, parameters, thresholds, output quality) Sanctions and TM system tuning and optimisation KYC / CDD / EDD remediation and look-back programmes Monitorship / Skilled Persons Review (SPR) support Financial crime risk assessments (enterprise-wide, product, channel, customer segment) Regulatory examination readiness and response What we're looking for Experience (all mandatory) 15+ years of total professional experience 10+ years in FCC advisory / consulting 5+ years selling FCC advisory projects to banks and financial institutions 10+ years delivering FCC engagements end to end Proven experience working with local GCC banks Track record of building and managing a team Demonstrated management of client accounts generating USD 1 million+ per annum Technical & domain expertise Deep, hands-on expertise across all FCC domains listed above, plus: Sanctions screening systems (e.g. Fircosoft/Accuity, Oracle OFAC) — selection, implementation, configuration, and tuning Transaction monitoring systems (e.g. SAS AML, NICE Actimize, Oracle FCCM, Temenos, FIS MANTAS) At least one full system selection and one implementation/configuration engagement (mandatory) Regulatory knowledge Saudi Arabia: SAMA AML/CFT Framework, Rules Governing AML/CFT, Sanctions Rules, CDD Requirements UAE: CBUAE AML/CFT Regulations, SCA Requirements, UAE Cabinet Decisions on AML/CFT GCC: working familiarity with CBB (Bahrain), CBK (Kuwait), CBO (Oman), QCB (Qatar) FATF: 40 Recommendations, Mutual Evaluation Reports, and Guidance Papers Global reference context: EU AML Directives, OFAC, UK Sanctions, Wolfsberg Principles Digital & data science Must have built at least one digital/technology-enabled FCC advisory solution and taken it to market Strong understanding of how RegTech, AI/ML, and automation are transforming financial crime risk management Knowledge of data science concepts and tools (Python preferred) applied to FCC analytics: network analysis, transaction analytics, model performance testing, alert optimisation Ability to articulate, demo, and sell data-driven FCC solutions to both C-suite and technical buyers Who you are Highly motivated, self-driven, and proactive — you set your own agenda and hold yourself to the highest standards Genuinely passionate about building and scaling a financial crime advisory practice, not just delivering projects Quality-conscious with exceptional attention to detail Commercially savvy — you know how to originate, shape, price, and close consulting mandates A trusted relationship builder with a credible personal brand in the GCC banking and regulatory ecosystem A confident communicator at all levels, both written and verbal A natural leader who mentors others and invests in their team's growth Resilient and energised by the challenges of a fast-moving regulatory environment Nice to have Arabic language proficiency (professional/business level) — a significant advantage for client engagement in KSA Python skills applied to FCC analytics (transaction monitoring analysis, model performance testing, alert threshold optimisation, network analytics) Background from a Big 4 firm, global management consultancy, or specialist FCC advisory firm Prior experience at or with an FCC technology vendor (e.g. Accuity, SAS, Actimize, Oracle)