Head of Risk MENA (CFD)

Overview

Responsibilities

• Strategic Risk Leadership: Own and drive the CFD risk strategy for MENA, aligned with global priorities, the business plan, and CMA expectations
• Market and Trading Risk Oversight: Oversee exposure management, leverage and margin frameworks, client concentration limits, gap risk controls, and hedging effectiveness. Provide independent challenge on risk exposure and risk transfer decisions.
• Counterparty and Credit Risk: Set and monitor risk limits for liquidity providers, prime brokers, banks, and key counterparties. Oversee counterparty due diligence, concentration risk, and contingency planning for counterparty disruption.
• Liquidity and Capital Oversight: Oversee liquidity risk and capital adequacy monitoring in line with CMA requirements. Lead stress testing and scenario analysis covering market shocks, client behavior, liquidity withdrawal, and operational disruption.
• Client and Conduct Risk: Provide second line oversight of product governance, disclosures, appropriateness controls, complaints root cause trends, and key conduct outcomes impacting clients.
• Execution and Pricing Risk Oversight: Oversee risks related to pricing integrity, data feeds, execution quality, slippage controls, and best execution governance. Ensure clear controls over price spikes, outliers, and execution incidents.
• Operational and Technology Risk: Oversee operational risk across trading operations, incident management, cybersecurity risk oversight, access controls, change management, and operational resilience testing.
• Outsourcing and Third Party Risk: Set the third party risk framework covering technology vendors, market data providers, execution partners, payment partners, and outsourced operations. Ensure robust due diligence, ongoing monitoring, and exit plans.
• Monitoring and Reporting: Maintain the risk register and KRIs. Deliver decision-ready reporting to Senior Management and the Board, including appetite breaches, emerging risks, incidents, and remediation progress.
• Regulatory Alignment: Maintain close relationships with the CMA and support regulatory submissions, inspections, and remediation of findings. Ensure audit readiness and disciplined evidence management.
• Global Coordination: Act as a liaison between global risk teams and regional operations to maintain alignment on standards, controls, and reporting.

Requirements

• Education & Experience: University degree and 8+ years of experience in risk management within regulated financial services. CFD, FX, OTC derivatives, brokerage, or trading platform experience is strongly preferred.
• Certifications: Certificate in Risk in Financial Services, and UAE Financial Rules and Regulations
• Regulatory Knowledge: Strong expertise in CMA regulatory requirements applicable to CFDs, including governance, risk management expectations, prudential oversight, reporting discipline, and conduct standards. Prior CMA approval is a strong advantage.
• Governance: Proven experience engaging with Boards and committees, managing escalation processes, and supporting regulatory inspections and audits.
• Technical Strength: Strong understanding of market risk, margining, hedging, stress testing, counterparty risk, execution and pricing risk, and trading platform controls.
• Leadership: Proven ability to build and lead an independent risk function in a fast-paced environment, and to challenge senior stakeholders with clarity and discipline.
• Integrity: High ethical standards, independence of judgment, and ability to meet fit and proper expectations. Professional risk qualifications (FRM, PRM, CFA) are an advantage.
• What you will get in return:
• Competitive Salary: We believe great work deserves great pay! Your skills and talents will be rewarded with a salary that makes you feel valued and motivated
• Work-Life Harmony: Join a company that genuinely cares about you -because your life outside of work matters just as much as your time on the clock
• Generous Time Off: Need a breather? Our annual leave policy lets you recharge and enjoy life outside of work without a worry
• Employee Referral Program: Love working here? Share the love! Bring your talented friends on board and get rewarded for growing our awesome team
• Comprehensive Health Benefits: We’ve got your back with a medical insurance plan. Plus, location-specific benefits and perks!
• Workation Wonderland: Live your digital nomad dreams with 30 extra days to work remotely from anywhere in the world (some restrictions apply). Adventure awaits!
• Volunteer Days: Make a difference! Take two additional paid days each year to support causes you care about and give back to the community
• Be a key player at the forefront of the digital assets movement, propelling your career to new heights!
• Join a dynamic and rapidly expanding company that values and rewards talent, initiative, and creativity.
• Work alongside one of the most brilliant teams in the industry.