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Policy Development : Maintain compliance policies and procedures that align with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
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Risk Assessment: Conduct regular risk assessments and assurance reviews to identify potential compliance risks and recommend corrective actions.
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Business Risk Assessments: Participate in periodic and quarterly business-wide risk assessments, contributing compliance input on products, customers, geographies, and delivery channels, and helping to document and track mitigating actions.
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Reporting and Documentation: Prepare and submit compliance reports to senior management, ensuring timely and accurate documentation of compliance activities.
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Collaboration: Work closely with various departments, including legal, finance, and operations, to ensure a cohesive approach to compliance and risk management.
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Incident Management: Investigate compliance incidents or breaches, manage the response process, and implement corrective measures to prevent future occurrences.
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Monitoring and Enforcement: Establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure ongoing compliance with policies and regulations, and assist Head of Compliance to take necessary enforcement actions.
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Training and Education: Provide training and resources to employees on compliance matters, fostering a culture of awareness and ethical behavior.
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Oversee QA review processes, ensuring casework is accurate, complete, and aligned with internal standards, regulatory requirements, and AML best practices.
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Analyze data to identify process gaps and opportunities, and partner with Compliance Leaders.
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Support regulatory compliance activities, including maintaining up-to-date understanding of applicable regulations, assisting with regulatory change implementation, and supporting regulatory reporting, inspections, and inquiries as needed.
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5+ years of experience in compliance, AML/CTF, or regulatory roles within financial services, fintech, or virtual asset businesses, with a strong focus on KYC/KYB program ownership.
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In-depth understanding of UAE regulatory requirements, particularly the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) framework and broader UAE AML laws and Cabinet Decision No. (10) of 2019.
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Proven experience in mapping, documenting, and enhancing onboarding processes (KYC/KYB) for both individual and corporate clients in a regulated environment.
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Strong working knowledge of international AML/CTF standards (e.g., FATF), and their application in the context of virtual assets and VASPs (Virtual Asset Service Providers).
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Experience working with cross-functional teams including Legal, Product, Operations, and Engineering to embed compliance into scalable business processes.
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Ability to design and implement risk-based due diligence procedures, including customer risk rating models, enhanced due diligence (EDD), and ongoing monitoring.
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Demonstrated participation in business-wide or enterprise risk assessments, preferably including quarterly risk assessment exercises, with the ability to translate assessment outcomes into practical controls and action plans.
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Proven regulatory compliance experience, including supporting regulatory reporting, responding to regulatory requests, and contributing to regulatory inspections, thematic reviews, or remediation projects.
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Prior involvement in regulatory engagements, inspections, or audits, ideally with VARA, the UAE Central Bank, or other local regulatory bodies.
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Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; comfortable handling complex regulatory interpretations and operationalizing them into clear procedures.
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Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) with the ability to engage confidently with internal stakeholders, regulators, and partners.
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Professional certifications such as CAMS, ICA, CRCMP, or equivalent are strongly preferred.