Senior Manager Governance & Compliance

About the role

Wasl, one of Dubai's largest and most diversified real estate management companies, is hiring a Senior Manager Governance & Compliance in its Support Services department, reporting to the Head of Business Excellence. The role develops, implements and oversees the organisation's compliance programme so that it adheres to all applicable laws, regulations, internal policies, standard operating procedures and ethical standards, while driving digital adoption across operations.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute a compliance strategy aligned with regulatory requirements and organisational objectives, and advise committees and executive management on compliance risks, controls and governance.
• Lead regulatory engagement, audits and inspections, maintaining transparent and professional relationships with regulators.
• Develop and maintain an enterprise policy framework, establish governance structures and audit, review and reporting mechanisms, and work with department heads to embed policies and procedures.
• Support internal audits and regulatory compliance efforts across business units to close gaps in policies, SOPs and governance documentation.
• Design and run compliance monitoring and internal control systems, prepare regular compliance reports for senior management and the board, and investigate and resolve compliance issues.
• Improve business processes, set KPIs and dashboards, and drive digitisation and automation to boost efficiency and compliance.
• Build and lead a compliance team, collaborate with Legal, Risk Management, Internal Audit, HR and business units, and promote a culture of compliance, ethics and accountability.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Engineering or a related field; Master's preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in business excellence, process excellence, compliance, legal, audit or risk management.
• At least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing compliance functions.
• Experience in highly regulated industries such as financial services, real estate, healthcare, energy or government entities.

Required skills

• Knowledge of global and regional regulatory frameworks, including AML, data protection, anti-bribery, sanctions, corporate governance and industry-specific compliance.
• Familiarity with compliance technologies, GRC tools and monitoring systems.
• Strong people management, analytical and risk assessment skills, and excellent communication with regulators, auditors and stakeholders.