Head of Operational Risk, Controls and Quality

About the role

A fast-growing insurance organization operating across multiple lines of business is hiring a Head of Operational Risk, Controls and Quality through its client, Intelligent Solutions. The role strengthens first-line governance, operational resilience, quality assurance and regulatory compliance across Health, Life, Motor, Marine, Aviation and broader P&C portfolios, and supports business scale and multi-line expansion.

Key responsibilities

• Lead enterprise-wide Non-Financial Risk Assessments (NFRAs) and monitor the design and effectiveness of operational and regulatory controls, including quarterly control testing and audit readiness
• Ensure operational risk events are identified, reported, investigated, escalated and closed within agreed SLAs, and own first-line governance with Risk, Compliance and Internal Audit
• Oversee Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and the enterprise Quality Assurance framework, including root-cause analysis and corrective actions
• Drive transformation, automation and process optimization aligned with operational KPIs
• Oversee centralized alert management for KYC, Sanctions, PEPs, Transaction Monitoring, FATCA and CRS, and ensure PCI-DSS compliance across payment touchpoints
• Coordinate first-line implementation of regulatory changes and ensure adherence to AML/KYC, CBUAE conduct rules and other sector mandates
• Oversee the complaints management framework across customer, broker and corporate segments and turn complaints insights into service improvements
• Recruit, lead and mentor the team, manage the departmental budget, support product and sales cycles, and deputize senior operations leadership

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, Risk Management, Compliance or a related discipline
• 8-12 years of experience in operational risk, internal controls, quality assurance or compliance within insurance or financial services
• Strong experience across multiple insurance lines of business (Health, Life, P&C preferred)
• In-depth knowledge of UAE insurance regulations, control frameworks and governance standards
• Prior exposure to regulatory audits, risk reviews and operational readiness assessments
• Proven ability to build and embed first-line control environments, with strong leadership, stakeholder management and communication skills