Enterprise Risk Manager - UAE

About the role

Airwallex, the AI-native financial operating system used by hundreds of thousands of businesses, is hiring an Enterprise Risk Manager for the UAE. Based in the Abu Dhabi office, you will help establish and evolve Airwallex's enterprise risk management capability locally, operationalise its global risk architecture and partner with Regulatory Compliance, Legal, UAE leadership, Product, Engineering and Operations to support responsible growth.

Key responsibilities

• Operationalise the global enterprise risk architecture locally, covering risk appetite, taxonomy, governance standards, risk limits, escalation protocols, reporting and decision rights.
• Partner with Regulatory Compliance, Legal and UAE leadership to align risk governance with Central Bank of the UAE expectations for Stored Value Facilities and Retail Payment Services.
• Translate risk data, incidents, issues, trends and key risk indicators into clear reporting for UAE management, regional leadership, risk committees and, where appropriate, the Board or regulators.
• Provide independent second-line challenge on initiatives that may exceed approved risk appetite, regulatory expectations or the maturity of the control environment.
• Support risk assessment and approval for new products, payment services, customer propositions, markets, partnerships, systems changes and operating-model changes.
• Strengthen the UAE crisis management and resilience framework, including escalation triggers, governance, executive response mechanisms, business continuity planning and scenario exercises.
• Improve risk reporting, dashboards, risk tools, automation and data quality, and share UAE insights with the global risk team.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business, Law, STEM or another relevant quantitative field.
• 5 to 7+ years of experience in risk management, operational risk, enterprise risk, compliance, controls or audit within financial services, fintech, payments, banking or another highly regulated environment.
• Experience with defence frameworks such as risk appetite statements, risk taxonomies, governance processes and escalation mechanisms.
• Familiarity with the UAE financial services regulatory environment, including the Central Bank of the UAE and requirements for electronic money, Stored Value Facilities or Retail Payment Services.
• Demonstrated experience preparing risk papers and communicating with executives, Board or committee audiences, regulators or auditors.
• Preferred: fintech and payments experience, experience managing risk approvals in a fast-moving product and engineering environment, and experience with Stored Value Facilities or Category II Retail Payment Services licences.

The role suits someone who thrives in a compliance-heavy, fast-paced environment, makes decisions with incomplete information, values in-person collaboration and is happy to be in the office three days a week.