Senior Compliance Specialist

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Compliance Specialist to lead both regulatory compliance and financial crime compliance functions for a regulated financial institution in Abu Dhabi.

Key responsibilities

• Support implementation and maintenance of the regulatory compliance framework in line with FSRA, ADGM and UAE regulations.
• Provide compliance guidance on regulatory obligations, new products, business initiatives and outsourcing arrangements.
• Conduct compliance monitoring reviews, thematic assessments and control testing.
• Review customer onboarding, KYC cases, sanctions screening alerts and transaction monitoring alerts, and escalate suspicious activity to the MLRO.
• Prepare compliance reports, regulatory submissions and management updates.

Required profile

• 5+ years of experience in regulatory compliance and financial crime compliance within banking, fintech or other regulated institutions.
• Strong knowledge of FSRA, ADGM, UAE AML/CFT legislation and sanctions frameworks, as well as FATF recommendations.
• Bachelor’s degree in Law, Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, Risk Management or related field.
• Professional certifications such as ICA Diploma in Compliance, ICA Diploma in AML, ACAMS or equivalent are preferred.

Required skills

• AML/CFT compliance, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring and suspicious activity investigation.
• KYC, Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) processes.
• Regulatory change management, compliance monitoring and control testing.
• Strong analytical, investigative and report‑writing abilities.