Anti-Money Laundry- Technical Lead

Location: Abu Dhabi UAE

Role Purpose

The Head of Compliance Platform is a senior technology leadership role tasked with defining governing and delivering end-to-end platform capabilities for ADIB’s Financial Crime compliance and regulatory obligations. Across Anti-Money Laundry Customer on-boarding (KYC) and Sanctions the role holder will be accountable to ensure that ADIB’s compliance platforms are resilience and performs to central banks strict rules. They will also be accountable for delivering of the UAE’s significant Compliance regulatory backlog. The role focuses on building secure scalable and Shariah-compliant solutions that enhance the customer experience across digital and traditional channels by leading modernization initiatives strengthening platform governance and enabling product innovation. The role is a key enabler for ADIB’s broader digital transformation and customer-first strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive platform strategy for Compliance in alignment with ADIB’s business goals innovation roadmap and central banks regulatory change pipeline.
• Lead the strategy to ensure ADIB has best in class AML KYC and Sanctions capabilities to protect our customers and safely grow our business.
• Lead the shift toward digital-first embedding KYC and Sanctions into slick customer on-boarding propositions. Ensuring the Compliance platform is API ready and enables our digital strategy
• Understand product and business strategies and translate them into Compliance platform capabilities.
• Continuously evolve the platform to support current and future products or services in particular how AI can be leveraged within Compliance technology solutions.

Platform Development and Management:

• Oversee the architecture delivery and lifecycle management of Compliance platform capabilities for AML Sanctions and KYC.
• Own platform architecture driving simplification and optimization to enhance cost efficiency and operational performance.
• We oversee the development from vendors and focus on continuous improvements to the development CICD pipeline from requirement definition through build test and implement.
• Ensure seamless integration with core systems channels and customer journeys.
• Drive the adoption of API-led connectivity microservices architecture and cloud-native enhancements.
• Partner with business units to accelerate the launch of innovative AI led solutions that will drive down manual efforts involved in processing compliance alerts.
• Accountable for quality on the platform and will manage test capacity and assuring test automation is a key part of our quality strategy.

Support & Maintenance

• Accountable for the day-to-day support and management of the Compliance platform.
• Ensure the platform meets required SLAs performance benchmarks and resilience standards across all applications. Most of which are 24*7 with zero tolerance for outages as our customers’ digital expectations evolve.
• Will ensure the platform has a suitable resource support model.
• Responsible for ensuring third party contracts are adequate for each business capability and will meet the SLA.
• Will manage all incidents related to platforms and conduct post incident reviews and implement lessons learned.

Data-Driven Advisory & Analytics

• Drive the exploration and integration of AI to unlock operational efficiency opportunities enhance automation by reducing reliance on manual processes and proactively define strategic to embed AI and machine learning into ADIB’s Compliance banking practices.

Governance and Compliance:

• Design and enforce governance frameworks to uphold platform integrity Shariah compliance and adherence to regulatory mandates (e.g. CBUAE FATCA/CRS Federal Law FATF EOCN).
• Proactively monitor platform risks implement contingency plans and manage vendor-related dependencies.
• Accountable to deliver the technology aspects of Compliance regulatory roadmap.

Team Leadership and Development:

• Lead and mentor a high-impact team of engineers analysts and product specialists within an agile outcome-focused environment.
• Promote a culture of continuous innovation collaboration and excellence.
• Build leadership bench strength and capability through targeted learning and development programs.

Stakeholder Management:

• Serve as the technology Compliance single point of contact with Retail Banking Wholesale Operations Risk Compliance Digital units to align priorities and execution.
• Cultivate strategic partnerships with vendors and fintechs to co-develop capabilities and optimize delivery.
• Represent ADIB Technology function with Central Bank industry forums and working groups related to Compliance.

Budget Mgt & Commercial Acumen

• Will be accountable to ensure that the platform operates within the budget it has been given across Opex and Capex (resourcing and AMC). Will rely on a central finance function to provide actual costs per month/quarter.
• Will maintain a view of the platform TCO and ensure this is appropriate for the business capabilities supported.
• Will ensure the platform has appropriate commercial contracts in place and drive value for money.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting:

• Define KPIs for platform performance including transaction throughput availability customer satisfaction and innovation velocity.
• Leverage analytics and operational insights to drive optimization and inform strategic decisions.
• Report platform progress risk posture and achievements to executive management and governance bodies.

Vendor and System Oversight

Accountable to manage the strategic relationships with vendors providing critical Compliance applications to ADIB:

• Oracle FCCM
• OMNI
• SAS – AML
• LexusNexus
• Wayfinder
• Sanctions list providers

Technical and Professional Skills

• Minimum 12–15 years in Compliance Platforms.
• Proven experience in delivering and managing large Compliance regulatory and strategic initiatives.
• Proven experience in supporting Compliance platforms in highly regulated countries with large processing volumes.
• Strong understanding of Shariah-compliant financial product constraints and digital banking innovation.
• Strong knowledge of the applicable laws that govern Financial Crime in UAE.
• Experience managing vendor ecosystems and leading cross-functional agile squads.
• Expert knowledge of Compliance technology providers.
• Knowledge of underlying infrastructure for technology platforms and experience of moving or operating Compliance workloads in the cloud.
• Familiarity with ISO20022 and swift message formats and understanding of open banking regulations.
• Staying updated on emerging regulations and industry standards that may impact the Compliance platform such as those related to digital assets and fintech innovations.