Head of Risk

JOB TITLE: Head of Risk (Chief Risk Officer)

TERM: 24 months (extendable)

CLIENT LOCATION: Dubai UAE

DIVISION: Consumer

REPORTS TO: Group CEO / Executive Committee

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: 15 years in risk management with a minimum of 5 years in a senior leadership role within lending or financial services. Demonstrated success in building and leading enterprise risk functions in regulated environments.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS**:

1. Proven expertise in credit operational market compliance and repetitional risk.
2. Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks (e.g. Basel III IFRS 9 local central bank regulations).
3. Experience with digital lending platforms and fintech risk models.
4. Board-level communication and stakeholder engagement.
5. Professional certifications such as FRM PRM CFA or equivalent.
6. Fluent in English; Arabic is a plus

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

The Chief Risk Officer (CRO) will lead the development and execution of a comprehensive risk management framework tailored to the clients lending operations. To establish and lead a robust enterprise-wide risk management framework that aligns with the clients strategic objectives in the lending domain. The CRO will ensure that all risk types are proactively identified assessed mitigated and monitored enabling sustainable growth and regulatory compliance.

Key Activities

Core Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Develop and execute the enterprise risk strategy policies and procedures.
• Conduct comprehensive risk assessments of the lending portfolio and operations.
• Design and implement a risk governance framework aligned with regulatory and internal standards.
• Oversee risk identification measurement and mitigation across all lending products.
• Lead the development of risk appetite statements and tolerance thresholds.
• Establish risk reporting mechanisms and dashboards for executive and board-level visibility.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and manage relationships with external regulators and auditors.
• Present risk insights and recommendations to the Board Risk Committee.
• Collaborate with business units to embed risk-aware decision-making.
• Drive the implementation of risk technology tools and analytics platforms.
• Build and mentor a high-performing risk team.

KPIs

• Reduction in non-performing loan (NPL) ratio
• Risk-adjusted return on capital (RAROC)
• Regulatory compliance score (zero non-conformities)
• Time-to-resolution for risk incidents
• Risk model accuracy and predictive performance
• Employee risk awareness index (via internal surveys)
• Timely and accurate regulatory reporting.
• Frequency and severity of risk incidents.
• Board satisfaction with risk reporting and governance.
• Implementation rate of risk mitigation actions.

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience: 15-20 years in financial services with at least 5 years in a senior risk leadership role. Experience in digital lending fintech or embedded finance is a strong differentiator
• Education: Bachelors degree in Finance Economics Business or related field. A Masters degree (e.g. MBA or MSc in Risk Management) is highly preferred
• Certifications: FRM (Financial Risk Manager) PRM (Professional Risk Manager) CFA or equivalent regulatory licenses are increasingly expected
• Deep knowledge of credit risk modelling stress testing and capital adequacy.
• Familiarity with digital lending ecosystems and embedded finance.
• Experience with enterprise risk systems (e.g. SAS Moodys RiskCalc Oracle FCCM).
• Strong analytical communication and leadership skills.

Mandatory Skills**

• Strategic planning and execution
• Product innovation and lifecycle management
• Credit risk and portfolio analytics
• Regulatory compliance and governance
• Cross-functional leadership and communication
• Agile project delivery and digital transformation