Head of Compliance Technology Platforms

Role : Head of Compliance Technology Platforms
Location : Abu Dhabi

Role Purpose:

This is a senior hands-on leadership role responsible for ensuring the resilience performance and evolution of ADIBs compliance systems. The role holder leads a team of domain experts to deliver stable day-to-day technical support for the banks compliance operations drive continuous improvement and execute critical regulatory and strategic change. The role encompasses end-to-end technology ownership of the Anti-Money Laundering technology eco-system and will be accountable for ensuring platform is resilient secure scalable and fit for purpose to detect and prevent financial crime. The role is a blend of technical expertise in data and systems with a deep understanding of UAE and international AML/CFT regulations

Key Accountabilities of the role

Strategic Leadership:

• Will be a key senior leader within the Compliance Platform and the extended leadership team of Core Platforms and Data Architecture.
• Will shape and own ADIBs AML system technology strategy in line with the banks overall Technology Strategy.
• Bring emerging technology practices to ADIBs AML system team to drive particular will drive the use of AI in increasing our detection sophistication and reduce manual alert effort.
• Will deliver the strategic transformation of AML capabilities from OMNI to SAS and maximize the new systems capabilities.

Service and Resilience:

• Responsible for maintaining system performance (AML system) against agreed SLAs and customer expectations (24*7 365).
• Manage end-to-end AML service support across batch and online digital journeys.
• Lead the management configuration and optimization of AML monitoring systems (SAS) to effectively identify unusual transaction patterns and potential financial crime.
• Own incident management: respond to major incidents lead root-cause analysis and implement permanent fixes. Run post-incident reviews and resilience testing.
• Bring industry insights into service management and improve ADIBs AML system service availability KPIs.

Change and Delivery:

• Own and prioritize the BAU business change request backlog across the AML system team in line with the banks strategy.
• Deliver critical regulatory and strategic projects under tight deadlines.
• Oversee all solution designs ensuring compliance with target architecture security standards and best practices.
• Manage change across the full SDLC lifecycle (requirements design testing deployment post-go-live).
• Ensure all changes are delivered to a high quality with robust testing and controls.
• Drive efficiency through change tooling (test automation CICD etc) to increase our speed to market.

Customer Experience & Digital Enablement

• Collaborating with compliance and IT teams to tune and optimize AML solutions reducing false positives while ensuring effective detection of suspicious activities.
• Partner with the business on current customer or operational pain points and implement solutions that can digitalize these pain points reducing customer friction and operational workloads.
• Proactively seek AI opportunities to advance ADIBs AML system technology service.

Governance Risk and Compliance:

• Responsible for AML system adherence to technology governance frameworks ensuring adherence to internal controls audit standards and regulatory obligations.
• Ensure all open actions risks and central bank enquiries are dealt with and closed on time.
• Support the execution of financial crime risk assessments assess system controls evaluate process deficiencies and recommend corrective actions to mitigate identified risks.

Team Leadership and Development:

• Lead and develop a team of 24 subject matter experts.
• Foster a culture of accountability collaboration innovation and technical excellence.
• Build internal capability to reduce vendor dependency.
• Drive the team to high performance through coaching and ambitious targets.

Stakeholder Management:

• Responsible for managing internal relationships with AML system stakeholders across the bank.
• Run monthly planning sessions with key senior stakeholders to prioritize AML system team backlog.
• Manage external relationships relating to AML system

Performance Monitoring and Reporting:

• Develop a set of KPIs that will be used to manage and drive team performance across service availability team cadence vendor quality.
• Through these KPIs and relevant data observe focus on flow and drive continuous improvement.

Technology and Enterprise applications senior leader

• As a senior leader in Technology the role holder will be required to contribute to Enterprise Application platform and wider Technology initiatives.
• Learn and share best practice and efficiencies across Enterprise Applications.

Vendor and System Oversight

• Responsible for managing relationships with AML system vendor.
• Conducting regular vendor performance review sessions with vendors across service availability & SLAs defects project deliverables strategy opportunities.

Specialist Skills / Technical Knowledge Required for this role:

• Experience:7-10 years of experience in banking IT or financial crime compliance with significant experience specifically in AML system.
• Technical Proficiency:Expertise in AML software (SAS AML) data analysis tools SQL and potentially cloud environments (AWS/Azure).
• Regulatory Knowledge:In-depth knowledge of local UAE AML/CFT laws CBUAE regulations and international standards (e.g. FATF OFAC).
• Certifications:Professional certifications such asCAMS(Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) orICA(International Compliance Association) are highly preferred.
• Soft Skills:Strong analytical problem-solving leadership and communication skills to effectively bridge the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Education:A Bachelors degree in Business Finance Computer Science or a related field