Compliance Senior Associate

In 2017, our founders started Sarwa due to a lack of financial services offered to most of the world, and out of a need to help empower people in the region to invest in their financial future. Sarwa is poised to continue growing into the go-to platform for people to grow their wealth.

We do this through expert, affordable and easy investing. We're a small team working on the region's first and fastest growing investment and personal finance platform, making investing easy, low-cost and transparent, with a human touch woven into every step of the process.

We are a remote-first team. Where you choose to work is up to you, we have an office in Abu Dhabi that you can utilize as often or little as you'd like.

We’re looking for a Compliance Senior Associate to support the Compliance function in ensuring the firm’s ongoing adherence to applicable UAE regulatory requirements, internal policies, and global best practices. The role involves day-to-day compliance monitoring, regulatory reporting support, client due diligence reviews, and coordination with internal stakeholders to ensure regulatory obligations are met in a timely and effective manner.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented individual looking to develop hands-on experience within a regulated financial services environment in the UAE.

• Assist in monitoring compliance with applicable UAE regulations (e.g. FSRA, DFSA, Central Bank where relevant), including AML/CTF, sanctions, conduct of business, and data protection requirements.
• Support the implementation and ongoing maintenance of compliance frameworks, policies, and procedures.
• Conduct periodic compliance checks and monitoring activities and elevate issues where appropriate.

• Perform customer due diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), and ongoing monitoring reviews in line with internal policies and regulatory requirements.
• Review client documentation, risk assessments, and source of funds/wealth information.
• Support transaction monitoring reviews, alert investigations, and documentation of findings.
• Assist with sanctions, PEP, and adverse media screening escalations.

• Support the preparation and submission of regulatory filings, reports, and data requests (e.g. AML returns, regulatory questionnaires, ad-hoc regulator queries).
• Maintain accurate records to support regulatory inspections and audits.

• Assist in updating compliance policies, manuals, procedures, and internal registers.
• Support compliance training initiatives and maintain training records.
• Help track regulatory developments and assist with impact assessments on the business.

• Act as a point of contact for compliance-related queries from internal teams (Operations, Product, Finance, Customer Excellence).
• Support onboarding of new products, services, or partners from a compliance perspective.
• Assist with internal and external audits and regulatory examinations.

• Bachelor’s degree in Law, Finance, Business, Economics, or a related field.
• Professional certifications such as CISI certs, ACAMS, or similar are an advantage but not mandatory.
• 4-8 years of experience in compliance, risk, AML, or regulatory operations within a financial services, fintech, or regulated environment.
• Familiarity with UAE regulatory frameworks (ADGM FSRA, DIFC DFSA, SCA or equivalent) is preferred.
• Experience with KYC/AML reviews, transaction monitoring, or regulatory reporting is a plus.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Good understanding of UAE regulatory framework, compliance, and AML principles.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement and maintain confidentiality.
• Comfortable working with data, systems, and compliance tools.

• Remote and flexible work environment
• Diverse, driven and supportive team with a positive work atmosphere (one of our core values)
• A culture of growth - being mentored, coached and supported to grow in your career
• Great company healthcare package with dental and optical coverage
• Learning and development budget
• Equity plan for all employees.