Compliance Officer & MLRO

Purpose of the role

This is a fantastic opportunity to lead the compliance program within Saudi Arabia for a highly prestigious Investment / asset management team within the Middle East, that has a truly global reach with offices across Asia, US and Europe, as well as across the Middle East / GCC.

To carry out the Compliance and Money Laundering Reporting Officer functions for the Group’s Saudi Arabian subsidiary in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

• Developing and managing an effective compliance monitoring system for the Group’s Saudi Arabia, Financial Investments Co., to ensure compliance with all applicable Capital Market Authority and other laws and regulations.
• Managing an effective Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Client onboarding and ongoing monitoring program, working with the firms’ Group Client onboarding system for approvals and monitoring.
• Making submissions to the CMA on all offerings in Saudi Arabia, and liaise with the CMA in this regard.
• Carrying out the Corporate Secretarial function concerning all Board, committee, and shareholder meetings.
• Providing advice to the Board and its Committees, the Chief Executive Officer, and management for compliance with Saudi Arabian law, e.g., company law, banking law, capital markets law, employment legislation, social security and health and safety legislation.
• Providing advice to the Board and its Committees, the Chief Executive Officer, and management for compliance with the regulations, circulars, and rules of the Capital Market Authority.
• Providing advice to the Board and its Committees, the Chief Executive Officer, and management for compliance with the Group’s Code of Conduct, as well as other Group policies.
• Making recommendations whenever necessary to ensure that Saudi Arabian laws and regulations are being complied with.
• Developing and maintaining appropriate policies and procedures manuals that implement all applicable Saudi Arabian regulatory requirements.
• Conducting ongoing training for all staff on the applicable laws and regulations and internal policies and procedures.
• Establishing prompt mechanisms for reporting and resolving non-compliance with Saudi Arabian laws and regulations and supervisory requirements.
• Communicating material breaches of compliance to the appropriate levels of management to ensure that they are adequately addressed and that the appropriate action is undertaken.
• Ensuring CMA inspection reports and copies of all correspondence with the CMA are properly actioned.
• Compiling and maintaining a comprehensive database on the statutory records of the firm’s Saudi Arabia operations.
• Ensuring that the Compliance Monitoring Program is strictly adhered to.
• Reviewing the Capital Market Authority rule book and compliance requirements to ensure that the firm’s Saudi Arabia Financial Investments Co. satisfies all regulatory requirements, alerting the senior management and the directors of any new circulars from Saudi Arabian regulators or auditors, etc.
• Ensuring that the Saudi Arabia operation has an effective Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan that meets the group’s criteria and the requirements of the CMA as well as the group’s Central Bank.
• Performing other tasks or Group Compliance projects that could be assigned to you from time to time.

• CME-2 certification and prior authorisation by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) as a Compliance Officer and / or MLRO.
• Proven experience in compliance, AML, and corporate governance within a CMA-regulated financial institution.
• Strong knowledge of CMA regulations and relevant Saudi Arabian laws (company, banking, capital markets, AML, employment, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement compliance monitoring frameworks and AML / KYC programs.
• Excellent relationship management skills, with experience liaising directly with regulators and senior stakeholders.
• High attention to detail, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to make sound judgements on regulatory matters.
• Strong communication skills in Arabic.