MLRO & Compliance Officer, UAE (ADGM) - RIE & RCH

Role Overview

Key Responsibilities

Compliance Officer

• Responsible for the design, implementation, and oversight of the compliance function and monitoring of adherence to all FSRA Rules, FSMR, MIR, and other applicable regulations governing RIE and RCH operations.
• Develops and maintains compliance policies, procedures, and monitoring programmes specific to exchange and clearing house operations, including market surveillance, rulebook compliance, default management procedures, and participant conduct oversight.
• Provides independent compliance advice to the Board and senior management of both entities, and escalates material issues in accordance with governance frameworks.
• Conducts regular compliance reviews, testing, and gap analyses across both the RIE and RCH, ensuring controls are proportionate to the systemic risk profile of market infrastructure.
• Liaises with the FSRA on all compliance matters relating to the RIE and RCH, and ensures timely and effective remediation of regulatory findings.
• Advises on new market products, trading rules, participant admission criteria, and clearing arrangements to ensure ongoing regulatory alignment.
• Partners with Legal, Risk, Technology, and Operations teams to embed compliance requirements across both entities' operating models.

MLRO

• Has overall responsibility for the implementation, oversight, and effectiveness of the AML/CFT/sanctions programme across the RIE and RCH in accordance with the FSRA AML Rulebook.
• Receives, investigates, and decides on internal suspicious activity reports (SARs/STRs), and files reports with relevant authorities including via goAML where applicable.
• Develops and maintains AML policies, risk assessments, CDD, EDD, and ongoing monitoring procedures tailored to the participant and transactional risk profile of a virtual asset exchange and clearing house.
• Ensures staff training and awareness programmes on AML/CFT are current, documented, and proportionate to the risk environment.
• Acts as the key point of contact with the FSRA and other relevant authorities on financial crime matters, and provides regular AML reporting to the Board.
• Maintains and periodically reviews the entity's Business Risk Assessment (BRA) and Customer Risk Assessment (CRA) frameworks in the context of market infrastructure operations.

Requirements

• 10+ years of significant senior compliance and/or financial crime experience within ADGM, DIFC, or other regulated financial services environments, with a preference for market infrastructure, exchange, or clearing experience.
• Strong working knowledge of FSRA Rules, FSMR, MIR, the ADGM AML Rulebook, and applicable sanctions frameworks.
• Understanding of RIE and RCH regulatory obligations, including rulebook governance, participant oversight, default management, and systemic risk considerations.
• Experience supporting regulatory authorisations, recognition applications, or supervised entity setup.
• Experience engaging with the FSRA or equivalent regulator on market infrastructure supervisory matters.
• Ability to manage compliance responsibilities across two distinct but related regulated entities within a unified framework.
• Strong judgement, stakeholder management, and decision-making capability.
• Demonstrated interest in, and practical adoption of, AI technologies to enhance compliance, regulatory, or operational effectiveness will be viewed very favourably.

Profile

• Prior MLRO / Compliance Officer or equivalent senior control function experience, ideally within a recognised exchange, clearing house, or market infrastructure operator.
• Strong UAE / ADGM regulatory credibility, with exposure to virtual asset market infrastructure, crypto exchanges, or traditional exchange/clearing environments.
• Practical, commercially minded operator with the ability to manage complexity across dual-entity structures.
• Approved Person or willingness to seek FSRA regulatory approval for the Compliance Officer and MLRO controlled functions across both entities.