Our client, one of the most recognised FinTech's in the MENA region, are working with us to find a Head of Compliance. The successful candidate will benefit by being at the forefront of MENA FinTech and will be tasked with setting up a department from the ground up.

Responsibilities  

- Setting up the department from scratch so you’ll need to spend your first few weeks understanding the business and building an idea of what that team needs to look like. You'll be responsible for building a world-class and scalable, high performing Legal team that is capable of facing a range of corporate, commercial and legal issues at all levels. 
- Help strategically advise the product business teams on the development of innovative products and services, building the legal infrastructure and developing policies and procedures relevant for a range of consumer finance products.
- Creating and implementing an AML/KYC program, so that the company is compliant with SAMA regulations and any other regional compliance regulations we need to follow as we scale our operations.
- Maintain all records relevant to company AML compliance and procedures relating to KYC.
- Creating scalable processes for handling legal queries across the region and ensuring we can move quickly and safely as we develop strong 3rd party relationships.
- Providing progressional, strategic and legal advice to the senior leadership team and to the board.
- Generating and maintaining contracts.
- Considering and consulting on legal risks with current and future product offerings.
- Able to comprehend changes to laws and regulations including reporting impact of changes to senior management and company as a whole.

Requirements

- You’ll have around 8+ years experience with significant post qualification experience.
- Ideally you’ll have a mix of practice and in-house experience with that in-house experience being with tech start ups / scale ups.
- You have excellent technical skills and a sound knowledge of the the regional consumer banking legal and regulatory frameworks having spent time in-house at a bank, payments or financial technology company.
- You are a strategic thinker, a strong communicator and a keen problem solver who knows how to assess risk and recommend solutions that balance business and risk perspectives.
- You are happy handling the widest range of legal issues that may arise in a financial technology company, even if outside your core areas of expertise.
Strong communication skills – both verbal and written – with the ability to explain complex concepts to people with limited knowledge of legal concepts.
- You’re passionate about the intersection of banking and technology and the transformation unfolding in e-commerce and consumer finance.
- Experience dealing with regulators is essential, as we are a regulated business.
- You’ll be able to prioritise conflicting demands and handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
- You are an experienced people leader who has managed large teams in the past and enjoys building high performing, engaged teams with empathy. Ideally you may also have experience of building new legal functions from the ground up.