MLRO & Compliance Officer

We are supporting a leading regulated financial services organisation in the search for an experienced MLRO & Compliance Officer to oversee the compliance and financial crime function across its ADGM-regulated market infrastructure entities.

This is a senior regulatory leadership opportunity covering both a Recognised Investment Exchange (RIE) and Recognised Clearing House (RCH), requiring strong expertise across compliance governance, financial crime prevention, market integrity, and regulatory engagement.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and overseeing a robust compliance framework aligned with ADGM / FSRA regulatory expectations, while working closely with senior stakeholders across Legal, Risk, Technology, Operations, and Business functions.

This opportunity is suited to an experienced compliance leader who has operated within regulated financial markets, exchanges, clearing environments, or digital asset infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

Compliance Leadership

• Lead the design, implementation, and oversight of the compliance framework across regulated market infrastructure entities.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with applicable FSRA Rules, FSMR, MIR, AML requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Develop and maintain compliance policies, procedures, monitoring frameworks, and governance processes.
• Provide independent compliance guidance to senior management and Board-level stakeholders.
• Oversee compliance monitoring, testing, regulatory reviews, and remediation activities.
• Support regulatory engagement, examinations, and ongoing supervisory discussions with the FSRA.
• Advise on new products, trading models, operational processes, and market structure initiatives.
• Partner with business, technology, risk, and legal teams to embed regulatory requirements into operating models.

MLRO Responsibilities

• Serve as the designated Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) overseeing AML/CFT and sanctions frameworks.
• Maintain and enhance financial crime risk management frameworks, including:
  • Business Risk Assessments
  • Customer / Participant Risk Assessments
  • KYC / CDD / EDD frameworks
  • Transaction monitoring
  • Sanctions screening
• Review and manage suspicious activity reporting obligations and regulatory submissions.
• Deliver AML/CFT training and awareness programmes.
• Provide financial crime reporting and regulatory updates to senior management and the Board.
• Act as a key contact point for regulators and relevant authorities on financial crime matters.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have:

• 10+ years of senior compliance and/or financial crime experience within regulated financial services environments.
• Strong understanding of:
  • ADGM / FSRA regulations
  • FSMR
  • MIR requirements
  • AML/CFT and sanctions frameworks
• Experience within one or more of the following:
  • Recognised Investment Exchange
  • Clearing House
  • Digital Asset Exchange
  • Trading Venue
  • Market Infrastructure Provider
  • Investment Firm
• Strong knowledge of:
  • Market surveillance
  • Exchange governance
  • Participant oversight
  • Trading conduct requirements
  • Clearing and settlement frameworks
• Proven experience engaging with regulators and supporting regulated entity authorisations or licensing processes.
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on in building and enhancing compliance frameworks.
• Experience using technology, automation, analytics, or AI solutions to improve compliance effectiveness is highly desirable.

Ideal Background

Suitable candidates may come from:

• Crypto / Digital Asset Exchanges
• Traditional Exchanges
• Clearing Houses
• Investment Banks
• Broker Dealers
• Regulators
• Financial Market Infrastructure organisations

The successful candidate will be required to obtain or hold the relevant FSRA approval for the MLRO and Compliance Officer controlled functions.