Director of Governance, Risk & Compliance

The Director of Governance, Risk & Compliance will establish and lead the company's GRC function, building the frameworks, processes, and culture needed to manage risk and ensure compliance across our operating markets. This is a foundational role for the company. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, and embedding the governance, risk, compliance, policy, and internal control frameworks needed to support the company's continued growth, international expansion, and transition into a more structured corporate environment. The role requires someone who is both highly experienced and highly hands-on. The right candidate must be comfortable operating as an individual contributor: drafting policies, building risk registers, preparing board materials, setting up controls, running compliance reviews, and working directly with teams to close gaps. Over time, the Director will build and lead the GRC function as the business scales.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement the company's enterprise governance framework, including policies, approval authorities, decision-making protocols, committees, reporting cadences, and escalation paths.
• Support the company’s transition from founder-led/startup-style operations to a more structured governance model without slowing down execution unnecessarily.
• Establish clear accountability structures across departments, markets, and leadership forums.
• Develop and maintain a company-wide policy framework and policy library covering key operational, financial, legal, technology, data, people, and regulatory areas.
• Support board governance requirements by preparing clear, structured reporting on key risks, compliance matters, governance gaps, and mitigation plans.
• Build and own the company’s Enterprise Risk Management framework from scratch.
• Establish and manage the company’s compliance framework across all operating markets, and future international markets.
• Design and implement practical internal controls across key business areas, including finance, procurement, contracting, approvals, vendor management, data protection, information security governance, and operational processes.
• Build and lead the GRC team from the ground up.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in governance, risk, compliance, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience building or significantly scaling a GRC function.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory frameworks relevant to tech platforms, marketplaces, or e-commerce.
• Familiarity with data privacy regulations, including PDPL and GDPR.
• Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
• Relevant certifications are a plus (e.g. CISA, CRISC, CISM, ICA).
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to move fast in a high-growth environment.

Location
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia