Head of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) - Saudi National

About the Role
The Head of AML will lead and manage the overall operations, activities, and responsibilities of the AML/CTF Department, reporting administratively to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and functionally to the Audit Committee. This role is crucial in developing, implementing, and maintaining the company’s Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorist Financing, and Proliferation Financing (AML/CTF/PF) framework in Saudi Arabia. The Head of AML ensures compliance with the Saudi Anti-Money Laundering Law and its Implementing Regulations, SAMA requirements, SAFIU reporting obligations, and applicable Targeted Financial Sanctions requirements. This role involves working closely with business and control functions to identify and assess financial-crime risks, ensuring effective controls are implemented across the company, remediating identified gaps, and promoting a strong culture of AML/CTF/PF compliance.

Your Responsibilities

• AML/CTF/PF Framework and Controls: Develop, implement, monitor, and continuously enhance the company’s AML/CTF/PF framework and controls to ensure their effectiveness and alignment with applicable regulatory requirements.
• Oversight of AML/CTF/PF Operations: Lead and oversee the AML/CTF Unit’s activities, ensuring that all responsibilities are performed effectively and that identified control or process deficiencies are addressed promptly.
• Policies and Procedures: Develop, maintain, and periodically review the company’s AML/CTF/PF policies, procedures, standards, and operating controls to reflect regulatory developments, emerging risks, and relevant industry practices.
• Enterprise-Wide Risk Assessment: Oversee the identification and assessment of money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing risks arising from the company’s customers, products, services, transactions, delivery channels, and geographic exposure.
• Stakeholder Management and Advisory: Build and maintain effective relationships with key internal stakeholders and provide guidance and advice on AML/CTF/PF risks, regulatory requirements, new products, business initiatives, and control enhancements.
• Sanctions and PEP Screening: Oversee sanctions, Targeted Financial Sanctions, and politically exposed person screening controls, including alert investigation, escalation, decision-making, freezing measures, and regulatory reporting where applicable.
• Board and Senior Management Reporting: Provide the CEO and Audit Committee with regular reports on the company’s AML/CTF/PF risk exposure, control effectiveness, key performance indicators, material cases, regulatory developments, identified deficiencies, and the status of remediation actions.
• Transaction Monitoring & Alert Management: Oversee transaction monitoring mechanisms ensuring effective rule tuning, threshold settings, and scenario management to minimize false positives.
• Suspicious Activity Reporting: Ensure that unusual activities are investigated appropriately and that suspicious transaction or activity reports are submitted accurately and confidentially within applicable timelines to the Saudi Financial Intelligence Unit through official reporting channels.
• Regulatory Engagement: Act as the primary point of contact for AML/CTF/PF matters and coordinate timely, accurate, and complete responses to requests, inspections, and inquiries from SAMA, SAFIU, and other competent authorities.
• Team Leadership: Manage and develop the AML/CTF team, establish clear responsibilities and performance expectations, and ensure the function has appropriate resources, knowledge, systems, and capabilities.

Your Expertise

• At least 6+ years of relevant experience in AML/CTF, financial-crime compliance, regulatory compliance, or a related field, including experience in a leadership or management role under SAMA supervision.
• Previously approved or pre-approved by SAMA is highly desirable but not mandatory.
• Strong knowledge of the Saudi AML/CTF regulatory framework, SAMA requirements, SAFIU reporting obligations, Targeted Financial Sanctions, and relevant international standards.
• Extensive experience in transaction monitoring, alert and case management, suspicious activity investigations, sanctions screening, and AML system capabilities.
• Strong understanding of money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing risks, typologies, red flags, and control practices.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with sound judgment, independence, and integrity.
• Relevant professional certification, such as CAMS, an ICA qualification, or an equivalent financial-crime compliance certification.
• Due to SAMA regulations, we are looking to hire a Saudi national in this role.