Risk Officer

About the Role
This full-time Risk Officer position, based in the ADGM, is vital for the company authorised digital asset custodian. The Risk Officer will safeguard the organization against emerging risks by establishing a robust risk framework, managing incidents proactively, performing risk assessments, and overseeing controls to meet regulatory standards. The ideal candidate will be an experienced risk professional with knowledge of risk frameworks in digital asset regulations, along with a strong interest in the digital assets space.

Key Responsibilities:

• Enterprise Risk Management: Design and enhance an enterprise-wide risk management framework and conduct comprehensive risk assessments.
• Strategic Risk Advising: Serve as a risk advisor to the executive team and board.
• Operational Risk Management: Identify, mitigate, and manage operational risks.
• Technology and Cybersecurity: Collaborate with technology teams to assess cybersecurity risks and create cybersecurity policies.
• Financial Risk Management: Manage financial risks including credit, market, and liquidity, and oversee stress testing.
• Reputational Risk Management: Monitor and address potential risks to the organization’s reputation and develop crisis management strategies.
• Risk Analytics and Reporting: Establish risk analytics and reporting frameworks and provide regular reports.
• Risk Culture and Training: Promote risk awareness across the organization and design risk management training.
• Act as Incident Manager for risk, compliance, and operational incidents when necessary, ensuring incidents are identified, logged, triaged, and escalated promptly.
• Coordinate immediate response to incidents, including engagement with relevant stakeholders (Technology, Operations, Legal, Senior Management) and external parties if needed.
• Ensure incidents are evaluated for regulatory notification obligations and make necessary notifications to the regulator within required timelines.
• Maintain an incident log/register capturing root cause, impact assessment, remediation actions, and lessons learned.
• Escalate material incidents to senior management and the Board according to the entity's escalation thresholds and reporting protocols.
• Support post-incident reviews and ensure remediation actions are tracked to completion.

Risk Appetite Statement — Ownership and Governance:

• Oversee and maintain the Risk Appetite Statement (RAS), keeping it current, board-approved, and aligned with the entity's risk-taking capacity and strategic goals.
• Define and maintain documented escalation thresholds across all material risk categories, ensuring timely identification of breaches in risk appetite.
• Establish breach reporting protocols, ensuring that any breaches of risk appetite thresholds are reported to senior management and the Board with detailed information on cause, impact, and remediation.
• Operate independently from business revenue-generating functions while exercising risk oversight responsibilities.
• Adhere to conflict-of-interest safeguards, including declaring any actual or potential conflicts and recusing from decisions where independence may be at risk.

Requirements:

• Over 7 years of experience in a Risk Management function within financial services.
• Previous risk experience in developing risk governance frameworks and overseeing a risk function.
• Regulatory understanding of UAE, ADGM, FSRA, and VARA regulatory frameworks.
• Strong background in developing and managing Risk Governance Frameworks, Enterprise Risk Management, Incident Management, Disaster Recovery, and conducting Business Risk Assessments.
• Proactive, detail-oriented attitude with a strong delivery mindset.
• Leadership experience with the ability to manage teams and influence senior stakeholders.
• Knowledge of digital asset regulations and associated risks; strong interest in blockchain technology.
• Must be eligible for UAE residency and able to work full-time from ADGM.
• Excellent communication skills and a reputation for integrity, transparency, and trust.
• Desirable: Experience in digital asset firms, custody, or blockchain analytics tools.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary.
• Private healthcare.
• Generous annual leave.
• Flexible working arrangements (subject to agreement).