Sales Governance & Control Senior Officer

About the Role:
The Sales Governance & Control Senior Officer is responsible for ensuring adherence to internal protocols, ethical standards, and compliance criteria within Retail Banking. This role involves monitoring risks, assessing functionality through regular evaluations, and implementing controls aimed at mitigating operational risks. The officer will work to identify areas for improvement while fostering a robust culture of compliance and operational efficiency across all assigned Sales channels.

Key Accountabilities:

Risk Management, Control Testing & Compliance Monitoring:

• Ensure that sales channels adhere to controlled work streams in line with compliance and ethical standards.
• Conduct monitoring of agencies involved in sales activities, evaluating performance, practices, and effectiveness.
• Implement checks and validations to assess adherence to processes and sales practices, ensuring appropriate risk and control executions that align with compliance requirements.
• Execute periodic inspections and monitor ongoing processes to safeguard the overall sales environment and control mechanisms. Investigate and address any instances of non-compliance or control deficiencies, recommending corrective actions as necessary.
• Design system frameworks of policies and practices to align with sales strategies, customer experience, and regulatory standards.
• Monitor key Key Risk Indicators (KRI) and ensure scoring aligns with established cycles.
• Conduct risk and control assessments as scheduled, managing incident logs and related risk management system actions for designated sales units.

Process Improvement, Communication & Reporting:

• Collaborate with business units and stakeholders to identify and close gaps in processes and regulations, thereby protecting both the unit and the organization from vulnerabilities.
• Analyze business performance and trends in first pass rates and quality across sales channels to pinpoint areas for improvement and operational workflow optimization.
• Oversee the lead management process, ensuring fairness and addressing issues such as duplications, mishandling, and unauthorized access to leads. Perform ad-hoc investigations into customer complaints and staff misconduct.
• Create regular dashboards, process guidelines, and documentation for sales channels, enhancing awareness and providing reference materials. Prepare detailed reports on operational control performance, compliance status, and significant issues for management review.

Support:

• Collaborate with other departments to design and implement effective business controls across Sales channels and associated units.
• Assist Sales units in complying with Governance, Internal Audit (GIA), and second line of defense (2nd LOD) recommendations. Follow up on issues identified by GIA within assigned departments and monitor corrective action plan (CAP) target dates.
• Conduct periodic independent checks within Sales offices to ensure adherence to clean desk policies and proper data handling practices.
• Execute any additional tasks or assignments as requested by management in response to business needs.

Specialist Skills / Technical Knowledge Required:

• Bachelor's degree required (preferably in business administration, law, finance, or a related field).
• Over 7 years of experience in retail banking, back-end operations, quality assurance, governance, support, compliance, or risk management (expertise in banking software and applications preferred).
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative team player.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities with meticulous attention to detail.
• Comprehensive understanding of banking operations, internal controls, and regulatory obligations.
• Strong organizational skills and detail-oriented approach.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite.
• Good knowledge of UAE banking practices, regulations, and associated risks.
• Willingness to travel within the UAE.