Head of Governance & Risk

Hiring: Head of Governance & Risk | Dubai | Insurance / Financial Services/Real Estate

We are hiring for a Head of Governance and Risk for one of our leading Dubai-based Real Estate clients. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the enterprise risk function and build a modern, tech-enabled risk management framework within a regulated financial services environment.

🔹 The Opportunity

As the Head of Risk, you will design, implement, and embed a pragmatic and technology-driven risk management approach that safeguards customers and the business while enabling growth.

You will own the full risk lifecycle—setting risk appetite, strengthening governance, engaging with the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), and providing effective challenge to first-line teams.

This is a mid-level, high-impact role offering autonomy, hands-on execution, and direct visibility to senior leadership.

CBUAE-registered candidates or those eligible for immediate registration are preferred.

🔹 Key Responsibilities

• Lead and own the Entity Risk Management Framework (ERMF) across 1LoD/2LoD/3LoD
• Conduct and refresh entity-level Risk Assessments; coordinate RCSAs and track remediation
• Develop and maintain the Risk Appetite Statement (RAS) with clear KRIs and escalation paths
• Maintain comprehensive risk registers across operational, conduct, financial, outsourcing, cyber/IT, data privacy, fraud/FC, and BCP domains
• Manage regulatory risk filings and responses to CBUAE; prepare Board and Risk Committee packs
• Lead risk events/loss events—from incident intake to RCA and external notifications
• Oversee IT & Cyber Risk: vendor risk, change/access controls, vulnerability management, DR/BCP alignment
• Maintain and update all policies, standards, procedures, and governance documentation
• Build dashboards and monitor KRIs/KPIs, action tracking, and thematic risk trends
• Run scenario analysis and stress testing tailored to insurance intermediaries
• Lead outsourcing & third-party risk management, including due diligence and contract governance
• Partner with Compliance/MLRO on AML/CFT, conduct risk, complaints, and other interfaces
• Coach first-line teams and build a strong risk-aware culture across the organization

🔹 Requirements

• 7–10 years of risk management experience, ideally within UAE insurance (broker/aggregator/insurer) or regulated financial services
• CBUAE registration in a risk role or clear eligibility
• Proven ownership of ERMF, RAS, enterprise risk assessments, risk registers
• Strong expertise in operational, conduct, outsourcing, and IT/cyber risk
• Experience engaging with regulators, auditors, and senior leadership; confident in providing effective challenge
• Strong exposure to GRC systems, BI dashboards (Power BI/Tableau/Sheets), and action-tracking tools
• Bachelor’s degree required; relevant certifications (IRM, ISO 27001, CRISC) preferred
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and analytical skills; pragmatic and business-focused.

📩 How to Apply

If you meet the above criteria and are looking to take on a high-impact role in a dynamic, regulated environment, please apply or share your profile with us at [email protected]