Internal Audit Manager – Financial Crime

About the role

The Lead Auditor – Financial Crime & Compliance will head audits across AML, CTF, sanctions, fraud prevention and customer due‑diligence processes. Reporting to the Head of Internal Audit, you will independently assess the effectiveness of the bank’s financial crime prevention framework and provide actionable recommendations to senior management and regulators.

Key responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end audits of financial crime and compliance processes, including AML, CTF, sanctions, fraud prevention and CDD/KYC/KYB.
• Plan and execute risk‑based audit engagements covering first‑ and second‑line controls.
• Evaluate design and operating effectiveness of frameworks against CBUAE regulations, internal policies and international best practices.
• Assess compliance‑owned processes such as regulatory horizon scanning, change management, monitoring programmes and policy governance.
• Identify control gaps, thematic risks and opportunities to strengthen prevention controls.
• Conduct deep‑dive reviews of high‑risk areas like transaction monitoring, sanctions screening and customer risk profiling.
• Lead or support forensic reviews of suspected financial crime, fraud or control breaches.
• Apply advanced data analytics to detect anomalies, control weaknesses and emerging risks.
• Support development of continuous auditing and monitoring capabilities.
• Report audit findings and recommendations to senior management and regulators.

Required profile

• Extensive experience in financial crime compliance, AML/CTF regulations and forensic investigations.
• Strong investigative mindset with proven data‑analytics capabilities.
• Ability to work independently, manage full audit lifecycles and maintain audit independence.
• Up‑to‑date knowledge of regulatory developments and enforcement trends.

Required skills

• Data analytics
• Forensic investigation techniques
• Knowledge of AML, CTF, sanctions and KYC frameworks