Senior Manager - Payments Regulatory Compliance

Role: Senior Manager - Payments Regulatory Compliance
Location: Abu Dhabi - Dubai

Role Purpose:

In an environment where accurate, timely, and auditable implementation of regulatory mandates is fundamental to the bank’s license, reputation, and stakeholder confidence, this role serves as the single-point compass for the bank’s regulatory technology and compliance-driven initiatives.

The incumbent will own, guide, and govern the end-to-end delivery of Payments regulatory mandates, ensuring full alignment with expectations from the Central Bank of the UAE, other regulators, ratings agencies, shareholders internal risk governance bodies and International and group subsidiaries (where required). The Payments ecosystem includes SWIFT, Corridor’s, Digital Channels, DDS, WPS, Standing Order , Clearing, IPP, IPI, FTS and Buna including not limited to Internal applications/Systems and Middleware .

This role is accountable for translating regulatory intent, Circular’s, Rule books and SSM’s into clear execution strategies, enabling cross-functional delivery while maintaining strong regulatory relationships and executive-level visibility.

Key Accountabilities of the role:

• Regulatory Ownership & Governance

• Act as the bank’s internal authority for regulatory technology and mandated initiatives.

• Interpret regulatory circulars, standards, and advisories; translate them into actionable, sequenced implementation roadmaps.

• Maintain continuous readiness for regulatory inspections, thematic reviews, and audits.

• Maintain proactive engagement with Regulators and their affiliated entities to ensure transparency, trust and alignment on compliance objectives.

• Strategic Liaison & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary liaison between:

• Internal Compliance, Risk, Legal, Technology, Operations, Payments, and Business teams including Digital Teams across both the segments

• External regulators and their subsidiaries, including AEP (Al Etihad payments), Nebras, Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization , UBF and other competent bodies as set forth .

• Coordinate regulatory clarifications, interpretations, and responses, ensuring consistency and accuracy.

• Represent the bank credibly in regulatory forums, working groups, and industry discussions.

• Foster industry collaboration by connecting with peer banks to monitor regulatory response, share best practices, and identify partnership opportunities that support ADIB's compliance strategy.

• Leadership – Key Regulatory Initiatives

• Own and oversee bank-wide delivery of regulatory and Central bank-driven programs, including but not limited to:

• Payments and settlement regulatory initiatives ( IPP, IPI, FTS and Cross Border)

• Open Finance mandates

• WPS compliance and enhancements (MOHRE)

• Direct Debit Authority

• ICCS

• Emerging RegTech, SupTech, and data/reporting mandates

• Ensuring dependencies, sequencing, and risk impacts are proactively managed across initiatives.

• Cross-Functional Enablement & Advisory
• Provide clear guidance and advisory to cross-functional delivery teams implementing regulatory mandates.

• Challenge designs and delivery approaches to ensure regulatory alignment, scalability, and sustainability.

• Resolve conflicts between business priorities and regulatory obligations, escalating decisively when required.

• Risk, Reputation & License Protection
• Actively safeguard the bank’s:

• Regulatory license and standing

• Credit ratings and supervisory confidence

• Shareholder trust and brand reputation

• Proactively identify regulatory delivery risks and ensure timely mitigation.

• Business Risk Controls and Governance
• Data Quality & Consistency Checks are conducted in line with Compliance / Fraud Control / internal policy requirement for continuous improvement of process for maintenance, new to bank and business banking customers

• Ensure control are put in place to minimize errors / Fraud and Delays in the process

• Ensure the originations process is carried out in a timely manner as per Operational / Credit / Risk / Business / Regulatory policies

• To ensure documentation Standards are followed as per the guidelines set by internal Compliance team

• Ensuring that banking procedures are communicated and carried out in a consistent manner which is in line with ADIB policies and procedures

• Always be updated on any change pertaining to Retail and Corporate/BBD account opening in the policy or procedures rolled out by the compliance, fraud, Sharia & legal team and ensure the same is shared immediately for implementation & adherence

• Ensuring the controls placed are effective and identifying & fixing any gaps in the process by means of Quality checks and sample checks

Specialist Skills / Technical Knowledge Required for this role:

• Very good knowledge of Cash Management and Payments Products Local and International

• Good leadership skills & Team player

• Self-motivated

• Able to multitask, prioritize and work under pressure

• Control Environment Including Risk Management

• Business Skills Including Deliver Solutions and Decision Making

• Management & Leadership

• Personal & Interpersonal Skills: Including Communication & Influence and Collaboration

• Abilities in ensuring Regulatory Compliance Standards are met across the Dept/units

• Strong analytical /financial analysis skills

• Project Management Skills

• Strategic Planning