We are seeking an experienced Sanctions Manager to lead the organization’s sanctions compliance program in the UAE, overseeing sanctions screening, alert management, investigations, escalation, sanctions-risk assessments, controls, governance, and regulatory compliance.
About the Role — Sanctions Compliance Leadership
Core Scope: Sanctions screening, alert management, investigations, and regulatory compliance
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Compliance, AML, KYC, Financial Crime, Legal, Risk, Payments, Treasury
Screening Coverage: Customers, beneficial owners, counterparties, transactions, payments, and vendors
Systems: Sanctions-screening platforms, AML/KYC systems, case management, and Power BI
Geographic Scope: UAE, GCC, Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, and other international markets
 Career Impact & Sanctions Leadership Opportunity
Strategic Location: UAE — a critical hub for cross-border payments and international sanctions compliance
Technical Ownership: Full ownership of sanctions strategy, governance, and risk assessment
Regulatory Exposure: Deep engagement with UAE AML/CFT and international sanctions regimes
Career Growth: Clear progression toward Senior Sanctions Manager, Head of Financial Crime Compliance, or Chief Compliance Officer
Position Overview
The successful candidate will manage sanctions screening across customers, beneficial owners, counterparties, transactions, payments, vendors, and other relevant parties, while overseeing potential-match investigations, sanctions-related escalations, control testing, regulatory updates, screening-technology performance, remediation, and management reporting.
Why This Role Matters:Â As Sanctions Manager, you develop and maintain the organization’s sanctions compliance strategy, ensuring alignment with UAE requirements and international sanctions regimes, oversee sanctions screening across customers, beneficial owners, counterparties, transactions, and payments, lead investigations of potential sanctions matches, distinguishing false positives from true matches with rigorous documentation, manage sanctions-screening alerts, establishing prioritization criteria, investigation standards, and resolution timelines, work closely with Payments, Treasury, Procurement, and Vendor Management teams to ensure comprehensive screening coverage, and build a strategically important financial-crime control function with direct exposure to senior leadership across Compliance, AML, Legal, and Risk.
 Key Responsibilities
Sanctions Strategy & Governance
- Develop and maintain the organization’s sanctions compliance strategy and establish policies, procedures, and controls
- Ensure sanctions controls align with UAE requirements, international regimes, and internal risk appetite
Risk Assessment & Screening
- Conduct and maintain sanctions-risk assessments across customers, counterparties, products, and jurisdictions
- Oversee sanctions screening across customers, beneficial owners, directors, vendors, and payment parties
Transaction & Payment Screening
- Manage sanctions controls for payments, transfers, trade transactions, and remittance activity
- Work closely with Payments and Treasury teams to monitor cross-border transaction screening
Investigations & Alert Management
- Lead investigations of potential sanctions matches, distinguishing false positives from true matches
- Manage sanctions-screening alerts, establishing prioritization, investigation standards, and resolution timelines
Qualifications & Requirements
Educational Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Law, Compliance, Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, International Relations, Business Administration, or related discipline
Experience Requirements
- 6-12+ years of relevant experience in sanctions, AML, financial crime, compliance, banking, payments, or regulatory risk
- Strong practical knowledge of sanctions-screening and investigation processes
- Experience managing sanctions-alert operations and customer/transaction screening
Essential Skills
- Strong understanding of international sanctions frameworks and financial-crime controls
- Strong investigative and analytical skills with excellent judgment and escalation capability
- Strong stakeholder-management skills and excellent attention to detail
- Fluency in English required; Arabic is an advantage
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Law, Compliance, Finance, Risk Management, AML, or related field
- CAMS, ICA, CFCS, or equivalent professional certification
- Experience with screening-model tuning, validation, and complex corporate structures
- Strong Power BI, SQL, or data-analysis skills
 About the Opportunity
This role sits within a robust sanctions compliance framework designed to protect the organization from regulatory, financial, operational, and reputational risks associated with sanctions violations. The Sanctions function works closely across Compliance, AML, KYC, Financial Crime, Legal, Risk, Payments, Treasury, Operations, Technology, and senior management, offering exposure to a strategically important financial-crime control function with clear career progression toward senior compliance leadership roles.
Career Excellence: Lead a strategically important sanctions compliance function within an internationally regulated UAE organization, with a clear path toward senior compliance and financial crime leadership.
 Who Should Apply?
- Sanctions & Financial Crime Professionals:Â With 6-12+ years across sanctions, AML, or compliance
- CAMS/ICA/CFCS Certified Specialists:Â Holding recognized financial crime compliance certifications
- Sanctions Screening Technology Experts:Â Familiar with World-Check, ComplyAdvantage, or NICE Actimize
- UAE/GCC Compliance Professionals:Â With regional sanctions and AML regulatory experience
- Investigation-Focused Analysts:Â Skilled in name matching, alert resolution, and escalation decisions
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