Risk & Appetite Frameworks Lead

A leading institution in the UAE is building and scaling a digital-first financial services organisation. The organisation will initially focus on client segments in the UAE, including mid to large corporates and institutional clients, with plans to expand into additional segments over time. Backed by a strong balance sheet and significant business pipeline, it aims to become a modern, AI-enabled full-service organisation in the UAE.

About Role:

The Risk Appetite & Frameworks Lead defines the risk appetite statements and maintains the Risk Function's framework and policy architecture. The role translates the Board's risk appetite into limits and monitoring and coordinates the Risk Function policy suite (frameworks, policies, standards and procedures owned within Risk) from inception. This role is the Risk Function's counterpart, ensuring Risk-owned documents nest cleanly into the entity's -wide 9-level documentation hierarchy. It sits within Enterprise Risk Management in the second line.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and maintain the risk appetite statement, translating it into limits, thresholds, and early-warning triggers.
• Develop and maintain the Risk Function framework and risk taxonomy, aligned with the entity-wide 9-level documentation hierarchy owned by Enterprise Governance.
• Own the Risk Function policy suite (risk-owned frameworks, policies, standards and procedures), coordinating drafting, review, and approval within Risk.
• Coordinate with the Head of Enterprise Governance to ensure Risk-owned documents nest into the bank-wide policy hierarchy and follow the shared house style.
• Monitor adherence to risk appetite and escalate breaches to Enterprise Risk Management and the Model Risk / Risk Committees.
• Support the annual risk appetite review and calibration with Finance and the risk teams.
• Prepare risk appetite and Risk Function framework materials for the Risk Committee and Board Risk & Compliance Committee.
• Deploy AI-enabled analytics to monitor risk appetite metrics, limits, and early-warning triggers in near real time, surfacing emerging breaches and trends across risk types for proactive escalation.
• Leverage AI and automation to streamline framework and policy maintenance — drafting, mapping, and reviewing risk-owned documents against the entity-wide hierarchy and regulatory change.

Required Experience & Skills:

• 8+ years in enterprise or integrated risk management within banking or financial services, including team leadership.
• Deep expertise across risk appetite design, risk frameworks, risk taxonomy, and policy development.
• Track record building risk appetite frameworks and policies in a regulated environment.
• Knowledge of CBUAE risk appetite and governance expectations, and familiarity with the entity-wide documentation hierarchy owned by Enterprise Governance.
• Exposure to AI-enabled risk analytics and monitoring tooling.
• Able to think beyond traditional, manual risk-framework processes; brings experience of automated or AI-enabled risk services, and advanced risk appetite analytics and monitoring.

Qualifications & Certifications: (Preferred)

• Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, risk management, or a quantitative discipline preferred.
• A professional risk certification (e.g. FRM or PRM) is preferred.
• Candidates must meet CBUAE Fit & Proper requirements, and any applicable controlled-function eligibility criteria where required.

Ready to join us? Apply today and take the next step in your career.