Head of Risk & Fraud

Overview

This opportunity is shared on behalf of a partner employer that handles the application review and all subsequent hiring steps. The role is for a Head of Risk & Fraud in the United Arab Emirates.

It is a senior leadership position focused on protecting trust within a large-scale digital marketplace serving millions of active users. The role requires setting and delivering an end-to-end fraud and risk approach that supports growth while reducing financial and behavioral abuse.

Operating at the point where data, product, operations, and compliance meet, this leader will make high-stakes decisions and take full ownership of fraud-related business results. The position also involves guiding a specialist team that manages both immediate fraud defenses and long-range risk planning, including model development and partner oversight.

Your work will influence core business outcomes such as chargeback levels, approval performance, and fraud-related losses across several products. You will collaborate closely with senior leaders in Product, Engineering, Finance, and Legal to make sure risk considerations are built into major initiatives from the beginning.

This role is best suited to a strategic operator who performs well in fast-paced, analytics-led environments.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the full fraud and risk commercial impact, including chargeback performance, payout rates, approval rates, and false-positive outcomes across the business.
• Set the global fraud and risk direction so it supports business expansion, product growth, and marketplace trust.
• Lead and grow the Risk & Fraud team, creating strong second-line leadership and a high-performing culture grounded in data.
• Shape and deliver the fraud prevention plan, covering build-versus-buy choices, platform enhancements, and model improvements.
• Manage key external fraud-prevention partnerships, including service levels, request-for-proposal processes, testing approaches, and commercial negotiations.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Finance, and Legal to ensure risk controls are included in new features and initiatives from the start.
• Oversee compliance and regulatory obligations tied to KYC, PSP requirements, and law-enforcement requests across multiple markets.
• Act as the final escalation authority for complex fraud and risk matters, representing the function in executive and leadership discussions.

Requirements

• At least 8 years of experience in fraud, risk management, financial crime, or a closely related field within high-growth digital businesses.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including building or managing strong teams with full ownership of risk outcomes.
• Proven success in lowering fraud, chargebacks, or losses through structural improvements and data-led actions.
• Strong commercial judgment, with hands-on experience managing vendors, negotiating SLAs, and owning external relationships.
• Highly analytical approach with the ability to read dashboards, identify root causes, and work independently; SQL or Databricks experience is an advantage.
• Background in marketplaces, fintech, payments, e-commerce, or gaming environments with heavy transaction volumes and fraud exposure.
• Good understanding of fraud patterns such as account takeover, promo abuse, and reseller fraud.
• Solid knowledge of compliance expectations, including KYC, PSP regulations, and risk governance standards.
• Excellent English communication skills and the ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional conversations.
• Leadership style centered on coaching, team growth, and building scalable organizational structures.

Perks and Benefits

• Employee stock option plan.
• Performance-linked bonuses and referral incentives.
• Extra paid leave options.
• Dedicated budget for learning and development.
• Paid volunteering opportunities.
• Flexible working arrangement with remote, office, or hybrid options, plus travel opportunities.
• Strong growth prospects within a fast-scaling global marketplace.
• Structured feedback and promotion practices to support rapid professional advancement.

Additional Information

The hiring process is managed directly by the partner company. Applications are reviewed through an AI-assisted matching process intended to help identify candidates whose experience best fits the role. The shortlist is then passed to the employer, who handles interviews, assessments, and final decisions.

By applying, candidates acknowledge that their personal data may be processed for candidacy evaluation and shared with the hiring employer in line with applicable data protection requirements. AI tools may support parts of the recruitment workflow, including application review and resume analysis, but human judgment remains central to final hiring decisions.