Internal Control Officer - SME

Job Overview

This role is responsible for reinforcing the governance, risk management, and internal control mechanisms within the Business Banking sales division. The officer ensures swift detection and management of operational, conduct, and regulatory risks affecting the sales unit, promoting high compliance standards, quality sales processes, and excellent customer experiences without compromising sales productivity.

Core Responsibilities

• Monitor compliance with internal policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), service level agreements (SLAs), and regulatory mandates across various sales channels.
• Identify and escalate control deficiencies, operational risks, and breaches in compliance while tracking their resolution.
• Support both internal and external audits with the goal of closing findings promptly.
• Enhance control frameworks in line with regulatory bodies such as CBUAE and internal compliance policies.
• Manage customer complaints end-to-end through coordination with the Customer Care Unit, investigating issues including mis-selling, service gaps, and potential fraud.
• Perform root cause analyses (RCSA) and oversee corrective and preventive measures.
• Supervise lead management, onboarding quality controls, and proper documentation practices.
• Ensure strict adherence to Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and onboarding regulations.
• Develop, maintain, and publish governance dashboards capturing management efficiency reports, KPIs, and risk indicators.
• Detect suspicious activities indicative of fraud, escalate cases to Fraud and Investigation teams, and enforce strong preventive controls.
• Review and update SOPs, SLAs, and operational manuals regularly to optimize processes.
• Collaborate with business, operations, and product teams to streamline operations and encourage digital tool adoption and automation.
• Conduct periodic audits and field visits to sales units, ensuring compliance in documentation, record keeping, and workspace management.
• Manage unresolved issues to ensure timely resolution and enforce proper handling of customer data in line with privacy standards.
• Track and ensure completion of mandatory compliance, AML, and conduct trainings.
• Organize awareness sessions focusing on governance, risk management, and compliance.
• Foster a culture of accountability and ethical selling practices.
• Oversee Business Continuity Planning for the unit.
• Work collaboratively with sales teams, customer care, compliance, fraud investigation, operations, and product departments to maintain seamless coordination between business and control functions.
• Supervise user access controls and segregation of duties within critical systems.
• Resolve complex customer complaints and operational challenges efficiently, aiming for sustainable, systemic solutions rather than quick fixes.
• Balance business goals with risk management and compliance demands.
• Recommend and drive process improvements and control enhancements.
• Escalate high-risk issues, fraud cases, and compliance violations promptly.
• Influence the definition of SLAs, governance structures, and reporting mechanisms.
• Engage in projects related to sales transformation, onboarding improvements, and control frameworks.

Skills and Experience

The role requires profound knowledge in governance, risk management, compliance frameworks, audit support, and process optimization. Strong analytical capabilities to conduct root cause analyses and drive corrective actions are essential. The ability to coordinate across numerous departments and lead fraud risk mitigation efforts is vital, along with experience in customer complaint resolution and ensuring regulatory adherence.