Head of Compliance

Head of Compliance

Function: Compliance - Investment Banking.

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors (via the Audit & Risk Committee)

The Head of Compliance is responsible for designing and executing Estithmar Capital compliance strategy and framework in accordance with Qatar, QFCRA, and international best practices as needed. The role ensures the firm's full regulatory adherence in its domestic operations and provides oversight of compliance functions across its investments in financial institutions in multiple jurisdictions, ensuring group-wide alignment with regulatory standards and ethical practices. This individual also manages compliance oversight of all correspondent banking relationships, ensuring robust due diligence, transaction monitoring, and regulatory transparency.

Key Responsibilities

Regulatory Compliance & Governance

• Ensure the firm's activities fully comply with applicable QFCRA rulebooks (GENE, COND, AML/CFT, PIIB).
• Maintain a compliance framework that supports local execution and centralized governance.
• Ensure the firm operates strictly within its regulatory authorization under the QFC license.
• Maintain and regularly update a documented Compliance Monitoring Program (CMP).

Group-Level Compliance Oversight

• Oversee the compliance governance of all investments in financial institutions across various jurisdictions.
• Establish oversight protocols to assess and monitor each investee institution's compliance systems, policies, and reporting structures.
• Coordinate with local compliance officers at subsidiary or partner financial institutions to ensure adherence to both local laws and group-level risk thresholds.
• Implement escalation procedures for material compliance breaches or regulatory risks emerging from any jurisdiction.

Correspondent Banking Relationships

• Oversee compliance, governance and due diligence for all correspondent banking and financial institutions relationships globally.
• Lead the risk assessment, onboarding, and ongoing monitoring of counterparties, ensuring full documentation, sanctions screening, and adherence to AML standards.
• Coordinate with the Risk and Legal teams to validate each relationship's compliance posture and ensure operational safeguards.

Internal Policies and Procedures

• Develop and maintain all internal compliance policies, including client onboarding, CDD/KYC, conflict of interest, market conduct, and whistleblowing.
• Align internal policies with applicable QFC rules and international best practices (e.g., FATF, IOSCO, Basel).

Monitoring & Reporting

• Conduct regular compliance audits and risk assessments across all business units and geographies.
• Ensure timely submission of all regulatory filings to the QFCRA and other related stakeholders, and report all material breaches, suspicious transactions, or regulatory developments.
• Maintain an up-to-date compliance risk register and report regularly to the Board and QFCRA and all related stakeholders.

Advisory & Business Support

• Advise senior management, the Board, and front-office teams on regulatory risks related to new products, markets, or jurisdictional expansion.
• Ensure compliance is integrated into the design and approval of investment structures, including SPVs and cross-border financial instruments.

Regulatory & Institutional Engagement

• Serve as the primary contact for the QFCRA and any other relevant regulators regarding compliance matters.
• Support regulatory inspections, thematic reviews, and manage correspondence related to regulatory queries or investigations.
• Engage with regulatory and compliance counterparts at peer institutions to benchmark and refine compliance practices.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in law, Finance, or Business (master's or professional certification preferred: ICA, CAMS, etc.).
• Minimum of 10 years senior compliance experience in financial services, with direct exposure to multi-jurisdictional compliance governance and correspondent banking oversight.
• Strong understanding of QFCRA rules, international AML/CFT standards, and cross-border regulatory obligations.
• Experience managing compliance functions in regulated investment banks, asset managers, or financial holding companies is highly desirable.
• Accredited by QFCRA fit and proper tests

Core Competencies

• Strategic and operational leadership in compliance.
• Deep knowledge of international financial regulation.
• High ethical standards and independence of judgment.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
• Clear, concise communication with regulators and executive leadership.

Regulatory Requirements

• The candidate must be pre-approved by QFCRA as an Approved Individual, meeting all criteria of fitness and propriety.