Head of Compliance / MLRO - Lorum Return to jobs list Head of Compliance / MLRO Job type: Full Time · Department: Legal & Compliance · Work type: On-Site Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Job details Application form This role requires 4 days/in office in Dubai Internet City About Lorum The structural conflict at the centre of correspondent banking is not technological. It is economic. Banks earn revenue from their balance sheets: they lend deposits, capture FX spreads, and hold funds as long as it is rational to do so. Clearing, the act of releasing funds quickly and predictably, competes directly with those economics. An institution designed to lend has a structural incentive to hold deposits; an institution designed to clear has an incentive to release them. When one institution does both, clearing loses. The result is unpredictable settlement, trapped capital, and a correspondent network shrinking by design. Why Lorum Lorum was founded on a different premise: clearing as the business, not a byproduct. The model has been operational since 2023 and grew 55x in 2025, with USD clearing now the majority of volumes alongside a growing treasury offering. We have applied for a U.S. national trust bank charter. The people we hire now will build the clearing and treasury infrastructure it unlocks.
About
the role Lorum is seeking to appoint a senior Head of Compliance & MLRO for its Dubai-based regulated entity. This is a senior control role with responsibility for leading the entity’s compliance and financial crime framework and ensuring that it remains effective, proportionate and aligned with applicable regulatory
requirements. At the same time,
the role is an important part of the wider Lorum Group governance model and will play a central role in embedding the Dubai entity’s compliance framework within the broader group framework, policies, standards and control environment.
The role is based in Dubai and serves as the senior compliance and financial crime lead for the Dubai entity.
The role will work in close partnership with the Group Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer and within the broader Lorum Group governance framework, while maintaining direct access to local senior management and governance bodies on all material compliance and financial crime matters. This role therefore requires a candidate who can operate effectively in a group-led governance environment, contribute to the consistent implementation of group standards and frameworks, and at the same time ensure that the Dubai entity maintains a strong, credible and effective local compliance function. The successful candidate will work closely with the Group Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer and relevant group stakeholders to ensure strong alignment with the group’s overall governance, risk and compliance architecture, while maintaining clear responsibility for the effectiveness of the local compliance and AML framework.
The role requires a senior professional who combines sound regulatory judgement, practical execution and the credibility to operate effectively across both local entity and group structures. Key
responsibilities Lead and oversee the compliance and financial crime framework for the Dubai entity, ensuring that policies, procedures, controls and governance arrangements remain effective and appropriate to the nature, scale and complexity of the business act as the senior compliance lead and MLRO for the entity, subject to any required regulatory approvals ensure that the Dubai entity’s compliance framework is fully embedded within the wider Lorum Group governance and control framework, with appropriate alignment to group policies, standards, methodologies and reporting. Work closely with the Group Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer to support the implementation of group-wide compliance, risk and governance initiatives within the Dubai entity Advise local management and relevant group stakeholders on regulatory obligations, compliance risks, conduct expectations and financial crime matters relevant to the entity Serve as the principal point of contact with the regulator on compliance, AML and related supervisory matters Maintain and enhance the compliance monitoring plan for the Dubai entity, including risk-based reviews, thematic work, issue identification, remediation tracking and reporting Oversee the AML, CTF and sanctions framework, including risk assessments, escalations, suspicious activity considerations, governance, training and periodic review Review and challenge customer, transaction, product and business risk matters from a second-line perspective, ensuring that decisions are well documented, risk-based and consistent with both local
requirements and group standards Ensure that regulatory breaches, control weaknesses and compliance incidents are identified promptly, escalated appropriately and addressed through effective action plans Provide compliance and financial crime input into new products, business initiatives, outsourcing arrangements, strategic change projects and jurisdictional expansion relevant to the Dubai entity Prepare clear and high-quality reporting for local governance bodies and for relevant group committees and stakeholders Support the ongoing development of a strong compliance culture across the Dubai office, including through training, advice, constructive challenge and day-to-day engagement with the business Coordinate effectively with legal, risk, operations, internal audit and business teams locally and across the group to ensure joined-up governance and control outcomes Support the maintenance of appropriate deputy cover, escalation capability and operational resilience within the local compliance and financial crime framework Ideal candidate We are looking for a senior compliance professional with strong experience in regulated financial services and a credible track record in compliance and AML leadership roles. The ideal candidate will have: Significant experience in senior compliance and AML roles within a regulated financial services business Strong knowledge of regulatory expectations applicable to regulated firms in Dubai, particularly in relation to compliance arrangements, AML, sanctions, governance and regulatory engagement Demonstrable experience acting as, or working closely with, a Compliance Officer and/or MLRO in a regulated environment Experience operating within a wider group structure and embedding local compliance arrangements into group-wide governance, policy and control frameworks The judgement and confidence to engage directly with regulators, senior management and group leadership on complex compliance and financial crime matters A practical and commercially balanced approach, with the ability to support business growth while maintaining independence, robust control standards and effective challenge Strong drafting, reporting and communication skills, including the ability to translate regulatory
requirements into clear and workable business actions Experience in designing, implementing or strengthening compliance frameworks, monitoring programmes, governance reporting and remediation plans Strong knowledge of AML investigations, sanctions controls, suspicious activity escalation and financial crime governance High personal integrity, resilience and the confidence to escalate and challenge when required Relevant
qualifications in compliance, AML, legal, risk or audit would be advantageous The successful candidate will be: Credible, calm and authoritative Practical and solutions-oriented Comfortable operating across both local and group environments Detail-focused, while retaining sound commercial judgement Confident dealing with regulators and senior stakeholders Independent in judgement and strong in escalation Collaborative and capable of building trust across functions and management levels
Benefits Flexible vacation policy Private Healthcare Employee stock ownership (ESOP) Flexible working and autonomy Pay it forward days - we offer 2 annual pay it forward days where you can take time to volunteer for a charitable cause that is important to you. Wellness days - we believe you can only work your best when you feel your best, and we know working at Lorum is intense, so we offer 3 wellness days every quarter where you can take time to re-energize By submitting this application, I agree that my personal data will be collected, processed, and retained by the company solely for the purposes of managing and assessing my candidacy. Apply for this position Autofill from resume Save time by uploading your resume. (Only PDF or DOCX format supported) Upload file Loading... Made with
