Regulatory Affairs Officer

Bank ABC seeks to recruit a Regulatory Affairs Officer in the Group Compliance Department based in our Head Office, in Bahrain.

The job holder will be responsible to Serve as the Group’s lead for Regulatory Affairs and Bahrain Regulatory Compliance Officer, acting as the principal point of contact with the Head Office regulator.

Govern Group Regulatory Affairs frameworks (regulatory engagement, regulatory reporting governance, and regulatory change) and own the Group Reputational Risk Management Framework, coordinating the Group Reputational Risk Committee.

At Head Office, implement the Compliance Risk Management Framework, including identification and assessment of applicable laws and regulations, risk‑based compliance monitoring, and reporting to the Compliance & Financial Crime Compliance Committee (CFCC).

Partner closely with Compliance Oversight Testing, Financial Crime Compliance, Compliance Operations, and Business Advisory to ensure regulatory expectations are met without constraining responsible growth.

Responsibilities of the role:

The key accountabilities of the role are:

• Primary liaison with the Head Office (HO) regulator; manage supervisory engagement and examinations
• Oversee Group-wide regulatory change and horizon scanning program; driving timely impact assessment and implementation
• Govern regulatory reporting controls and attestations; oversee remediation of deficiencies
• Own the Group Reputational Risk Framework and act as Secretary to the Group Reputational Risk Committee (GRRC)
• Implement the Group compliance risk management framework for HO activities (regulatory requirements register, Compliance Risk Assessments, issues/breach management)
• Run risk‑based compliance monitoring for HO activities, and report outcomes to Compliance Financial Crime Compliance Committee (CFCC); act as CFCC Secretary
• Coordinate inspections, RFIs, licensing/approvals, and material change notifications with the HO regulator
• Provide clear Management Information (MI) to the Group Chief Compliance Officer and committees on regulatory interactions, change pipeline and regulatory reporting governance

Head Office Regulatory Compliance Responsibilities

• Regulator liaison: Be the main contact with the HO regulator; plan meetings, prepare packs, keep action logs
• Regulatory change: Track new/updated rules for HO; assess impact, assign owners, and follow up until closure
• Regulatory reporting: Keep the HO reporting calendar; oversee accuracy/timeliness via spot checks and attestations
• Regulatory requirements and risk assessment: Maintain the HO regulatory requirements register; run periodic compliance risk assessments and update controls
• Compliance monitoring: Deliver a risk‑based monitoring plan for HO activities; issue findings, agree actions, and verify closures
• Inspections and RFIs: Coordinate responses; maintain a log of findings/commitments and drive timely remediation
• Licensing and notifications: Coordinate license applications/variations and material change notifications with proper sign‑offs
• Compliance Training: Coordinate the HO compliance training plan (mandatory and role‑based); track progress and escalate non-completion
• CFCC secretariat: Manage CFCC agenda, papers, minutes, and action tracking; present concise compliance MI

Group Regulatory Affairs Responsibilities

• Group regulatory change framework: Oversee Group horizon scanning; set impact assessment standards and track implementation across Units
• Regulatory reporting governance: Set Group regulatory reporting tracking controls/QA standards
• Regulator engagement standards: Define protocols for meetings, approvals, documentation, and commitment tracking across the Group
• Group inspections and commitments: Coordinate cross‑entity responses to HO regulator reviews; monitor closure of Group actions
• Licensing governance: Oversee Group processes for licenses/variations and maintain a consolidated obligations/filings register
• Reputational risk framework: Own the Group Reputational Risk Management Framework, coordinating with key stakeholders to ensure relevant indicators are established and reputational risk checks are embedded in product/client/third‑party processes
• GRRC secretariat: Coordinate case intake/triage, agenda, minutes, and actions; ensure consistent decision criteria
• Reporting and MI: Provide clear MI on regulatory engagements, change status, reporting health and findings

General

• Provide timely, practical, value-added Compliance advisory to business and functional units, including to overseas Compliance teams, where applicable
• Support the Bank in development and implementation of the Regulatory Compliance and Financial Crime framework, policies and procedures, in partnership with the Group document owners
• Demonstrate proactive identification and management of key regulatory risks and issues in areas under responsibility
• Self-identification of compliance related audit issues in areas under responsibility
• Acceptable rating for audits on Compliance or compliance related issues
• Closure of outstanding audit issues within stipulated time period or as agreed with Group Audit

Areas of Knowledge, Qualification and Experience

• 10+ years of experience with regulatory compliance or related risk management
• Minimum Bachelor degree and certification in compliance related issues
• Relevant banking experience in compliance and / or risk management
• Regulatory Compliance related experience is a plus
• Mature and good communicator.
• Strong writing and drafting skills.
• Team player & Self-Motivate