Chief Compliance Officer

Owns the bank's regulatory and ethics framework end-to-end, SAMA reporting, AML/CFT and sanctions program, board-level reporting, and the response posture during regulatory examinations. At a Saudi Tier 1 bank the CCO is a board-reporting role with a direct line to the Audit Committee Chair, typically managing 30–80 compliance staff across AML, sanctions, market conduct, anti-bribery, and increasingly data governance and AI model oversight as digital channels expand.

SAMA's regulatory expansion since 2023, enhanced fit-and-proper standards, FATF-aligned AML thresholds, the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law, and the 2024 expansion of SAMA's fining authority, has created real scarcity at the CCO grade. Nitaqat Platinum status for banks (60% Saudi nationals) narrows the qualified pool further. Vision 2030 capital flows through the national energy company, the sovereign wealth fund, and giga-project financing put Tier 1 banks under regulatory scrutiny they didn't face five years ago, and the CCO carries personal regulatory accountability under the Banking Control Law.

• 15+ years compliance, legal, or regulatory experience, at least 5 in a Tier 1 bank or with a primary GCC regulator
• ACAMS (preferred), ICA Diploma in Governance Risk & Compliance, or equivalent senior credential
• SAMA Compliance Officer fit-and-proper accreditation
• Saudi national strongly preferred, Saudization implications meaningful at board-reporting tier
• Arabic and English working fluency
• Track record leading SAMA examinations; cross-regulator experience (CBUAE, CMA) a plus

40–50 hours typical, with quarterly board-cycle peaks. Ramadan reduced hours observed (6 hours for Muslims, 8 for non-Muslims). On-call during regulatory examinations and material incidents. 5–10 cross-GCC trips per year for group-bank roles.

Target bonus 30–60% of base, paid March/April. Long-term incentive plans standard at this seniority, typically 3-year cliff-vesting equity or shadow equity in non-listed banks. Sign-on bonuses of 6–12 months' base for external hires given the scarcity of qualified Saudi nationals at this grade.

Riyadh-based CCOs at the largest Saudi HQ banks carry larger remit than Dubai or Doha equivalents because SAMA's Risk-Based Supervision regime concentrates regulatory dialogue in Riyadh. The CCO–regulator relationship at Saudi HQ banks is more direct than market-conduct equivalents elsewhere in the GCC.

SAMA's December 2024 update to the Banking Compliance Manual materially expanded record-keeping requirements. The 2025 launch of the Integrated Bank Compliance Reporting Platform shifted compliance teams from periodic manual reporting to continuous data submission. Banks with strong leadership are now hiring 20–40 compliance staff to operationalise the new regime, which requires a CCO who can architect the function, not just supervise it.