AML/CTF Officer - UAE

About Us

Tamara is the leading fintech platform in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC region with a mission to help people make their dreams come true by building the most customer-centric financial super-app on earth. The company serves millions of users in KSA, UAE and Kuwait, and partners with leading global and regional brands such as SHEIN, Jarir, noon, Amazon, IKEA, eXtra and Farfetch as well as small and medium businesses.

Tamara is Saudi’s first fintech unicorn and is backed by Sanabil Investments, SNB Capital, Checkout.com, amongst others, operating out of its headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with other regional and global support offices..

About the role

The AML Officer is responsible for performing day-to-day Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) activities to ensure compliance with Local regulatory requirements.
This role focuses on transaction monitoring, customer due diligence (CDD/EDD), sanctions screening, and investigation of suspicious activity, ensuring timely escalation to the MLRO and accurate reporting to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)

Your responsibilities

Transaction Monitoring & Alert Management:

• Review and investigate AML alerts generated by the transaction monitoring system (TMS).
• Identify unusual or suspicious patterns, conduct detailed analysis, and document the rationale for closure or escalation.
• Support tuning and calibration of TMS rules to improve control effectiveness and reduce false positives.
• Liaise with the MLRO on STR/SAR escalation to the FIU.
• Contribute to AML training, awareness, and periodic control testing

Customer Due Diligence (CDD & EDD)

• Perform onboarding reviews to ensure accurate and complete KYC documentation for individuals and entities.
• Assist in enhanced due diligence (EDD) for high-risk customers, PEPs, or adverse media hits.

Screening & Sanctions Compliance

• Conduct name screening for customers and counterparties against sanctions, PEP, and adverse media lists.
• Investigate and disposition potential matches in line with the sanctions screening SOP.
• Support the MLRO in managing periodic list updates and system validation.

Your expertise

• 2–4 years of experience in Compliance, AML/CFT and Financial Crime within the financial sector.
• Strong analytical, research, and critical-thinking skills with the ability to interpret complex data
• Attention to detail and accuracy when handling large data sets or documentation.
• Prior experience in transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, or CDD reviews
• Familiarity with AML/CFT regulations, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, and regulatory reporting (STR/SAR).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; ability to collaborate across Compliance, Risk, and Operations teams.
• Arabic proficiency is a plus.
• Compliance certifications such as CAMS, CFCS, or C2S are an advantage.