Director

Director, Financial Crime Advisory

Protiviti is seeking a Director to lead business development and project delivery for Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) advisory services. This full-time role is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a focus on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and visibility across the GCC region. The position requires a seasoned professional with extensive technical expertise, a proven track record in business development, and strong leadership capabilities to build and scale an FCC advisory practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Business Development & Practice Growth: Drive the end-to-end business development lifecycle for FCC advisory services in KSA and the GCC. Build and maintain relationships with C-suite, CCO, CMLCO, and senior compliance leaders at financial institutions. Identify, pursue, and close new advisory mandates across various FCC services, including gap assessments, AML/CFT program reviews, sanctions and transaction monitoring (TM) model validation, and KYC/CDD/EDD remediation. Develop client proposals and thought leadership content aligned with SAMA, CBUAE, and FATF regulatory priorities. Commercialize innovative FCC advisory solutions, including digital products, and achieve annual revenue targets of USD 1 million and above from managed client accounts. Represent the firm at industry forums and regulatory engagement events.
• Project Delivery & Quality Assurance: Lead complex, multi-workstream FCC advisory engagements for KSA and GCC clients, ensuring timely, on-budget, and high-quality outcomes. Serve as the senior engagement lead and subject matter expert across core FCC domains such as gap assessments, AML/CFT program design and remediation, sanctions and TM model validation, KYC/CDD/EDD remediation, and financial crime risk assessments. Provide expert guidance on the selection, implementation, and configuration of leading sanctions screening and TM technology platforms. Review and quality-assure all deliverables before client submission. Mentor and develop junior and mid-level team members.
• Team Building & Leadership: Recruit, build, and manage a high-performing FCC advisory team in KSA, setting clear performance expectations and development pathways. Foster an inclusive, accountable, and high-energy team culture aligned with the firm's values. Act as a role model for quality standards, client service, and ethical conduct.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• Total Professional Experience: 15+ years.
• FCC Advisory / Consulting Experience: 10+ years.
• FCC Advisory Sales / Business Development: 5+ years selling FCC projects to banks.
• FCC Project Execution: 10+ years delivering FCC engagements.
• Team Building & Management: Demonstrated experience in building and managing a team.
• Client Account Management: Proven ability to generate USD 1 million+ revenue per annum from managed accounts.

Technical and Domain Expertise

• FCC Advisory Solutions: Deep, hands-on expertise in gap assessments (AML/CFT, sanctions, anti-bribery), sanctions & transaction monitoring (TM) model validation, sanctions & TM system tuning & optimisation, KYC/CDD/EDD remediation, monitorship/Skilled Persons Review (SPR) support, financial crime risk assessments (FCRA), AML/CFT program design and implementation, and regulatory examination readiness and response.
• Technology & Systems: Hands-on experience with sanctions screening systems (*, Fircosoft/Accuity, Oracle Financial Services) and transaction monitoring systems (*, SAS AML, NICE Actimize, Oracle FCCM, Temenos Financial Crime Mitigation, FIS MANTAS). Mandatory experience in at least one full system selection and one implementation/configuration engagement.
• Digital, Innovation & Data Science: Must have built at least one differentiated digital/technology-enabled FCC advisory solution and brought it to market. Strong understanding of RegTech, AI/ML, and automation in financial crime risk management. Knowledge of data science concepts and tools (Python preferred) for FCC analytics. Ability to articulate, demonstrate, and sell data-driven FCC solutions to C-suite and technical buyers.

Candidate Profile and Attributes

The ideal candidate is highly motivated, self-driven, and proactive, demonstrating a long-term commitment to building and scaling a financial crime advisory practice. This role requires a quality-conscious professional with exceptional attention to detail and commercial acumen to originate, shape, price, and close consulting mandates. The Director will be a relationship builder with a credible personal brand within the GCC banking and regulatory ecosystem, communicating with clarity and confidence at all levels. Leadership by example, mentorship of junior team members, and resilience in a fast-moving regulatory environment are essential.

Preferred Qualifications

• Data Science (Python): Working knowledge of Python for FCC-related analytics.
• Consulting Background: Experience from a Big 4 firm, global management consultancy, or a specialist FCC advisory firm with international standards exposure.
• FCC Technology Vendor Experience: Prior experience at or with an FCC technology vendor (*, Accuity, SAS, Actimize, Oracle).