About QNB
Established in 1964 as the country’s first Qatari-owned commercial bank, QNB Group has steadily grown to become the largest bank in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. QNB Group’s presence through its subsidiaries and associate companies extends to more than 31 countries across three continents providing a comprehensive range of advanced products and services. The total number of employees is more than 28,000 serving up to 20 million customers operating through 1,000 locations, with an ATM network of 4,300 machines.
QNB has maintained its position as one of the highest rated regional banks from leading credit rating agencies including Standard & Poor’s (A), Moody’s (Aa3) and Fitch (A+). The Bank has also been the recipient of many awards from leading international specialized financial publications.
Based on the Group’s consistent strong financial performance and its expanding international presence, QNB currently ranks as the most valuable bank brand in the Middle East and Africa, according to Brand Finance Magazine. QNB Group has an active community support program and sponsors various social, educational and sporting events.
Job Purpose Summary:
To support promoting a strong compliance culture throughout the organization. To assist in managing on a pro-active basis the Financial Crimes activities with the purpose of identifying and assessing the compliance risks associated with the business activities especially those related to Financial Crimes requirements.
Will perform regular and comprehensive compliance risk assessment and testing according to the approved compliance review plan.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities by Dimensions:
Shareholder & Financial:
- Assist the SVP - Compliance / Internal Control and AVP – Financial Crimes in ensuring sound compliance policies and practices in order to protect QNB licenses, customer relations and compliance procedures.
- To implement specific steps within the compliance program to ensure effective implementation of regulations and statutory requirements concerning Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Combating Terrorism Finance (CTF), QNB standards and Regulatory requirements.
- Support achieving the goals as defined in the annual plans regarding Compliance.
Customer (Internal & External):
- Support Customer Satisfaction, by supporting and promoting a strong compliance culture and practices.
- Ensure timely and accurate information to the Head of Compliance / Internal Control, as and when required.
- Provide efficient / optimum support to QNB departments in the assigned location, with regards to Compliance
- To assist customers in all their queries on Bank’s product and seek solution to their requests.
- Maintain activities in accordance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with internal departments/units to achieve improvements in turn-around time.
Internal (Processes, Products, Regulatory):
Acts within the limits of the powers delegated to the incumbent.
1. Planning:
- To assist in preparing and developing the annual compliance review plan.
- To assist in preparing the Compliance Monitoring Program of the Branch, covering the different Departments.
2. Assessment Criteria:
- To implement specific steps within the review program to ensure adequate bank wide coverage of Local Regulators / Central Bank’s requirements and QNB Group policies and procedures.
3. Monitoring:
- Monitor adherence of business and changes to business practices and products to ensure adequate consideration and compliance of business to regulatory and statutory requirements.
- Monitor the implementation of new regulations or amendments made to the existing regulations.
- Monitor action taken on Local Regulators / Central Banks inspectors’ recommendations to ensure effective implementation.
- Monitor the implementation of the new guidelines provided by QNB Head Office.
4. Compliance Review and Training:
- Participate in conducting scheduled and ad hoc compliance reviews as per the approved annual compliance review plan.
- Review new and amendments made to relevant policies, procedures, services and products to ensure that the implementation is within regulations and guidelines.
- Review system changes and or enhancements of Local Regulators / Central Banks returns to ensure that the implementation is within Local Regulators / Central Banks guidelines.
- Ensure that the branch complies with Financial Crimes related regulations including AML/CTF.
- Promote the employees’ awareness by providing Compliance/ AML training courses to the Branch (es) staff and Senior Managers as per the annual training approved plan.
- Promoting employees awareness by developing and coordinating bank-wide continuous in-house courses and e-training regarding compliance issues and requirements.
Financial Crime Framework:
Assist the SVP - Compliance and Internal Control and AVP – Financial Crimes in maintaining a robust Financial Crime Framework as per QNB Standard by ensuring the following:
- Clearing transactions related to sanctioned / high-risk countries.
- Communications with correspondent / beneficiary banks (through Group Compliance) about Compliance Sanctions questionnaires, inquiries and confirmations.
- Provide sanctions advisory services across the business units at the branch (Account openings, review agreements, etc.)
- Released transfers (initially held by the correspondents) based on compliance interference
- Provide Face-to-Face training sessions (i.e. Regulatory Compliance, AML/CTF, KYC, Sanctions, Tax Compliance, and Internal Fraud) as per the annual training plan, and ensure to cover 100% of the branch.
- Dedicated Specialized Training for the front line (First line of defense) related KYC, CDD, and EDD.
- Governance on escalation matrix for handling Suspicious Transaction Reporting.
- Review the appropriateness of the SAS scenarios with respect to the branch business profile
- Review the quality of the alerts (redundancy, relevance, frequency)
- Establishing a branch AML/CFT comprehensive risk assessment
- Review the STR mechanism including clear decision tree mechanism
- Review the EDD measures for completeness
- Review PEP categorization and related treatments
- Update the CRA in line with HO new methodology
- Ensure proper maintaining of Compliance IT infrastructure (i.e. KYC, Screening, and Profiling) platforms.
- Build a robust Fraud Control Framework
Learning & Knowledge:
- Proactively identify areas for professional development of self and undertake development activities.
- Seek out opportunities to remain current with all developments in professional field.
- Hold meetings with staff and assess their performance and your teams overall performance on a regular basis.
- Take decisive action to ensure speedy resolution of unresolved grievances or conflicts within the team members.
- Identify development opportunities and activities for staff and facilitate/coach them to improve their effectives and prepare them to assume greater responsibilities.
Legal, Regulatory, and Risk Framework Responsibilities:
- Comply with all applicable legal, regulatory and internal compliance requirements including, but not limited to, Group Compliance Policies and Procedures (AML & CTF, Anti-Bribery and Corruption, Sanctions Policy, Data Protection Policy, Fraud Control Policy, Whistle Blowing Policy, Conflict of Interest and Insider Dealing Policy).
- Understand and effectively perform your role under the Three Lines of Defense principle to identify measure, monitor, manage and report risks.
- Ensure systematic good outcomes for clients in accordance with Conduct Risk policy.
- Support the framework of RCSA, KRI, Incident reporting and remediation, as appropriate, in accordance with the Operational Risk Management requirements.
- Maintain appropriate knowledge to ensure full qualification to undertake the role.
- Complete all mandatory training provided by the Bank, attain, and maintain the required levels of competence.
- Attend mandatory (internal and external) seminars as instructed by the Bank.
Other:
- Ensure high standards of data protection and confidentiality to safeguard commercially sensitive information.
- Maintaining utmost confidentiality concerning customer and internal bank information obtained during the course of business and provide such information on a need to know basis only to Senior Management of QNB, Audit and Compliance functions, and relevant Regulators.
- Maintain high professional standards to uphold QNB's reputation and to strengthen its market leadership position.
- All other ad hoc duties/activities related to QNB that management might request from time to time.
Education/Experience Requirements:
- A minimum of 6 years’ experience in a major banking institution or in a consultancy firm, out of which 3 years should be in Compliance or in Internal Audit.
- Bachelor degree with professional qualifications such as CAMS/ICA/AAMLP/CAMLP
Required Special Skills:
- Good oral and written communication skills (incl. report writing) in English; depending on each country requirements Mandarin may be required.
- Good Knowledge in the following areas ;
- Banking Compliance.
- Current local and international regulations
- Statutory Guidelines and circulars issued by local regulators .
- Banking products and services.
- Regulatory and tax matters.
- Self-discipline, initiative, organizational skills & relations building skills
Communications and Working Relationships:
Within the Organization: Compliance coordinators from the business and support units. Departments Heads, Managers, Senior Managers and Units / Branches staff
Outside the Organization: Local Regulators / Central Bank, Regulatory Authorities and External Auditors.
By applying for this position, you are agreeing to our Applicant Candidate Data Consent notice https://www.qnb.com/sites/qnb/qnbglobal/page/en/enapplicantcandidatedata.html
*** Only candidates based in Hong Kong will be considered for this opening.
*** Candidates should speak be able to communicate well in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
