Head of Risk Assessment Section

Internal Audit Department
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

About Iris Executives

Iris Executives is a leading executive search firm specializing in Emiratisation and senior-level recruitment since 2010. We partner with government entities and strategic organisations across the UAE to identify exceptional leadership and advisory talent.

We are currently supporting a leading UAE federal government entity in the search for an experienced Head of Risk Assessment Section.

Role Overview

This role sits at the heart of the organisation's Internal Audit function, acting as its early-warning system. Reporting into senior audit leadership, you will build and run a practical way of spotting what could go wrong — before it does — across headquarters and dispersed operations.

Day to day, you will lead enterprise-wide risk assessments: identifying and scoring operational, financial, compliance and fraud risks, testing whether internal controls genuinely work, and turning findings into clear, decision-ready reporting for senior management.

Your work ensures leadership sees the most serious exposures early, understands whether controls are effective in practice — not just on paper — and knows exactly who must act before a weakness becomes a crisis.

We are looking for a senior risk and assurance professional who has built or embedded risk frameworks in a large, complex organisation — and who knows the difference between management's job of owning risk and Internal Audit's job of checking it independently.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Risk Governance & Frameworks

• Develop and embed enterprise risk management frameworks, policies and procedures across the organisation.


• Support risk governance and reporting that respects the Three Lines Model — management owns risk, Internal Audit assures it.

Fraud Risk & Internal Controls

• Design and implement fraud risk assessment methodologies, including identification of fraud schemes and control gaps.


• Evaluate and strengthen preventive and detective controls, including segregation of duties, approval levels and supervisory review.

Risk Assessment, Treatment & Monitoring

• Identify, assess and monitor key risks across business units and dispersed operations, scored by likelihood and impact.


• Define treatment plans with management and track mitigation actions and residual risk until resolved.

Reporting & Governance

• Prepare executive risk reports that distinguish significant exposure from routine issues and secure accountable management action.


• Escalate unresolved risk while ensuring compliance with governance standards.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Experience:

• UAE National with a minimum of 10 years of progressive experience across enterprise risk management, GRC, internal audit, internal controls or related assurance functions.


• Hands-on experience establishing or embedding ERM frameworks — risk appetite, governance, reporting and Three Lines accountability.


• Practical fraud risk management experience — designing preventive and detective controls, testing control effectiveness and supporting remediation.


• Proven ability to assess risks, prioritise exposures and track treatment plans across multiple departments, entities or locations.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Political Science or a related field.


• GRCP / GRCA or an equivalent GRC certification is a strong advantage.

Skills:

• Governance, risk and compliance best practices and frameworks (COSO, ISO 31000, ISO 31010, IIA Three Lines Model)


• Fraud risk management and fraud detection techniques


• Internal audit and internal controls evaluation


• Strong analytical, reporting and stakeholder communication skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives

Why This Role Matters

This position plays a key role in protecting a major national institution from fraud, control failure and operational disruption. By building the organisation's risk-assessment capability, the Head of Risk Assessment Section contributes directly to its resilience, integrity and ability to deliver on its mission.

Benefits

The organisation offers a comprehensive government employment package. Full compensation details will be discussed confidentially with shortlisted candidates.

Industry: Government | Enterprise Risk & Governance | Internal Audit & Assurance

Application

Qualified candidates interested in this opportunity are invited to:

• Request the candidate data form


• Submit their updated CV for confidential consideration

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by Iris Executives to discuss the role and compensation details. All applications will be handled with strict confidentiality.