Merchant Operations Associate

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 the region and partners with leading global and regional brands such as SHEIN, Jarir, noon, IKEA and Amazon, as well as small and medium businesses.

Tamara is Saudi Arabia’s first fintech unicorn and is backed by Sanabil Investments, a wholly owned company by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), SNB Capital, Checkout.com, amongst others. The company operates from its headquarters in Riyadh, with additional regional and global support offices.

Your role

Tamara is seeking an Merchant Operations Associate (KYB & AML/CFT) to join our growing Merchant Onboarding Operations team.

In this role, you will be part of the execution of Know Your Business (KYB) reviews and AML/CFT screening for every merchant onboarding journey in Salesforce, ensuring our platform meets the highest regulatory and risk-management standards. You will validate merchant documentation, analyse complex ownership structures, run sanctions and adverse-media checks, and document your findings in Salesforce with clear, auditable notes. Partnering closely with Compliance, Risk, Product, and Engineering teams, you will champion “compliance-by-design,” continuously refining workflows, playbooks, and automated rules to keep pace with evolving regulations and emerging risks. As a Associate, you are expected to spot process gaps early, propose data-driven improvements, and mentor junior colleagues where applicable—raising the overall maturity of Tamara’s onboarding operations while safeguarding our customers and reputation

This role is based onsite in our Riyadh offices.

Your Responsibilities

• Conduct end-to-end KYB reviews for new and existing merchants, including verification of trade licenses, corporate documents, ultimate beneficial ownership (UBO), and shareholder structures.
• Perform sanctions, PEP, adverse-media, and watch-list screening (UN, OFAC, EU, local lists) for merchants and key principals, documenting outcomes in Salesforce.
• Assess AML/CFT risk factors (industry, geography, payment flow, behavior) and assign onboarding risk ratings in line with internal policy.
• Ensure all findings, approvals, and supporting evidence are accurately logged and auditable in Salesforce in real time.
• Escalate high-risk or suspicious cases to Compliance for enhanced due diligence (EDD) or SAR filing, following defined escalation paths.
• Monitor regulatory changes (e.g., SAMA, CBUAE, FATF) and update screening rules, checklists, and playbooks accordingly.
• Liaise daily with Commercial, Compliance, Product, and Risk teams to resolve onboarding blockers and clarify documentation requirements.
• Identify process gaps and propose workflow or automation enhancements (e.g., data integrations, rules engines, reporting dashboards).
• Support periodic internal and external audits by compiling evidence packs and answering examiner queries.
• Track and report key onboarding KPIs (turnaround time, pass/fail rates, false-positive ratios) to help drive continuous improvement.
• Uphold Tamara’s “compliance-by-design” culture, ensuring every merchant is onboarded safely, efficiently, and in full regulatory adherence
  
  

Your expertise

• 1–3 years of hands-on experience in KYB due diligence, AML/CFT screening, or merchant onboarding within a fintech, payments, or other regulated financial institution in UAE and KSA.
• Proficiency in case management on Salesforce (or a similar workflow tool), including documenting reviews, attaching evidence, and maintaining audit-ready records.
• Solid grasp of KYB fundamentals: validating trade licenses, analyzing UBO/shareholder structures, and applying risk-based onboarding decisions.
• Working knowledge of sanctions, PEP, and adverse-media screening (UN, OFAC, EU, GCC) using tools such as Dow Jones, Focal, World-Check, or LexisNexis.
• Familiarity with GCC regulations—especially CBUAE KYC/AML Rulebook, SAMA AML Rules, and FATF recommendations—and the ability to interpret regulatory updates.
• Experience supporting audits or regulatory exams, assembling evidence packs, and answering follow-up queries.
• Data-driven mindset: comfortable with Excel/Google Sheets; basic SQL or Python for automating repetitive checks is a plus.
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder-management skills; able to explain findings clearly to Compliance, Product, and Sales teams.
• Attention to detail and a proactive approach to spotting process gaps, proposing improvements, and meeting tight onboarding SLAs.
• Professional certifications such as ICA Certificate in KYC & CDD, CAMS, ACAMS, or equivalent are advantageous but not mandator
  
  

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.