Manager - Finance Cluster - Bilingual

Job Description:

Aldar Education is currently seeking an outstanding Manager - Finance (Bilingual) to support Cluster of schools of schools in the UAE.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the highly successful Aldar family of schools and to help shape the future of Abu Dhabi’s leading school group.

Since its inception in 2007 with just 250 students, Aldar Education has grown into a highly sought-after education provider, with more than 25 owned and managed premium and super-premium schools and academies- in partnership with some of the world’s most prestigious institutions including Rugby School, King’s College Wimbledon, and Cranleigh. The Group now serves over
38,000 students through5,000 educators from more than 100 nationalities to deliver world-class education across a broad range of curricula and learning pathways from nursery through to K12.

At Aldar Education, our impact goes far beyond the classroom: we are proud to contribute to the UAE’s vision for a sustainable, knowledge-based economy through premium education. With this in mind, we hire educators and industry professionals who not only embody our values and cultural ethos but also bring a genuine passion for education—qualities central to our mission of shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

• Lead school finance team and manage all functions within finance department such as annual school budget, re-forecast, AP, AR, Treasury, Fixed Asset, GL & Reporting.
• Closely work with School Principal & OSM and provide strategic and operational guidance from a financial perspective.

• Prepare the school annual budget and periodic forecast and submit to HQ finance on timely manner
• Present monthly financial performance with Principal, SLT and OSM with recommendations to achieve targeted EBITDA by cost optimization initiatives
• Preparation statutory financial statement for the school
• Approve the manual JV's posted by accountants & Monitor month end activities and ensure the books are closed accurately and timely
• Lead the system implementation process
• Review weekly AR report and present to Principal and OSM
• Review payment plan and financial hardship from parents and obtain necessary approval to support the parents
• Manage the school billing and collection process, send out timely reminders and warning letters and provide information with School Principals for decision making to enhance collection and reduce bad debt.
• Initiate legal process to recover the receivables from customers by maintaining all necessary documents
• Review balance sheet schedules and come up with the action plan to clear if any unreconciled balances
• Ensure internal and external audit requirements are provided in timely manner
• Approve the PR's (from finance) and ensure proper budget control to achieve targeted EBIDTA Margin
• Review Open purchase orders, open GRN and open liabilities on periodical manner to improve P2P turnaround time and supplier experience
• Review Bank Reconciliation & ensure reconciliation items are getting cleared
• Identify potential process gaps, suggest improvements and implement the best-in-class processes
• Review supplier and petty cash payments in ERP
• Review various financial surveys from ADEK and economic development
• Provide adhoc reporting requirements to HQ/Principal/OSM/SLT and other stakeholders
• Provide training to accountants and create proper backup within team

• Professional Accounting qualification

• 10 Years’ experience out of which minimum 5 years’ experience in managing finance & business operations
• Education or other multi-site B2C experience
• Experience of change management and fast growth / fast paced dynamic environment

• Well versed with IFRS…