RLS - Head of Finance and Administration

Dubai Government

Abu Dhabi

On-site

AED 180,000 - 260,000

Full time

4 days ago

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Job summary

Rashid and Latifa Schools Establishment in Abu Dhabi seeks a senior finance leader to shape strategy, governance, and budgeting across RLSE. You will drive financial planning, reporting, and procurement finance while ensuring audit readiness and regulatory compliance.

You will partner with school leadership and government authorities to sustain financial discipline, optimise working capital, and deliver value-for-money services across the education network.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Public Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, or related field.
8–10 years of relevant experience in finance, accounting, public financial management, budgeting, accounting, audit, internal controls, treasury, procurement finance, or financial governance with at least 3 years in a supervisory role.
Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Public Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, or related field.
-6–8 years of relevant experience in finance, accounting, public financial management, budgeting, financial reporting, audit, internal controls, treasury, procurement finance, financial systems, or governance, with supervisory experience.
Doctorate degree in Finance, Accounting, Public Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, or related field.
-4–6 years of relevant experience in finance, accounting, public financial management, budgeting, financial reporting, audit, internal controls, treasury, procurement finance, financial systems, or governance, with supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement RLSE’s finance strategy and governance framework aligned with strategic objectives and public-sector standards.
Lead the finance function and provide strategic financial advice to CEO and senior leaders for sustainability and value-for-money service delivery.
Establish robust governance covering budget ownership, authorities, expenditure control, revenue management, and audit readiness.
Promote financial discipline, transparency, accountability, and ethical stewardship of public funds across RLSE.
Lead medium/long-term financial plans, forecasts, efficiency and cost optimization initiatives, and scenario analysis.
Build partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen compliance and best practices.

Skills

Budgeting

Financial governance

Strategic financial planning

Cash flow management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting/Public Finance/Business Admin/Economics/Public Administration

Master’s degree in Finance/Accounting/Public Finance/Business Administration/Economics/Public Administration

Doctorate degree in Finance/Accounting/Public Finance/Business Administration/Economics/Public Administration

8–10 years of relevant experience in finance and related fields with 3+ years in supervision

6–8 years of relevant experience (for other levels)

4–6 years of relevant experience (Doctorate track)

Job description

About Rashid and Latifa Schools Establishment:

Established under Law No. (11) of 2022, Rashid and Latifa Schools (RLS) is a unified educational institution that brings together Latifa School for Girls (founded in 1982) and Rashid School for Boys (founded in 1986). Both schools were originally created by Royal Decree of the late Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with the vision of delivering world‑class education to Emiratis and expatriates alike. As two of Dubai’s oldest and most prestigious schools, RLS has educated generations of leaders and influential figures, including His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Women’s Establishment, and Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture. Today, RLS continues this legacy as a modern, integrated institution, dedicated to nurturing excellence and preparing future generations of leaders.

Leadership and Strategic Responsibilities:

Develop and implement RLSE’s finance strategy, financial governance framework, budgeting approach, financial policies, procedures, and reporting model in alignment with the Establishment’s strategic objectives, government financial requirements, and public‑sector accountability standards.
Lead the finance function and provide strategic financial advice to the CEO, senior leadership, school leadership, and budget owners to support informed decision‑making, financial sustainability, and value‑for‑money service delivery.
Establish robust financial governance mechanisms covering budget ownership, delegated authorities, expenditure control, revenue management, financial risk escalation, internal controls, compliance, and audit readiness.
Promote a culture of financial discipline, transparency, accountability, ethical conduct, cost consciousness, continuous improvement, and responsible stewardship of public funds across RLSE.
Lead the development of medium / long -term financial plans, budget forecasts, efficiency plans, cost optimization initiatives, financial scenarios, and financial impact assessments to support strategic and operational planning.
Build effective partnerships with internal stakeholders, government authorities, auditors, banks, suppliers, consultants, and professional networks to strengthen financial compliance, benchmarking, and best‑practice adoption.

Specialised / Technical Responsibilities:

Lead the annual budget cycle, including budget guidelines, consolidation, review, challenge, prioritization, approval support, budget loading, monitoring, forecasting, and variance analysis.
Oversee accounting operations, general ledger integrity, accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliations, accruals, month‑end and year‑end closing, and financial record accuracy.
Prepare and present timely financial reports, management accounts, dashboards, budget performance reports, financial forecasts, cash flow updates, and financial analysis for senior leadership review.
Ensure compliance with applicable government financial regulations, internal policies, accounting standards, procurement requirements, audit requirements, tax or statutory obligations, and delegated authority frameworks.
Strengthen internal controls over budgeting, payments, procurement support, financial approvals, reconciliations, revenue collection, asset records, payroll coordination, and financial data integrity.
Coordinate external and internal audit activities, prepare audit schedules, respond to audit queries, track audit findings, and implement corrective actions to improve financial governance and control effectiveness.
Provide financial business partnering to schools and departments, including budget advice, cost analysis, financial interpretation, procurement planning support, and financial impact assessment of operational decisions.
Manage cash flow planning, bank coordination, payment scheduling, receivables monitoring, supplier payment controls, and liquidity reporting to ensure effective treasury and working capital management.
Support procurement and contract management by reviewing budget availability, financial evaluation criteria, cost reasonableness, payment terms, and contract financial obligations.
Develop and maintain financial policies, procedures, process maps, templates, financial controls, and user guidance to standardise finance practices and improve compliance across RLSE.
Lead finance transformation initiatives, including automation, financial systems optimisation, reporting improvements, data quality enhancement, workflow redesign, and adoption of digital finance tools.
Implement public‑sector finance best practices, including performance‑based budgeting, medium‑term financial planning, risk‑based controls, clear segregation of duties, transparent reporting, and evidence‑based resource allocation.
Monitor financial risks, budget pressures, savings opportunities, commitments, contingent liabilities, and emerging financial issues, escalating matters with recommendations and mitigation plans.
Develop finance KPIs and service standards covering reporting timeliness, budget accuracy, payment processing, audit closure, control compliance, stakeholder satisfaction, and financial system data quality.
Perform any other related duties assigned by the direct supervisor in line with RLSE’s strategies, priorities, and financial governance requirements.

1-Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Public Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, or any related field.

-8–10 years of relevant experience in finance, accounting, public financial management, budgeting, financial reporting, audit, internal controls, treasury, procurement finance, financial systems, or financial governance, including at least 3 years in a supervisory or leadership role, preferably within the government, semi‑government, education, or comparable institutional sector.

2-Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Public Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, or any related field.

-6–8 years of relevant experience in finance, accounting, public financial management, budgeting, financial reporting, audit, internal controls, treasury, procurement finance, financial systems, or financial governance, including at least 2 years in a supervisory or leadership role, preferably within the government, semi‑government, education, or comparable institutional sector.

3-Doctorate degree in Finance, Accounting, Public Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, or any related field.

-4–6 years of relevant experience in finance, accounting, public financial management, budgeting, financial reporting, audit, internal controls, treasury, procurement finance, financial systems, or financial governance, including at least 2 years in a supervisory or leadership role, preferably within the government, semi‑government, education, or comparable institutional sector.

Certificates/ Professional Programs:

Training programs or professional certifications in public financial management, government budgeting, financial governance, accounting standards, audit, internal controls, risk management, procurement finance, treasury, financial reporting, and financial systems.
Relevant certifications such as CPA, ACCA, CMA, CFA, CIA, CGFM, CPFO, CIPFA, CIMA, IFRS, public‑sector accounting, internal control, risk management, or equivalent programs are preferred.
Professional development in performance‑based budgeting, medium‑term financial planning, financial modelling, ERP or financial systems, data analytics, dashboard reporting, automation, and finance transformation is preferred.
Advanced training in leadership, stakeholder management, ethical governance, public accountability, audit committee support, business partnering, value‑for‑money analysis, and continuous improvement is preferred.