School Accountant - Finance Reporting

Aldar Education; Al Ruways Industrial City; On-site; AED 100,440 - 145,080; Full time

Job summary

Aldar Education is seeking a School Accountant for Finance Reporting in Abu Dhabi Emirate. The successful candidate will manage finance reporting, ensure compliance with ADEK standards, and maintain accurate financial records. This full-time role requires a depth of experience in accounting, strong ERP skills, and an understanding of the education finance landscape.

The accountant will also be responsible for payroll reconciliation, budget monitoring, and compliance with VAT requirements while assisting with internal and external audit preparations.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in finance or accounting.
• Experience in the education sector or regulated finance environment is valuable.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles and financial reporting.

Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate general ledger records and monitor financial transactions.
• Process supplier payments and prepare accounts payable vouchers.
• Support internal audits and prepare audit schedules.

Skills

Accounting principles

Financial reporting

General ledger maintenance

Accounts payable

Supplier payments

ERP journal entries

VAT compliance

Budget monitoring

Internal audit support

Education

Degree in Accounting or related finance discipline

Tools

ERP systems

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Overview

School Accountant - Finance Reporting in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates is a Primary-Secondary Education opportunity for an experienced accounting professional who can manage school finance reporting, general ledger accuracy, supplier payments, payroll reconciliation, budget monitoring, VAT compliance, and ADEK financial submissions. This role at Al Ghad Charter School requires strong attention to detail, practical accounting knowledge, ERP experience, and the ability to support month‑end closing, audit schedules, financial controls, and regulatory documentation. The successful candidate will help maintain reliable financial records and support timely, compliant reporting across school and head office finance activities.

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates
City: Abu Dhabi Emirate
Industry: Primary-Secondary Education
Function: Accounting-Finance
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: 9,000-13,000 AED (estimated; confirm with employer)

Role Context

The School Accountant - Finance Reporting will support the school's financial operations by maintaining accurate accounting records, preparing reports, monitoring expenditure, reconciling accounts, and ensuring submissions meet internal and external requirements. The position directly contributes to financial transparency, budget discipline, audit readiness, ADEK compliance, and smooth daily finance administration. By working closely with senior and assistant managers, principal, operations manager, procurement teams, vendors, and head‑office finance colleagues, the accountant will help protect financial accuracy and support effective decision‑making within the school.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate general ledger records and ensure all financial transactions are posted with the correct GL codes.
• Process supplier payments on time, supported by complete vendor reconciliations and proper documentation.
• Prepare accounts payable vouchers after validating vendor invoices against purchase orders, delivery notes, and approval records.
• Post monthly journal entries in the ERP system after review and approval by the Assistant Manager.
• Reconcile monthly payroll against the costing sheet and prepare summary reports for ADEK submission with required supporting documents.
• Maintain year‑to‑date staff cost to company and end‑of‑service benefit records in the required ADEK format.
• Monitor budgets against procurement and education team requirements, purchase orders, approved spending plans, and budgeted cost per student.
• Complete monthly bank reconciliations and maintain a clear log of unreconciled items until they are resolved.
• Track ADEK monthly financial reporting requirements using the approved checklist and ensure submissions are completed within required timelines.
• Coordinate month‑end closing activities, including journal preparation, schedules, reports, reconciliations, and supporting documentation.
• Prepare and upload monthly financial reports, schedules, and supporting files to the ADEK SharePoint platform in line with compliance requirements.
• Support internal audits and year‑end external audits by preparing audit schedules and responding to finance documentation requests.
• Assist the Senior Manager and Assistant Manager – Finance in meeting reporting deadlines and closing requirements.
• Conduct monthly MIS review discussions with the Principal and Operations Manager, providing useful financial observations where needed.
• Maintain an updated vendor contract register with issue dates, expiry dates, renewal status, and related follow‑up actions.
• Coordinate timely closure of open purchase orders with school‑based teams and head‑office departments.
• Ensure petty cash and credit card expenses comply with Aldar finance policies before monthly reimbursement documentation is submitted.
• Prepare monthly financial statements in line with applicable financial reporting standards.
• Develop GL schedules, balance sheet schedules, and finance reports to check data completeness and accuracy.
• Perform monthly reconciliations of GL accounts and balance sheet items, then correct discrepancies through approved procedures.
• Support budgeting and forecasting by preparing analysis, templates, upload files, and budget maintenance records.
• Track ADEK funding received, analyze surpluses and deficits, and respond promptly to ADEK finance queries.
• Prepare budget movement forms when reallocation is required for deficit budget heads.
• Maintain detailed trackers for educational allowances and housing allowances disbursed to staff and submit updates monthly.
• Provide backup support to finance team members during absences and keep routine finance activities moving.
• Identify practical finance process improvements and work with the Finance Manager to implement stronger controls.

Ideal Profile

• Degree in Accounting or a closely related finance discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a finance or accounting function.
• Previous school, education sector, government reporting, or regulated finance environment experience will be valuable.
• Strong working knowledge of accounting principles, financial reporting, reconciliations, accounts payable, payroll support, and month‑end close.
• Practical experience with ERP systems, accounting software, GL schedules, journal entries, vendor records, and finance documentation.
• Able to manage ADEK reporting requirements, compliance checklists, supporting schedules, and time‑sensitive submissions with accuracy.
• Confident in preparing financial statements, budget reports, MIS summaries, audit schedules, and management reports.
• Strong understanding of VAT compliance, invoice validation, purchase order controls, petty cash procedures, and credit card expense documentation.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to explain finance information to school leadership and internal stakeholders.
• Strong administrative discipline, document control, deadline management, and attention to detail.
• Able to work with vendors, procurement teams, payroll contacts, auditors, school leaders, and head‑office finance teams.
• Professional approach to confidentiality, safeguarding expectations, financial integrity, and school policy compliance.
• Comfortable working in a busy school environment where accuracy, responsiveness, and teamwork are essential.

Skills Set

• Accounting principles
• Financial reporting
• General ledger maintenance
• Accounts payable
• Supplier payments
• Vendor reconciliation
• Purchase order validation
• Delivery note matching
• ERP journal entries
• Payroll reconciliation
• ADEK financial reporting
• Month‑end closing
• Bank reconciliation
• Balance sheet schedules
• GL schedules
• VAT compliance
• Budget monitoring
• Budget forecasting
• Budget movement forms
• MIS reporting
• Audit schedules
• Internal audit support
• External audit support
• Petty cash control
• Credit card expense review
• Vendor contract register
• Open purchase order closure
• Finance documentation
• Accounting software
• Microsoft Excel
• SharePoint uploads
• Process improvement