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Description

ISP Senior Accountant - Regional Financial Controls and Reporting Role Profile

Purpose of Role

The Senior Accountant – Regional Financial Controls and Reporting supports the Regional Finance Manager in the financial onboarding of newly acquired schools, while also contributing to broader regional responsibilities over tax and regulatory compliance, receivables, payroll governance, core financial systems management, financial controls, and risk mitigation.

The role ensures smooth financial integration of new schools into the ISP ecosystem and strengthens financial discipline and compliance across the region. It involves a mix of independent responsibility for key deliverables and close collaboration with the Regional Finance Manager for oversight and guidance.

The Senior Accountant works across several core areas:

• Internal Controls and Risk Management – Support the design, implementation, and monitoring of financial control frameworks across schools. This includes applying the ISP Delegation of Authority, identifying risks, and embedding financial discipline in daily operations, including participation in quarterly balance sheet reviews.
• Audit, Tax and Regulatory Compliance – Assist in coordinating statutory and group audits, preparing required documentation, and supporting compliance with corporate tax, VAT, and transfer pricing obligations. Liaise with advisors and auditors as needed, ensuring schools maintain appropriate records and audit trails.
• Receivables Management – Monitor the fee collection process across schools, supporting follow-up on overdue accounts, coordinating escalations with the Regional Finance Manager, and ensuring proper provisioning in line with group policy.
• Management of Key Financial Systems – Oversee the effective administration and integration of core financial platforms, including iSAMS, NetSuite, and payment service providers, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and control across all schools.
• Month-End and Financial Reporting – Contribute to the month-end close process by ensuring accurate reconciliations, timely reporting of P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow, and alignment with ISP group requirements.
• Payroll – Review and support payroll processes across schools, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and proper financial reporting of payroll and end-of-service liabilities.

This is a broad regional role, offering significant exposure to multiple schools and stakeholders, while ensuring financial consistency, compliance, and efficiency across ISP Middle East.

In coordination with stakeholders:

• ISP Middle East Regional Team (Finance, HR, IT)
• School Leadership Teams in acquired schools
• School Finance Teams
• Group Onboarding Manager and Group Finance

Location: Dubai

Reporting Line: Regional Finance Manager, Middle East

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Regional Onboarding Manager – Key Responsibilities

• New School Financial Onboarding
• Reporting, Compliance and Control

• Onboarding of the School into the wider ISP network, ensuring policies and procedures are adopted and ISP practices are followed
• Ensure the timely reporting of all monthly and annual financial information
• Ensure timely and accurate production of month-end numbers and reporting which include Profit and Loss account, Balance Sheet and Cashflow
• Ensure ISP Group Delegation of Authority framework is implemented as soon as possible. Design internal control systems for all functions in the school to ensure the safeguarding of regional assets and monitor and enforce internal controls
• Work with regional and group finance & IT functions to ensure school implements ISP core finance and accounting systems (NetSuite, PBCS) as a priority

• Financial Planning and Analysis

• Support the preparation and submission of the first post-acquisition school budget/in-year reforecast
• Review and reconcile initial budget/forecast to investment case model, identifying any differences and reasons behind variances
• Undertake such other reasonable responsibilities and tasks that may, from time to time, be assigned by the Regional Finance Manager and other key stakeholders

• Controls and Risks Management

• Take ownership of designing, implementing, and strengthening financial controls across all schools in the region to ensure a consistent, compliant, and risk-aware financial environment aligned with ISP policies and local regulations
• Lead regular control reviews of school-level financial procedures—including cash handling, procurement, fee collection, payroll, invoicing—identifying weaknesses or inefficiencies and driving process improvements to mitigate risks
• Ensure full and ongoing implementation of the ISP Delegation of Authority (DoA) framework in every school, including periodic reviews to reflect organisational changes and reinforce financial accountability
• Monitor adherence to core financial controls, including segregation of duties, payment approval processes, reconciliations, and documentation standards, providing hands-on support to school finance teams where gaps are identified
• Act as a key point of contact during internal or external reviews, coordinating responses, facilitating documentation, and supporting resolution of findings
• Lead the investigation and resolution of financial control breaches, anomalies, or incidents, working in collaboration with school leadership and school finance to assess root causes and implement corrective actions
• Maintain the regional finance risk register that identifies and tracks material financial process risks across schools, along with corresponding mitigation actions
• Support capacity building within school finance teams by promoting awareness of financial risks and controls through training, mentoring, and hands-on coaching
• Champion a culture of financial integrity and operational discipline in all school finance operations, with a focus on safeguarding resources, preventing errors, and reducing the potential for fraud or misuse of funds

• Audit, Tax and Regulatory Compliance

• Take responsibility, under the guidance of the Regional Finance Manager, for coordinating audit-related matters across the region, including annual ISP group audits, statutory audits for schools and internal reviews
• Liaise with external auditors to support the timely and accurate completion of school and regional audits, preparing deliverables, addressing queries, and escalating issues where required
• Contribute to ensuring compliance with corporate tax, VAT, and transfer pricing requirements across the region, working closely with the Regional Finance Manager
• Coordinate the preparation and submission of tax returns in collaboration with local advisors and ISP Group Finance, ensuring accuracy and timeliness
• Monitor regulatory developments and work to adapt finance processes to remain compliant
• Maintain accurate documentation to support audits and respond to queries from tax authorities

• Receivables and Collections

• Drive continuous improvement in receivables management processes across schools, ensuring efficiency, consistency, and strong internal controls
• Support school teams in the effective follow-up of outstanding balances, providing guidance on best practices for parent communications
• Coordinate the escalation of complex or high-risk cases in line with internal protocols and in collaboration with relevant stakeholders
• Monitor and advise on appropriate financial provisioning for doubtful debts in accordance with group policy
• Collaborate with finance and legal teams, as appropriate, to manage more sensitive receivables issues in a discreet and professional manner

• Management of Key Financial System

• Oversee the effective use and integration of core financial and school management systems, including iSAMS, NetSuite, and payment service providers, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and efficiency across schools in the region
• Serve as the primary point of contact for schools on all finance system–related matters, providing first-line support and guidance before escalating to Regional IT, Group Finance, or external vendors as needed
• Support the onboarding of schools onto ISP’s core financial platforms, coordinating with regional IT, Group Finance, and school teams to ensure smooth system implementation and adoption
• Monitor system controls, data integrity, and reconciliations between platforms (e.g., iSAMS–NetSuite integrations, payment gateway reconciliations) to safeguard accuracy of financial reporting and collections
• Support the Regional Finance Manager to identify opportunities for system improvements, automation, and enhanced reporting to strengthen financial control and reduce manual processes
• Ensure school finance teams are adequately trained and supported in the effective use of financial systems, promoting consistent practices and compliance with ISP standards

• Month-End, Balance Sheet Reviews, and Cash Flow

• Support the timely and accurate completion of the month-end close across schools, ensuring compliance with ISP reporting requirements
• Prepare, review, and reconcile key financial schedules to support accurate monthly Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow reporting
• Coordinate quarterly balance sheet reviews, ensuring account balances are substantiated, risks are identified, and corrective actions are implemented where required
• Monitor cash flow performance at the school level, highlighting variances against forecast and working with school finance teams to improve forecasting accuracy
• Identify process gaps or control weaknesses in month-end and reporting procedures, recommending and implementing improvements to strengthen the overall financial close cycle

• Payroll

• Provide financial oversight of monthly payroll processing across schools, ensuring accuracy of payroll data, correct accounting treatment, and alignment with budgeted staff costs
• Review payroll journals, accruals, and reconciliations as part of the monthly close cycle to ensure completeness and accuracy
• Ensure end-of-service liabilities are correctly calculated, recorded, and periodically reconciled
• Monitor compliance with internal financial controls and statutory financial reporting obligations relating to payroll transactions
• Identify risks, control gaps, or inefficiencies in payroll-related financial processes and recommend improvements to strengthen accuracy and compliance

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

• The successful candidate will need to have a minimum of five years’ experience in financial operations, audit, and/or internal controls. They will be a self-starter who takes initiative, can manage a diverse workload across multiple schools, is detail-oriented and deadline-driven, and has the ability to embed lasting improvements in financial control environments.

• Essential skills/experience:

1. Fluent English is essential, Arabic advantageous

2. Qualified accountant (chartered or equivalent)

3. Strong financial controls and risk management experience in a school or similar environment

4. Demonstrated experience implementing and monitoring Delegation of Authority and financial control frameworks

5. Advanced Excel skills

6. Excellent communication and influencing skills

7. Flexibility, multi-tasking mindset and ability to deal with shifting priorities

8. Hands-on approach

9. Comfortable managing a variety of financial and non-financial stakeholders

10. Experience in the education industry is desirable but not required

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles: ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.