Finance Assistant – Cranleigh Abu Dhabi (UAE National)

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi is currently seeking a Finance Assistant (UAE National) to support our growing Finance team. The successful candidates will be closely aligned with our core values and ethos and possess a genuine understanding and appreciation of the values of the region.

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi sits at the entrance to Saadiyat’s emerging Cultural District in keeping with the school’s motto, ‘Ex Cultu Robur’ – ‘From Culture Comes Strength’. Built over seven hectares, the bespoke campus is situated within minutes of New York University Abu Dhabi and the beautiful Saadiyat Beach, as well as the magnificent Louvre Abu Dhabi and the vibrant Berklee College of Music.

In addition to the broad academic curriculum, our daily routine offers a wealth of opportunities that allow pupils to explore their full range of talents in fine arts, performing arts, music, sport and other activities such as gymnastics, golf, horse riding and debating to name but a few. We are looking for first-class educators to join our vibrant team and work with us in our pursuit of excellence.

The purpose of this role is to efficiently manage the daily operations of cash collection and reporting. In order to support the school’s management of its cash flow and obligations. To also ensure the protection of company assets and reputation and additionally support the wider school that can be reasonably expected from the Finance department.

Main Duties:

• Support accountant in generating parent bills for tuition fee during the termly billing cycle and recording of revenue according to IFRS
• Receive and process payments to ensure properly recorded and applied to outstanding invoices, and where necessary directly interact with families promptly to reconcile discrepancies
• Correspond with late paying parents to ensure timely receipt of payments
• Liaise with secure cash/Cheque collection provider for the safe deposits into the bank if required per company policy
• Process refunds, returned cheques and bad debts as instructed by Director of Finance
• Raise accounting issues to management and investigate/propose entries or other solutions
• Handle petty cash for the school and ensure respective policies are implemented
• Support Finance department in general administrative duties required in order for finance department team to meet the demands of wider school
• Custodian of security safe keys and to ensure all collections are properly accounted and secured in safe at all times

Specific Duties:

Reporting

• Assist with month-end financial statement closings by providing a verified listing of the month end billings as well as a statement of the reconciled outstanding student and other balances
• Produce weekly debtors report and circulate
• Month end reconciliation of petty cash as well as other month end duties as required

Regulatory

• Support in submission of VAT returns and other regulatory filings as necessary
• Supply audit information as required during annual external/internal audit process

Operational

• Act as main point of contact for trips, instrumentals and other fee generating activities for the school
• Custodian of petty cash and ensure all requests are accompanied with proper receipts and invoices

Minimum Qualification

• Degree in accounting or similar formal qualification

Minimum Experience

• 1-3 years in similar role
• Strong excel and other Microsoft suites
• Demonstrate a proficient level of professional skill and knowledge in accounting

Job Specific Knowledge & Skills

• This role is designated for UAE Nationals
• Excellent interpersonal relationships and communication skills
• Role is customer facing so there is a requirement for effective communication and excellent customer service skills
• Demonstrate attention to detail and excellent cash handling and record keeping skills
• Calm in all situations and able to delegate to team members
• Experience within a school setting advantageous