Accountant - Payables - Aldar Education

Role Overview

Accountant - Payables at Aldar Education, based in the corporate office in Abu Dhabi. This role joins a leading education provider operating over 25 owned and managed premium and super-premium schools and academies serving more than 38,000 students.

Company Overview

Aldar Education has grown since 2007 from 250 students to over 38,000 students across more than 25 schools and academies in partnership with prestigious institutions including Rugby School, King's College Wimbledon, and Cranleigh. The Group employs 5,000 educators from more than 100 nationalities and delivers world-class education across multiple curricula and learning pathways from nursery through K12. Aldar Education contributes to the UAE's vision for a sustainable, knowledge-based economy through premium education.

Role Purpose

Manage corporate accounts payable activities for Aldar Education HQ entities, ensuring accurate and timely invoice processing, appropriate matching and approvals, complete supplier reconciliations, effective resolution of exceptions, and compliance with procurement policies, tax requirements, Group controls, and the Delegation of Authority.

Key Responsibilities

Invoice Processing & Validation

• Receive, review, and process supplier invoices and credit notes for HQ entities, ensuring validity, completeness, correct legal entity, appropriate coding, and required supporting documentation.
• Perform purchase order, goods or service receipt, and invoice matching and follow up on quantity, price, tax, coding, or approval exceptions.
• Confirm that invoices and non-PO payment requests comply with procurement requirements, approved contracts, Group policies, and the Delegation of Authority before processing.
• Validate VAT treatment and required tax invoice information and refer complex tax matters to the Tax team.

Supplier & Account Management

• Prepare supplier reconciliations, investigate differences, obtain missing statements or documents, and resolve debit balances, duplicates, and long-outstanding items.
• Respond to supplier and internal stakeholder queries professionally and maintain clear records of actions and resolutions.

Accounts Payable Operations

• Review accounts payable ageing, unmatched invoices, blocked transactions, payment holds, GR/IR balances, and other exceptions and coordinate timely resolution.
• Post and reconcile supplier payments, credit notes, advances, retention balances, and other accounts payable transactions in the ERP.
• Support prepaid expense, intercompany, employee reimbursement, and other assigned payable-related accounting activities.

Payment Processing

• Prepare payment proposals and supporting schedules, validate due dates and payment terms, and coordinate approved payments with Treasury.

Month-End & Period Closing

• Prepare month-end accounts payable accruals, cut-off schedules, reconciliations, and closing reports in line with the approved closing calendar.
• Execute end-to-end corporate payables accounting, including invoice validation, purchase order and receipt matching, supplier account maintenance, payment support, AP reconciliations, accruals, month-end closing, audit documentation, and stakeholder query resolution.

Audit & Compliance

• Prepare supporting documents and schedules for statutory audit, internal audit, ICFR testing, and other compliance reviews.
• Maintain accounts payable files and records in accordance with document-retention and audit requirements.

Process Improvement & Analysis

• Support testing and implementation of ERP, workflow, e-invoicing, and Purchase-to-Pay process enhancements.
• Identify duplicate payments, control gaps, recurring exceptions, and process inefficiencies and recommend corrective actions.
• Provide periodic accounts payable reports and analysis to the Assistant Manager - HQ Financial Operations.

Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, or a related discipline.
• Professional accounting qualification or progress towards a relevant qualification is desirable.

Experience

• Minimum 3 years of relevant accounts payable or financial accounting experience.
• Practical experience in invoice processing, PO matching, supplier reconciliations, payment preparation, accruals, and month-end closing.
• Experience with ERP-based Procure-to-Pay processes and multi-entity operations is desirable.

Skills & Competencies

• Good knowledge of accounts payable accounting, Procure-to-Pay controls, VAT fundamentals, and financial cut-off requirements.
• Strong attention to detail, numerical accuracy, and document-review capability.
• Good ERP and Microsoft Excel skills.
• Ability to prioritise high transaction volumes and meet payment and closing deadlines.
• Strong ownership, confidentiality, and disciplined follow-up.
• Effective written and verbal English communication and customer-service skills.

Additional Information

Aldar Education offers an attractive remuneration package including a range of benefits. The organisation places special emphasis on professional development, coaching, and training. Successful candidates will have access to a wide network of professionals and opportunities to lead and contribute to training others as well as developing themselves.

Aldar Education is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment and is dedicated to its national development strategy, encouraging UAE Nationals to apply.

Aldar Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Offers of appointment are subject to satisfactory references and police clearance.

This job description is not all-inclusive. Aldar Education reserves the right to amend this job description at any time.