Regional Financial Reporting Manager

Description

ISP Regional Financial Controls and Reporting Manager Role Profile

Purpose of Role

The Regional Financial Controls and Onboarding Manager is responsible for leading the finance stream of onboarding for newly acquired schools, while taking on a broader regional remit over tax and regulatory compliance, receivables, payroll governance, financial controls, and risk mitigation. This role ensures the smooth financial integration of new schools into the ISP ecosystem and strengthens financial discipline and compliance across the region.

Role

The role serves as the finance lead for onboarding, ensuring the adoption of ISP’s financial systems, reporting calendar, group policies, and internal controls. In parallel, it acts as a regional authority on key financial operations, including:

• Internal Controls and Risk Management - lead the design, implementation, and ongoing enhancement of robust financial control frameworks across all schools in the region. This includes enforcing the ISP Delegation of Authority, identifying and mitigating operational and financial risks, and embedding a strong culture of compliance, accountability, and financial discipline in daily school operations. This includes leading on quarterly balance sheet reviews.
• Audit, Tax and Regulatory Compliance – lead the region’s compliance with internal and external audit requirements, as well as corporate tax, VAT, and transfer pricing obligations in line with local laws and ISP Group policies. Coordinate statutory and internal audits across schools, ensuring timely submission of audit deliverables and resolution of findings. Oversee the accurate preparation, filing, and payment of all tax obligations, and act as the key contact for auditors, tax authorities, and external advisors. Drive continuous improvement in audit and tax-related processes, and ensure schools maintain appropriate documentation, controls, and audit trails.
• Receivables Management – oversee the end-to-end fee collection process across schools, including follow-up on overdue accounts, coordination of escalations where necessary (including legal referrals), and ensuring appropriate provisioning in line with group policy. Work with the team on automation of manual parts of the process.
• Payroll - provide financial oversight of monthly payroll and end-of-service processes across schools, ensuring accuracy, compliance with applicable tax and accounting standards, and proper financial reporting and reconciliation.
  
  

This is a high-impact role in ensuring financial integration, consistency, and resilience across the region. The role contributes to financial sustainability, risk control, and operational efficiency, aligned with ISP’s vision of being the school of choice in each community we serve.

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 Director, Middle East

ISP Principles

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
• Support school to implement ISP standard KPI and performance monitoring reports
• Undertake such other reasonable responsibilities and tasks that may, from time to time, be assigned by the Regional Managing Director 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 the 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

• Act as the regional lead for all audit-related matters, including the coordination of annual statutory audits for schools and internal audit reviews initiated by the group.
• Liaise with external auditors to ensure timely and accurate completion of school and regional audits, managing audit deliverables and resolving queries.
• Support internal audit reviews by preparing documentation, addressing findings, and ensuring implementation of remediation actions.
• Oversee compliance with all corporate tax, VAT, and transfer pricing requirements across the region.
• Coordinate the preparation and submission of tax returns in collaboration with local advisors and ISP Group Finance.
• Monitor regulatory changes and ensure timely adaptation of finance processes to remain compliant.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and support tax audits and queries from 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.
  
  

Payroll

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

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:
• Fluent English is essential, Arabic advantageous
• Qualified accountant (chartered or equivalent)
• Strong financial controls and risk management experience in a school or similar environment
• Demonstrated experience implementing and monitoring Delegation of Authority and financial control frameworks
• Advanced Excel skills
• Excellent communication and influencing skills
• Flexibility, multi-tasking mindset and an ability to deal with shifting priorities
• Hands-on approach
• Comfortable managing a variety of financial and non-financial stakeholders
• 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.

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