Head of Finance

Role overview

A long-established Dubai trading group is hiring a senior finance leader to run the finance function across five legal entities. The business has been operating for 30 years and offers a stable environment with broad ownership, autonomy, and close collaboration with the CEO/MD.

This position is best suited to a highly experienced finance professional with 15+ years of post-qualification experience who prefers depth of responsibility in a well-run company rather than fast-track career moves.

Key responsibilities

• Own group-level financial reporting, including consolidated profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow statements, and share them with the CEO/MD by the 10th working day.
• Close the monthly books within seven working days by completing inventory reconciliation, accruals, depreciation, intercompany reconciliation, trial balance review, and financial statement preparation.
• Track gross profit margins on a weekly basis and issue monthly margin analysis by brand, channel, and segment.
• Run a rolling six-week cash flow forecast with variance kept within 5% and authorize daily payments only after matching them to purchase orders and budget approvals.
• Lead annual statutory audits for all entities and coordinate closely with external auditors.
• Ensure VAT filings are submitted on time without exception and that corporate tax returns are completed promptly, including handling FTA penalty reconsideration cases when needed.
• Oversee accounts receivable ageing, accounts payable, stock valuation against the ledger, and weekly stock-ageing and cost-saving trackers.
• Maintain the finance SOP register, banking authority matrix, KYC records, and signatory changes, and conduct quarterly controls reviews.
• Supervise and develop direct reports, including quarterly one-to-one meetings and performance management cycles.
• Support ERP improvements, MIS automation, and the rollout of fixed processing-fee revenue.

Required qualifications and experience

• Must be a fully qualified accountant with ACCA, ACA, ICAEW, CA, CMA, or CPA; part-qualified candidates will not be considered.
• At least 15 years of total finance experience after qualification.
• A minimum of 5 years of finance experience in the UAE.
• Practical experience preparing consolidated financial statements for multiple legal entities.
• Must already be based in the UAE or able to relocate within 30 days.

Benefits and working environment

• Work with a 30-year-old business that has stable ownership and a clear succession structure.
• Direct exposure to the CEO and MD, with quarterly strategic participation in OPSP.
• Annual performance review with the possibility of a compensation increase.
• Eligibility for a discretionary annual bonus.
• Statutory UAE Labour Law benefits, including visa, medical cover, annual air ticket, 30 days of annual leave, and gratuity.

Additional notes

The role covers finance leadership across five entities and requires someone comfortable with hands-on ownership, controls, reporting discipline, and business partnering in a stable trading environment.

Operational priorities

The role places strong emphasis on month-end close discipline, treasury visibility, tax compliance, audit readiness, stock control, and process improvement through systems and automation.