Assistant Manager - Financial Planning & Analysis - Aldar Education

Aldar Education are currently seeking an outstanding Assistant Manager - Financial Planning & Analysis for our HQ office in Abu Dhabi.

Since its inception in 2007 with just 250 students, Aldar Education has grown into a highly sought-after education provider, with more than 25 owned and managed premium and super-premium schools and academies- in partnership with some of the world’s most prestigious institutions including Rugby School, King’s College Wimbledon, and Cranleigh. The Group now serves over 38,000 students through 5,000 educators from more than 100 nationalities to deliver world-class education across a broad range of curricula and learning pathways from nursery through to K12.

At Aldar Education, our impact goes far beyond the classroom: we are proud to contribute to the UAE’s vision for a sustainable, knowledge-based economy through premium education. With this in mind, we hire educators and insustry professionals who not only embody our values and cultural ethos but also bring a genuine passion for education—qualities central to our mission of shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

If you are passionate about excellence and ready to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to apply and be part of our journey

This is an exciting opportunity to join the highly successful Aldar family of schools and to help shape the future of Abu Dhabi’s leading school group.

To provide comprehensive financial planning and analytical support for the FP&A Function. The role will be responsible for preparation of the annual budgeting cycle, developing 5-year business plans, conducting corporate finance initiatives, performing detailed financial analysis, and preparing forecasts to enable effective strategic and operational decision-making.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in business or finance, Master’s in finance / MBA in finance is desired
• Qualified accountant (CA/ CPA/ ACCA/ CMA)

Minimum Experience:

• 6 to 9 years of relevant experience

Job Specific Knowledge & Skills:

• Advanced excel skills with proven financial modeling experience with exposure to automation
• Excellent analytical capabilities and hands on experience in Dashboard
• Strong presentation, reporting and communication skills
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills through effective management of stakeholder expectations in prior engagements.
• Ability to liaise effectively business functions in order to collect input required for analysis
• Deadline-driven with a strong sense of ownership and accountability for deliverables
• Experience in Education sector is desirable but not mandatory.

WHAT WE OFFER:

Aldar Education is a family of world-class, child-centered, and innovative schools based in the UAE. We educate over 34,000 students across our group of owned and managed schools, and as we grow, so does our need for highly skilled, inspirational, and dedicated school leaders. We offer an attractive remuneration package including medical cover, flights, housing, and free child school places. Our future-focused learning model includes both students and staff, so we place a special emphasis on professional development, coaching and training.

Successful candidates will have access to a wide network of professionals and opportunities to both lead and contribute to training others as well as developing themselves.

Aldar Education is keen to hear from like-minded, forward thinking school leaders who would welcome the challenges and opportunities that we have to offer.

This job description is not all inclusive. Aldar Education reserves the right to amend this job description at any time. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are also mindful of our national development strategy and encourage UAE Nationals in their application at our company.

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.

Main Duties:

• Business Planning : Contribute to the preparation of monthly, quarterly, annual, and long-term (5–10 years) business plans, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Budgeting : Assist in the end-to-end annual budgeting process, including building Excel-based budget models and preparing management presentation decks.
• Forecasting : Support monthly forecasting activities across different entities, and maintain up-to-date cash flow forecasts to ensure liquidity planning and monitoring.
• Financial Modeling : Develop and maintain robust financial models to project financial statements over 5–10 years, supporting decision-making and scenario analysis.
• Financial Analysis & Reporting : Provide insightful financial reports and analytical tools to monitor business unit performance, establish benchmarks, and measure goal achievement.
• Budget Administration : Manage the upload, validation, and transfer of budgets across cost centers and business units, ensuring compliance with internal financial policies and Budget controls.

Specific Duties:

• Process Improvement : Identify opportunities to streamline FP&A workflows, enhance automation in reporting and modeling, and improve forecast accuracy.
• Stakeholder Collaboration : Work cross-functionally with operations, HR, and commercial teams to align financial targets with operational realities and strategic goals.
• Systems & Tools : Utilize ERP systems and business intelligence tools to extract, analyze, and present financial and operational data for management reporting.
• Data Management : Coordinate with departments to collect, validate, and manage data sets, ensuring timely and accurate analysis and reporting.
• Capital Planning : Collaborate with stakeholders on the 5-year Capex planning cycle, focusing on investment evaluation, capital allocation, and profit optimization.