Accounting Manager (Arabic speaker) - Landscaping / Contracting / Construction Experience Mandatory

Overview

Oversee the financial operations across our entities, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency in accounting, cash management, reporting, and taxation. The selected candidate must possess a strong financial background specifically within the landscaping, contracting, and construction industries. The ideal candidate will play a key role in supporting business decisions while maintaining robust financial controls across all active project sites.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Costing & Estimation Control

Monitor and analyze project-wise profitability for all contracting, construction, and landscaping jobs against initial budgets and Bills of Quantities (BOQ).

Review material procurement, subcontractor costs, and labor allocation to identify budget variances.

Accounts Receivable & Progressive Billing

Oversee progressive billing and ensure timely processing of invoices and Interim Payment Certificates based on project milestones and site progress.

Approve sales invoices after validating transaction details, site measurements, and supporting documents.

Maintain accurate customer statements and reconcile advances (including retention money), accrued income, and AR balances.

Escalate late collections from clients and manage debt write-off approvals if required.

Subcontractor & Supplier Management (AP)

Verify subcontractor payment applications, variations, claims, and back-charges before processing payments.

Reconcile vendor accounts (including commercial nurseries, soil/materials suppliers, and logistics providers) and ensure accurate accruals for unbilled project costs.

Manage and track retention payable to subcontractors, ensuring compliance with contract terms.

Inventory, Nursery & WIP Management

Supervise site and nursery inventory counts, reconciling green assets (plants, trees), landscaping materials, costing, and wastage.

Monitor Work in Progress (WIP) balances for ongoing landscaping, civil, and structural construction works, ensuring correct cost allocation.

Prepare WIP schedules, project reconciliations, and enhance WIP accounting policies tailored to construction and contracting cycles.

Cash & Bank Management

Manage cash flow and authorize withdrawals/deposits according to operational and urgent project site needs.

Conduct spot checks on treasury (cash, cheques, cards) and review bank balances daily.

Oversee bank account openings and reconciliations, while maintaining strong banking relationships (including facilities for project guarantees, performance bonds, and tender bonds).

Enforce petty cash policies for site expenses and coordinate additional project fund requirements.

Utilities & Machinery/Vehicle Expenses

Record, allocate, and monitor utility, heavy machinery, and vehicle-related expenses, including fuel, equipment maintenance, insurance, and driver/operator costs.

Fixed Assets & Plant/Equipment Depreciation

Track and manage fixed assets (machinery, irrigation equipment, vehicles) from acquisition to capitalization.

Maintain schedules, record additions, disposals, and transfers, and monitor Capital Work in Progress (CWIP).

VAT & Corporate Tax Compliance

Review and validate quarterly VAT (ensuring correct treatment of retention and progressive billing) and corporate tax filings.

Ensure all transactions comply with local tax laws and maintain updated company information on portals.

Pre-Payments, Provisions & Deposits

Review prepaid schedules, categorize expenses, and approve provisions.

Reconcile staff provisions (including project-based labor gratuities) and manage security deposits with developers/municipalities.

Month-End Closing & Project Reporting

Lead month-end closing across entities, including reconciliations of AP, AR, inventory, project WIP, FA, provisions, and other accounts.

Prepare internal financial reports, project cost-to-complete forecasts, and support external audits.

Requirements:

Experience: Possess a minimum of 5–8 years of progressive finance and accounting management experience, with at least 3–5 years in a supervisory role within the UAE Contracting, Construction, or Landscaping sectors across a multi-entity framework.

Technical Expertise: Strong mastery of Project Costing, WIP Accounting, Retention Tracking, and progressive certification/billing workflows.

Compliance & Tax: Robust knowledge of international accounting standards (IFRS), UAE VAT, local corporate tax regulations, and statutory financial reporting.

Leadership: Excellent analytical, organizational, and leadership skills to seamlessly govern financial controls across both corporate offices and remote project sites.

Operational Execution: Proven ability to maintain strict regulatory compliance and drive process efficiencies within dynamic, project-driven environments.