Accountant

We are a single\-family office in Dubai holding four operating businesses beneath a holding company. Two are trading today and need their books caught up and brought under control. Two are being licensed now — one on the mainland, one in a free zone — and need finance and reporting built from zero. We are looking for one person to own all of it: bookkeeping, tax, payroll, banking and reporting, working directly with the Principal and no one else. This is not a role inside a finance department. There is no finance department. You are it. Intercompany balances, arm's\-length service agreements between the entities and the separation between personal and corporate funds all sit inside your scope. What you will own Ledger and close * Journal entries, accruals and prepayments; month\-end close on a fixed calendar. * Full ownership of the P\&L, balance sheet and equity — you explain the movements, not just post them. * One chart of accounts: separate books per entity, one consolidated group view. * Catch up historical records where reliable books do not exist. Banking and cash * Bank reconciliation across multiple accounts and entities, monthly without exception. * Bank mandates, signatory lists and signing limits. * Cash\-flow forecasting, and the funding source recorded behind every payment. Revenue and receivables * Sales invoicing, revenue by channel, receivables ageing and collection. * Daily point\-of\-sale to card settlement to bank reconciliation in the retail operation. Expenses, payables and budget * Supplier invoices, payables ageing and payment runs against an approval matrix. * Monitor expenses against budget and explain every material variance. * Build the annual budget per entity with the Principal. * Liability schedule per entity: loans, facilities, cheques, related\-party balances. Payroll * WPS payroll end to end: employee register, contracts, visas, end\-of\-service accrual, payroll journal. Tax and statutory * FTA corporate tax and VAT: registration, filing, compliant invoicing, five\-year retention. * Licence renewals, UBO and ESR filings, audit where required. Inventory and cost * Stock counts, item master, gross margin by category, wastage and shrinkage. * Recipe costing and food cost percentage in the kitchen operation. Who we are looking for Essential * 7\+ years of UAE bookkeeping and accounting experience, taking books to trial balance and finalisation without supervision. * Hands\-on FTA experience: corporate tax registration and filing, VAT registration and returns. * WPS payroll processing and UAE labour\-law basics including end\-of\-service. * Retail point\-of\-sale and inventory accounting — food retail strongly preferred. * Multi\-entity work: separate ledgers, intercompany balances, consolidation. * Practical experience with both mainland (DET) and free zone entities: licence renewals, Ejari, establishment cards, e\-channel, dealing with the authorities directly rather than through a consultant. * Strong accounting software skills (Zoho Books, QuickBooks, Xero, Odoo, Tally or similar) and genuinely strong Excel. * Fluent written and spoken English. * Absolute discretion with confidential family and business information, during employment and after it. * Someone who can start from a messy, incomplete situation and build order without being told how. Advantageous * Degree in accounting or finance; CMA, ACCA or CPA (qualified or part\-qualified). * Arabic. * Food and beverage or central\-kitchen costing experience. * Exposure to holiday\-home or short\-term\-rental operations, including Tourism Dirham handling. * Prior family office or single\-principal experience. Terms * Salary: 10,000\-15,000AED commensurate with experience. * Employing entity and visa sponsorship: \[to be confirmed]. * Working pattern: on\-site in Dubai, with time split across the group's sites and the office as the work requires. * Standard UAE annual leave, medical insurance and end\-of\-service benefits. * A confidentiality agreement is a condition of the offer. Pay: AED10,000\.00 \- AED15,000\.00 per month Work Location: In person