Accounts Receivable (AR) Lead - UAE

About the Company

Responsibilities

• ● At Arla, we do so much more than make some of the world's favourite dairy products. We make healthy taste delicious, mornings worth getting up for and family dinners unforgettable. Puck , Dano , Lurpak and Castello - names like these make us a vital, natural part of modern life in over 100 countries around the world. There are 1,300 employees in the Middle East and Africa and 19,000 global employees at the heart of our business. Every single one of us plays an important role and together we build on our 10bn Euros turnover and establish our position as one of the largest dairy companies in the world.
• ● Are you ready to take ownership of our receivables and turn strong credit control into healthy cash flow for our business If so, you could become our new Accounts Receivable (AR) Lead for our UAE markets. In this challenging job you will work out of our Dubai office and you will report to our Head of Accounting within Finance & Accounting.
• ● As the new AR Lead, you will oversee the end-to-end receivables lifecycle for modern trade, traditional retail, food service (HORECA) and distribution channels across the UAE. You will ensure maximum cash flow, minimise Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) and bad debt risk, and manage customer reconciliations, while leading a team of AR accountants and cashiers in accordance with Arla standards.
• ● You will be responsible for:
• ● You will directly lead a team of AR accountants and cashiers. You will be required to mentor and direct the team, establish KPIs and drive daily performance
• ● Oversee credit evaluation and setup for new modern trade key accounts (e.g. Carrefour, Lulu, Union Coop), HORECA clients and regional distributors
• ● Monitor credit limits and payment terms, and block/unblock sales orders based on credit policy compliance and overdue status
• ● Implement targeted collection strategies to reduce DSO, manage delinquent accounts and mitigate bad debt exposure
• ● Oversee daily invoicing, debit notes and credit note processing across multiple sales channels and depot locations
• ● Reconcile customer-related trade spend, including listing fees, shelf space rentals, promotional rebates and damaged/returned goods allowances
• ● Lead monthly balance confirmations and customer account reconciliations. Identify and resolve price variance disputes, short payments and unapplied receipts
• ● Ensure prompt recording and allocation of incoming payments via bank transfers, PDC (Post-Dated Cheques), direct debits and cash collections
• ● Maintain accurate PDC logs, ensure timely bank deposits and manage bounced cheque procedures in accordance with UAE commercial laws
• ● Drive process automation and workflow efficiency within the ERP environment (e.g. SAP)
• ● Partner cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Sales and Logistics teams to ensure seamless inventory dispatch and claim settlement workflows
• ● Prepare weekly and monthly AR aging reports, DSO analysis, cash collection forecasts and trade claim dashboards for senior management
• ● Perform month-end close activities, ensuring sub-ledger to General Ledger (GL) reconciliations match seamlessly
• ● Support internal and external audits by providing supporting documentation, schedules and compliance evidence
• ● Ideal Candidate for the role :
• ● Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance or Business Administration. Professional certification (ACCA, CMA or CPA) is highly desirable