Job Description – Senior Accountant

Organization: Pote Group of Education
Department: Accounts & Finance
Designation: Senior Accountant
Industry/Setup: School Education / Educational Institutions
Reporting To: Management / Head – Accounts & Finance

Role Purpose

The Senior Accountant will be responsible for managing and supervising the accounting and financial operations of the school's financial setup, ensuring accurate accounting, timely statutory compliance, financial reporting, internal controls and audit readiness.

The role requires a candidate with strong hands-on experience in school accounting operations and sound knowledge of accounting processes applicable to educational institutions, particularly Trust/Society/educational institution setups.

The position will also be responsible for reviewing the work of the Accounts Team, ensuring timely closure of financial activities and providing accurate financial information to Management for decision-making.

Key Responsibilities1. School Accounting Operations

- Manage and review the complete accounting cycle of the school, including fee collections, receipts, payments, expenses, journals, ledgers, bank transactions and other financial entries.
- Ensure that school-related financial transactions are correctly recorded and supported by appropriate documentation.
- Review student fee accounting, including school fees, transport fees, concessions, scholarships, refunds, reversals and other applicable adjustments.
- Monitor outstanding fee receivables and coordinate with the concerned teams for timely follow-up and closure.
- Ensure proper accounting treatment of school-specific income and expenditure.
- Review and reconcile school cash, bank and accounting records on a regular basis.

2. Trust / Educational Institution Accounting

- Handle and review accounting processes applicable to Trust-based educational institutions.
- Maintain appropriate books of accounts and supporting records as required for the Trust and its educational activities.
- Understand the distinction and accounting requirements relating to Trust activities and school operations.
- Ensure that transactions are appropriately classified and recorded under the relevant entity, institution, fund or account.
- Coordinate with Management, auditors, consultants and other stakeholders for Trust-related accounting and financial requirements.
- Maintain documentation required for statutory, audit and Trust-related reviews.

3. Financial Reporting & MIS

- Prepare and review monthly financial reports for the school and related educational entities.
- Prepare/review Profit & Loss statements, income-expenditure statements, balance sheet schedules, cash flow information, fee collection reports and outstanding reports as applicable.
- Analyse major income and expenditure movements and identify significant variances.
- Present financial observations, pending issues and relevant action points to Management.
- Ensure timely month-end and year-end financial closure.
- Maintain accurate and updated financial data for Management review and decision-making.

4. Fee & Revenue Management

- Review the school's fee collection cycle from fee generation to receipt and accounting closure.
- Ensure that fee collections are correctly reflected in the accounting system/ERP.
- Monitor pending, unmatched, duplicate and incorrect receipts.
- Review concessions, scholarships, refunds and fee adjustments against approved documentation.




- Coordinate with the Admissions, Administration and Accounts teams for resolution of fee-related financial discrepancies.
- Monitor outstanding fees and provide periodic reports to Management.

5. Payroll & Employee Financial Processes

- Review payroll inputs received from HR and Accounts for school employees.
- Verify attendance-related salary inputs, revisions, deductions, recoveries, arrears and other approved payroll adjustments.
- Review salary workings before finalization and ensure accuracy of gross salary, deductions and net payable.
- Coordinate with HR and Management for payroll exceptions and special cases.
- Review salary payment reconciliation and ensure appropriate accounting entries.

6. Statutory Compliance & Taxation

- Review and monitor applicable TDS, GST, Income Tax and other statutory compliances relevant to the school and associated educational entities.
- Ensure statutory workings, challans, returns and supporting documents are reviewed and completed within prescribed timelines.
- Coordinate with Chartered Accountants, tax consultants and other external professionals wherever required.
- Maintain a statutory compliance calendar and monitor upcoming deadlines.
- Ensure proper maintenance of statutory records, acknowledgements and supporting documentation.

7. Audit & Trust Compliance

- Coordinate internal, statutory and Trust-related audits.
- Prepare and maintain audit requirement trackers and ensure timely submission of required documents.
- Review audit schedules, ledgers, vouchers, bank reconciliations and supporting documents before submission.
- Coordinate responses to auditor queries and track observations until closure.
- Ensure that audit records are systematically maintained and readily retrievable.
- Support Management and auditors in Trust-related financial documentation and compliance requirements.

8. Team Supervision & Review

- Supervise and guide the Accounts Team handling school and related educational accounting activities.
- Allocate work based on priorities, deadlines and individual responsibilities.
- Review daily, weekly and monthly completion of Accounts activities.
- Conduct quality checks of accounting entries, receipts, vouchers, reconciliations, payroll workings and payment documentation.
- Identify errors, process gaps and control weaknesses and ensure corrective action.
- Train and guide junior Accounts staff on school accounting processes and documentation requirements.
- Ensure that critical financial issues are escalated to Management within the required timeline.

9. Internal Controls & Financial Governance

- Ensure appropriate approval and documentation processes are followed before financial transactions are processed.
- Monitor segregation of duties, payment authorization, cash handling and financial documentation.
- Identify potential financial control gaps and recommend corrective measures.
- Ensure that all financial transactions are traceable through appropriate supporting documents.
- Conduct periodic reviews to ensure compliance with internal financial policies and processes.




- Maintain financial records in an organized and audit-ready manner.

10. Management Coordination

- Act as a key Accounts point of contact for Management regarding school financial matters.
- Provide timely financial information, reports and analysis required for decision-making.
- Coordinate with HR, Administration, Admissions, Academic teams, Management, banks, auditors, consultants and vendors on financial matters.
- Escalate significant financial discrepancies, compliance risks, cash-flow concerns and unresolved accounting issues to Management.
- Ensure smooth and uninterrupted functioning of the school's Accounts operations.

Key Performance Indicators

- 99% accuracy in accounting and financial records.
- 100% statutory compliances completed within applicable deadlines.
- 100% monthly bank and ledger reconciliations completed within the defined closing schedule.
- 100% payroll reviewed and finalized within the approved payroll timeline.
- 100% audit requirements submitted within agreed timelines.
- Zero unauthorized financial transactions.
- Zero critical unresolved reconciliation differences at month-end/year-end closure.
- 95% Accounts Team activities completed within defined TAT.
- Timely submission of monthly MIS and financial reports.
- Complete and audit-ready financial documentation.
- Timely closure of internal and external audit observations.

Required Experience

- 6–10+ years of relevant Accounts/Finance experience, preferably with significant experience in a school or educational institution setup.
- Mandatory/strong preference for candidates who have worked directly in school accounting operations.
- Experience in Trust/Society/educational institution accounting will be preferred.
- Experience supervising or reviewing the work of junior Accounts personnel.
- Practical exposure to statutory compliance, audits, payroll, bank reconciliation and financial reporting.

Educational Qualification

- B.Com / M.Com / CA Inter / equivalent qualification in Accounts & Finance.
- Relevant professional qualification or certification will be an added advantage.

Technical & Functional Skills

- Strong knowledge of accounting principles and financial controls.
- Practical knowledge of school fee accounting and educational institution finance processes.
- Knowledge of Trust accounting and related financial processes.
- Strong understanding of TDS, GST, Income Tax and audit processes.
- Strong reconciliation and financial reporting skills.
- Working knowledge of Tally/ERP/accounting software.
- Valuable Excel and MIS reporting skills.
- Strong documentation and record-management skills.

Preferred Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate should have worked in a school/educational institution Accounts department and should understand the practical functioning of school finance beyond routine bookkeeping.

The candidate should be capable of independently reviewing the Accounts function, identifying discrepancies, supervising the team, coordinating with auditors/consultants and Management, and ensuring that the school's financial and compliance processes remain accurate, controlled and audit-ready.

Preference should be given to candidates who have prior experience in a Trust-based school/educational setup and understand the accounting and compliance requirements associated with such institutions.

Pay: From ₹40,000.00 per month

Benefits:

- Paid time off

Work Location: In person

📌 Sr. Accountant (Kalyan)
🏢 The Cambria International School & Jr College
📍 Kalyan