ABOUT THE ROLE About ADASI
ADASI is the regional leader in autonomous systems and services, dedicated to offering holistic solutions from the development and production of unmanned systems to joint mission analysis and equipment acquisition. We manufacture, operate, and maintain next-generation autonomous capabilities for air, land, and sea, operating in demanding environments. Headquartered in the UAE, we are committed to advancing the region s technological edge in defense innovation.
The Role
The Manufacturing Finance specialist will be responsible for financial tracking, governance and reporting of Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) and New Product Introduction (NPI) costs across the entity's business including its drone development Programs, including tactical, MALE and large HALE UAV platforms. The role partners closely with Engineering, Program Management and FP&A to ensure development spend is accurately captured, capitalized in line with IAS 38, and controlled against approved budgets at each stage-gate.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Prepare annual budgets, financial forecasts, and cost plans.
- Lead month-end settlement of development and prototype production orders in EBS/SAP CO; ensure NPI actuals are correctly allocated to the right Program and cost object.
- Coordinate with FP&A to ensure development costs feed accurately into entity-level cash flow, month-end close and project settlement processes.
- Manage IAS 38 R&D cost capitalization end-to-end; maintain development cost asset schedules, capitalization triggers and amortization profiles.
- Monitor actual costs against budgets and investigate variances.
- Track manufacturing, NRE, and NPI costs across development programs.
- Analyze material, labor, and overhead costs to identify savings.
- Support product costing, standard costing, and cost allocation.
- Manage month-end closing, accruals, reconciliations, and financial reporting.
- Support R&D cost capitalization in accordance with IAS 38.
- Prepare cost analysis and financial business cases for new product development.
- Conduct make-or-buy analysis and capital investment appraisals.
- Monitor project expenditure, commitments, and forecast costs.
- Ensure compliance with financial policies, accounting standards, and internal controls.
- Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement, Program Management, and FP&A.
- Prepare management reports highlighting financial performance, risks, and opportunities.
- Support internal and external audits.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS - Bachelor s degree in Accounts/Finance
- 5-6 years of cost accounting experience, with a strong track record in NPI / R&D finance
- Qualified accountant (CIMA / ACA or equivalent); strong working knowledge of IAS 38 is essential
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS - Demonstrated experience developing cost architectures for complex, large-scale engineered systems (aerospace, defense, or comparable high-technology manufacturing
- Experience in manufacturing finance, cost accounting, or project finance.
- Deep understanding of stage-gate product development and design-to-cost principles
- Hands-on SAP CO experience; familiarity with development order and WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) settlement.
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Desired Candidate Profile
- Bachelor s degree in Accounts/Finance
- 5-6 years of cost accounting experience, with a strong track record in NPI / R&D finance
- Qualified accountant (CIMA / ACA or equivalent); strong working knowledge of IAS 38 is essential
- Demonstrated experience developing cost architectures for complex, large-scale engineered systems (aerospace, defense, or comparable high-technology manufacturing
- Experience in manufacturing finance, cost accounting, or project finance.
- Deep understanding of stage-gate product development and design-to-cost principles
- Hands-on SAP CO experience; familiarity with development order and WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) settlement.