Accounts Receivable Manager

Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 per annum

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Head of Financial Operations

Department: Finance

This role operates on a hybrid working arrangement that will require 1 day per week in our Coventry head office. This may fluctuate in line with business requirements. Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

The Finance Department at Arden University plays a pivotal role in supporting our ambitious growth and innovation agenda. As trusted partners across the University, we ensure that every financial decision underpins Arden’s mission to make education more accessible, affordable, and impactful for learners worldwide.

Our department is structured around excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement — providing strategic insight, robust financial management, and efficient transactional services that enable the University to deliver on its goals. From managing core financial operations and student finance to driving digital transformation across systems and processes, we are committed to achieving best-in‑class financial stewardship and service delivery.

As Accounts Receivable Manager at Arden University, you will lead the end-to-end delivery of student accounts operations, ensuring accurate billing, timely collections and robust financial control across the University. This role is central to maintaining the integrity of tuition income, supporting cash flow, and enabling a seamless financial experience for students.

You will oversee all aspects of accounts receivable activity, including student billing, payment plans, refunds, transfers and reconciliations, ensuring processes are efficient, compliant and aligned to university policy. Working closely with Finance, Student Support and wider operational teams, you will ensure that student financial records are maintained with precision and that queries are resolved in a timely, service-focused manner.

Leading a dedicated team, you will drive high standards of performance, strengthen controls, and identify opportunities to enhance systems and processes as the University continues to grow. Through effective oversight and continuous improvement, the role plays a key part in safeguarding revenue, supporting financial sustainability and delivering an excellent student experience.

• Strong understanding of accounts receivable processes, billing, collections, reconciliations, and credit control.
• Solid grasp of UK accounting standards, financial reporting, and internal controls.
• Familiarity with financial systems/ERP (e.g., Banner, SITS, Oracle) and advanced Excel for reporting and analysis.
• Awareness of compliance, audit requirements, and data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR).
• Significant experience managing AR operations, ideally with supervisory responsibilities.
• Proven track record in financial reporting, reconciliations, and analysis for senior management.
• Experience supporting audits and implementing controls to ensure compliance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead staff, liaise with stakeholders, and resolve complex AR issues.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with students, staff, senior management, and cross-functional teams.
• Strategic planning and operational management skills, with the ability to adopt structured, methodical approaches to complex financial and operational challenges.

• Experience in the higher education sector.
• Working…