Assistant Vice President - Financial Planning & Analysis - CA

AVP FP&A

Description: Looking to hire a AVP FP&A position with a leading Pharma company, please find below the additional details on the company and role requirements:

Job Summary

We are seeking a senior leadership professional to steer our business financial operations as the AVP of FP&A. The incumbent will be responsible for driving top-line growth, margin improvement, and cash flow management. This role acts as a critical finance business partner for India Operations, covering SRC/R&D, Plant, Head Office (HO). You will lead the budgeting and forecasting processes, evaluate product pricing, and manage financial performance reviews to support strategic decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Financial Planning & Analysis

- Lead the annual budgeting process, forecasting, and scenario modeling for India operations.

- Conduct detailed profitability analysis, cost optimization, and predictive analytics on risks and opportunities.

- Establish rolling P&L and Global cash flow projections with 95%+ forecast accuracy.

- Evaluate large CAPEX projects and provide ROI analysis based on NPV, IRR, DCF, Payback period, and Sensitivity Analysis.

- Review overheads with HODs to ensure no budget overruns.

2. Strategic Business Partnering

- Collaborate with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, HO, and other departments to provide financial support.

- Provide financial insights for make-vs-buy decisions, outsourcing, and footprint optimization.

- Conduct periodic reviews of the product portfolio for pricing, gross margin, and COGS optimization.

- Act as a business partner for India regarding the path to break-even, LRP, and sales incentives validation.

Process Oriented: Strong focus on process, systems, and meeting deadlines.Monitor performance against budget, providing P&L variance analysis versus plan, LE (Latest Estimate), and the previous year.

3. MIS, Reporting & Control

- Monitor performance against budget, providing P&L variance analysis versus plan, LE (Latest Estimate), and the previous year.

- Develop dashboards to monitor KPIs and ensure high-level accuracy in MIS through reconciliation with reported numbers.

- Track achievement against Corporate Goals and identify risks with department heads.

- Ensure statutory and regulatory compliance (GST, TDS, Pharma-specific requirements).

- Optimize working capital, including receivables and inventory, while highlighting risks.

4. Transformation & Automation

- Drive the automation of the finance function by leveraging data analytics, dashboards, and emerging technologies.

- Build and utilize AI models for forecasting, compliance, and risk management.

- Partner with the Finance Controller to ensure seamless ERP implementation and improvements.

5. Leadership & Other Domain Functions

- Guide, mentor, and retain top talent while fostering a culture of accountability.

- Handle Treasury management (investments, forex, borrowings) and direct/indirect tax matters.

- Lead or support strategic initiatives such as fund-raising, IPOs, or M&A activities.

Qualifications and Experience

Education: CA or MBA in Finance.

Experience: 15+ years of relevant experience.

Audit Experience: Experience with Big 4/Big 6 auditors in Accounting, Consolidation, and Audit management is required.

Global Exposure: Experience in multi-country finance operations is preferred.

Key Competencies

- Technical Skills: Very high skill set in MS Excel and PowerPoint (including infographics).

- Analytical Mindset: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on results.

- Communication: Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

- Leadership: High capability in talent management and collaborative working in a multi-geography setup.

- Process Oriented: Strong focus on process, systems, and meeting deadlines.

- Manufacturing Facilities: This company has two plants in India (EU GMP certified) and one in Switzerland (US FDA approved).

- Reporting Structure: The role reports directly to the current CFO and is intended to be the CFO's eventual successor. Therefore, a high level of professional and behavioral maturity is required.

- Team Structure: The AVP will have 2-3 direct reports and an overall team size of 15-16 people.

- Office Location: Gurgaon

Essential Candidate Profile:

- Industry: Candidates must come from a manufacturing-centric organization, with a preference for Pharma or FMCG.

- Experience: Multi-plant experience is acceptable, but mandatory experience in plant-level finance/operations is a must.

- Startup Experience Rationale: Startup experience is required due to the scope of work involving fund-raising activities.