AVP - Business Finance & Strategy | CFO's Office

Location: Mumbai

Experience: 6 - 10 Years

Qualification: Full-time MBA in Finance from a Tier-1 / Premier Institute - Mandatory

Function: Business Finance | Strategic Finance | FP&A | Commercial Finance

Reporting To: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Compensation: As per experience and organizational fit, within the approved budget

About the Organisation:

Our client is a prominent, technology-enabled education organisation focused on transforming the school education ecosystem in India.

The organisation partners with schools through an integrated portfolio of curriculum, pedagogy, technology-enabled learning solutions and school-support services, with a focus on improving learning outcomes and strengthening school capabilities.

As the business continues to scale, the organisation is strengthening its Business Finance function to drive commercial effectiveness, financial discipline, profitability and data-driven decision-making.

Role Overview:

We are looking for a high-calibre Business Finance professional with strong commercial acumen and strategic financial planning capabilities to work closely with the CFO and senior business leadership.

This is a business-facing finance role that goes beyond conventional accounting, statutory reporting and financial control. The incumbent will act as a finance business partner, translating financial and operational data into actionable insights that support revenue growth, pricing decisions, unit economics, profitability improvement and cost optimisation.

The ideal candidate will combine strong financial modelling and analytical capabilities with the ability to influence business stakeholders, evaluate commercial opportunities and support strategic decisions in a dynamic, growth-oriented environment.

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Business Finance & Business Partnering:

- Partner with the CFO and business leaders to translate business priorities into financial plans, forecasts and measurable outcomes.

- Provide financial insights and recommendations to support business growth, profitability improvement and resource allocation.

- Evaluate business performance, identify risks and opportunities, and recommend corrective actions.

- Work cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product, Operations and Finance teams to improve commercial decision-making.

2. Financial Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting:

- Drive annual budgeting, periodic forecasting, financial planning and scenario analysis.

- Develop revenue, cost and profitability forecasts based on business and operational drivers.

- Conduct budget-versus-actual analysis and investigate material variances.

- Improve forecast accuracy, planning discipline and financial visibility across functions.

3. Commercial Finance & Pricing Strategy:

- Analyse pricing structures, discounting practices, commercial proposals and contract economics.

- Evaluate the impact of pricing changes, customer/product mix and commercial terms on revenue and profitability.

- Develop financial models and scenarios to support pricing decisions and revenue optimisation.

- Support the development of commercial guardrails and financial evaluation frameworks for business opportunities.

4. Unit Economics & Profitability Management:

- Analyse customer acquisition cost (CAC), lifetime value (LTV), contribution margins and acquisition payback.

- Evaluate profitability across products, customer segments and commercial models.

- Identify cost-to-serve drivers and opportunities to improve contribution margins.

- Conduct sensitivity analysis to assess the financial impact of changes in pricing, acquisition costs, customer retention and operating expenses.

5. Cost Optimization & Financial Performance:

- Monitor operating expenditure, identify budget deviations and recommend cost optimisation initiatives.

- Work with functional owners to improve cost efficiency while supporting business priorities.

- Evaluate financial performance against targets and track the impact of improvement initiatives.

- Strengthen financial accountability and cost discipline across business functions.

6. Marketing ROI & Investment Evaluation:

- Evaluate marketing expenditure against customer acquisition, conversion and contribution outcomes.

- Analyze channel-level acquisition costs and payback periods wherever data is available.

- Build financial business cases for new products, partnerships, expansion initiatives and strategic investments.

- Apply NPV, IRR, payback and scenario analysis where appropriate to support investment decisions.

7. Revenue, Collections & Working Capital:

- Track revenue realisation, collections, outstanding receivables and cash-flow performance.

- Identify collection bottlenecks and partner with relevant business teams on corrective actions.

- Analyze payment terms and collection trends to improve working-capital visibility.

- Support stronger commercial discipline and predictable cash flows.

8. MIS, Dashboards & Management Reporting:

- Develop management dashboards and performance reports for the CFO and senior leadership.

- Track key metrics across revenue, pricing, margins, costs, school sign-ups and collections.

- Translate financial analysis into concise insights and actionable business recommendations.

- Improve data reliability, reporting accuracy and the effectiveness of management reviews.

9. Process Improvement & Governance:

- Strengthen financial planning processes, commercial approval frameworks and performance-monitoring mechanisms.

- Identify opportunities to automate recurring analyses and improve reporting efficiency.

- Establish consistent financial metrics, assumptions and reporting standards across functions.

Mandatory Candidate Requirements:

- 6 - 10 years of relevant experience in Business Finance, Commercial Finance, Strategic Finance, FP&A or Finance Business Partnering.

- Full-time MBA in Finance from a Tier-1 / Premier Institute is mandatory.

- Strong experience in financial modelling, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis and business performance management.

- Demonstrated understanding of commercial finance, pricing strategy, unit economics, contribution margins and cost structures.

- Ability to translate financial data into business insights and influence cross-functional stakeholders.

- Advanced proficiency in MS Excel and financial modelling; experience with Power BI, Tableau or similar BI tools.

- Strong analytical thinking, communication, presentation and problem-solving skills.

- Demonstrated ownership, attention to detail and the ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic business environment.

Preferred Industry Background:

- Candidates from SaaS, EdTech, Technology, Consumer internet, e-commerce, FMCG, Telecom or other commercially driven organizations may be considered, provided they have strong and relevant Business Finance / Commercial Finance experience.

- Exposure to customer acquisition economics, pricing optimization, marketing ROI, profitability improvement and collections management will be an advantage.

Key Skills:

- Business Finance, Strategic Finance, Commercial Finance, FP&A, Finance Business Partnering, Financial Modelling, Budgeting, Forecasting, Pricing Strategy, Revenue Optimization, Unit Economics, LTV, CAC, Contribution Margin, Profitability Analysis, Cost Optimization, Marketing ROI, NPV, IRR, Working Capital, MIS, Power BI, Advanced Excel.

Why Consider This Opportunity?:

- Direct exposure to the CFO and senior business leadership.

- Opportunity to influence commercial and strategic business decisions.

- Broad exposure across financial planning, pricing, profitability and business performance.

- Opportunity to strengthen Business Finance capabilities within a growing education-technology organisation.

Contact:

Nimish Khare, 91-9971997967