CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)

500 Cr+ Electrical & Engineering Manufacturing Organisation | Kolkata

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Industry: Electrical & Engineering Manufacturing

Exp: Qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) with Minimum 15 Years of Post Qualification Experience out of which last 3 years as HOD in any reputed Manufacturing organisation.

Business Size: Approx. 500 Cr

Position: Head Finance

Reporting: MD / Board

THE OPPORTUNITY:

This is not a conventional Finance & Accounts leadership role. We are looking for a business-focused CFO who can partner with the MD/Board to drive profitable growth, stronger cash flows, capital efficiency and financial discipline across a growing manufacturing organisation. The CFO will play a pivotal role in connecting Finance with Operations, Commercial, Manufacturing, Procurement and Business Strategy turning financial insights into measurable business outcomes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & KRAs:

1. Profitability & EBITDA:

- Drive improvement in Gross Margin, EBITDA and PBT

- Optimise pricing, product mix, costs and productivity

- Improve EBITDA margin by 1 - 2% and drive PBT growth

2. Working Capital & Cash Flow:

- Control receivables, inventory and payables

- Improve Cash Conversion Cycle

- Target reduction in DSO by 5 - 10 days and inventory by 5 - 10%

- Ensure positive operating cash flow

3. Treasury & Banking:

- Manage liquidity, cash forecasting and funding requirements

- Lead banking relationships, WC limits, LC/BG and term loans

- Optimise borrowing and interest costs

- Establish robust 13-week cash-flow forecasting

4. Cost & Manufacturing Finance:

- Establish product-wise and plant-wise cost visibility

- Monitor material, labour, power, scrap and overhead costs

- Drive 3 - 5% annual controllable cost reduction

- Partner with manufacturing teams to improve contribution, conversion cost and plant profitability

5. Budgeting & Business Planning:

- Lead annual budgeting and rolling forecasts

- Conduct monthly budget-vs-actual analysis

- Drive timely corrective actions

- Maintain budget accuracy within 5%

6. Capex & Capital Allocation:

- Evaluate business cases, ROI, IRR and payback

- Ensure disciplined capital allocation

- Conduct post-investment reviews

- Maintain major Capex within approved budgets

7. Commercial Finance:

- Support pricing and customer profitability decisions

- Strengthen credit discipline and commercial terms

- Evaluate tender/project costing

- Improve customer and product contribution

8. Financial Reporting, MIS & Analytics:

- Deliver accurate, timely and decision-oriented MIS to MD/Board

- Monthly financial MIS within agreed timelines

- Build stronger financial analytics and management dashboards

9. Tax, Compliance & Governance:

- Ensure robust GST, Income Tax, Companies Act, ROC and statutory compliance

- Lead audits and statutory financial requirements

- Drive tax efficiency while maintaining complete compliance

- Target zero major compliance observations/penalties

10. Internal Controls & Risk Management:

- Strengthen controls across Procurement, Inventory, Sales, Payments and Receivables

- Improve delegation of authority and financial controls

- Ensure timely closure of audit observations

11. ERP & Finance Digitalisation:

- Drive ERP utilisation, automation and financial dashboards

- Reduce manual reporting and improve data accuracy

- Strengthen ERP controls and MIS turnaround

12. Strategic Business Partnering:

- Partner with MD/CEO on expansion, new products, pricing and business strategy

- Financially evaluate strategic proposals, M&A/JV opportunities and investments

- Bring a strong commercial and strategic perspective to decision-making

13. Finance Team & Leadership:

- Build a high-performance Finance function

- Develop second-line leadership and succession capability

- Establish a performance-driven finance culture

SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED BY:

Revenue Growth | EBITDA Margin | PBT Margin | Operating Cash Flow | Cash Conversion Cycle | DSO | Inventory Days | Interest Cost | ROCE | Budget vs Actual

IDEAL CFO PROFILE:

We are looking for a senior finance leader who combines Strategic Finance, Manufacturing Finance, Commercial Acumen, Treasury, Working Capital and Business Partnership. The ideal candidate should be capable of moving beyond accounting and compliance and taking ownership of the financial performance and value creation of the business.

WHY THIS ROLE?:

An opportunity to sit at the centre of business decision-making and directly influence Growth, Profitability, Cash, Capital, Strategy and Value Creation.

Contact: Rajiv Kumar Kushwaha