ONLY TAMILAN OR EXPERT IN TAMIL LANGUAGE SHOULD APPLY

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Reporting directly to the Board of Directors / Chief Executive, the CFO will serve as a strategic co-pilot during the crucial transition from project commissioning to full-scale commercial export operations. The role combines MNC-level financial control and export-trade mastery with the entrepreneurial agility required to finalise project funding and scale a global B2B manufacturing business. The CFO will lead capital raising, commercial trade finance, working-capital management, plant costing and financial governance.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Capital raising: Secure the balance project funding under tight timelines; navigate bank consortiums and structure debt/equity for the greenfield plant and subsequent expansion.

- Export & trade finance: Set up and run the finance function of a 100% Export Oriented Unit - international trade laws and practices, customs and port clearances, shipping logistics, export incentives, and dealings with Western customers and overseas business partners.

- Working-capital management: Establish robust internal financial controls and vendor payment schedules. Before revenue starts flowing, cash-outflow management must be surgical to prevent liquidity bottlenecks during dry runs and initial commercial batches. Optimise the cash-conversion cycle across borders, where working capital is tied up in ocean transit, customs clearance and overseas customer credit terms.

- Food-industry costing & yield management: Build standard absorption costing and track bill-of-material yield variances on the shop floor, accounting for seasonal raw-material procurement, moisture losses and perishable storage dynamics. Partner with plant operations, engineering and domestic/expatriate consultants to optimise utility consumption, raw-material procurement and unit economics.

- Governance & compliance: Own taxation (GST / Income Tax), statutory audits, Board and lender reporting, and overall financial governance.

- Systems: Lead ERP implementation (SAP / Oracle) and oversee the current Zoho Books accounting environment.

CANDIDATE PROFILE:

- Origin & location: A Tamilian, currently based in Chennai, fluent in Tamil.

- Age & leadership style: Mid-40s, smart personality; high-energy, hands-on executor equally at ease with shop-floor operational realities and board-level strategic decisions.

- Education: CA and/or MBA with specialisation in Finance from a premier B-school.

- Experience: 20+ years of progressive financial leadership with significant experience in Food Processing / FMCG / Process Manufacturing MNCs or large Indian companies; direct experience in FMCG / food-ingredient manufacturing preferred.