Chief Financial Officer - Manufacturing Firm

Chief Financial Officer (18-25 yrs)

Job Summary:

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is responsible for providing strategic financial leadership and overseeing the organization's complete finance function. The role encompasses the end-to-end accounting lifecycle, financial planning, fundraising, treasury, taxation, statutory compliance, reporting, internal controls, ERP and finance systems, and business partnering. The CFO will play a critical role in driving profitability, strengthening governance, supporting business growth, and preparing the organization for future strategic initiatives, including fundraising, mergers and acquisitions, or an Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Finance:

- Develop and execute the company's financial strategy aligned with business objectives.

- Partner with the MD, CEO and business leaders on strategic planning, investments, expansion, and growth initiatives.

- Provide financial insights to support key business decisions and profitability improvement.

Accounting and Financial Operations:

- Lead the complete accounting lifecycle from transaction recording to finalization of financial statements.

- Ensure timely monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closures.

- Oversee General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Fixed Assets, Payroll, Inventory Accounting, and Cost Accounting.

- Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards and statutory requirements.

Financial Planning and Reporting:

- Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning.

- Develop and review MIS, financial dashboards, profitability analysis, and variance reports.

- Present financial performance and strategic recommendations to the Board and senior leadership.

Treasury and Fund Raising:

- Manage treasury operations, banking relationships, cash flow, and working capital.

- Lead fundraising through banks, financial institutions, private equity, venture capital, or other funding sources.

- Negotiate credit facilities, term loans, and working capital arrangements.

- Optimize capital structure and liquidity management.

Systems, Processes and Governance:

- Develop and strengthen financial systems, SOPs, internal controls, and governance frameworks.

- Lead ERP implementation, finance process automation, and digital transformation initiatives.

- Standardize finance processes to improve efficiency, transparency, and scalability.

- Establish robust risk management and internal control mechanisms.

Taxation, Compliance and Audit:

- Ensure compliance with Direct Tax, GST, TDS, Companies Act, FEMA (where applicable), and other statutory regulations.

- Lead statutory, internal, tax, cost, and secretarial audits.

- Coordinate with auditors, consultants, bankers, regulatory authorities, and government agencies.

Business Partnering:

- Evaluate capital expenditure proposals, business cases, and investment opportunities.

- Drive cost optimization, productivity improvement, and profitability enhancement initiatives.

- Support pricing, commercial negotiations, and strategic sourcing decisions.

Leadership:

- Lead Finance, Accounts, Costing, Treasury, Taxation, Commercial, and Internal Control functions.

- Build a high-performance finance organization through mentoring, succession planning, and capability development.

Technical Skills:

- Financial Strategy and Corporate Finance

- End-to-End Accounting Lifecycle Management

- Financial Planning, Budgeting and Forecasting

- Treasury and Working Capital Management

- Fund Raising and Investor Relations

- Financial Reporting and Board MIS

- ERP Implementation and Finance Process Automation

- Internal Controls, Risk Management and Corporate Governance

- Direct and Indirect Taxation

- Statutory, Internal and Cost Audit

- Cost Management and Business Analytics

- Advanced Excel, Power BI, ERP (SAP/Oracle/MS Dynamics)

Preferred Experience:

- 15 - 20 years of progressive finance leadership in manufacturing or engineering organizations.

- Experience managing multi-plant manufacturing finance operations.

- Proven track record in fundraising, banking relationships, and treasury management.

- Strong experience in ERP implementation and finance transformation projects.

- Experience in IPO readiness, Initial Public Offering (IPO), or listed company finance is a significant advantage. Candidates with exposure to SEBI regulations, due diligence, merchant bankers, investor presentations, financial disclosures, corporate governance, and post-listing compliance will be preferred.

- Experience in mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, business restructuring, or strategic investments will be an added advantage.