Job Description:

Finance Controller

Location Mumbai

Reporting To CFO

Qualification Chartered Accountant (CA) - Mandatory

Experience 10-12 years post-qualification

Industry Preference Manufacturing / Distribution / Inventory-heavy

ERP SAP (FI/CO mandatory; I2C/SD/MM preferred)

ROLE OVERVIEW:

The Finance Controller will own end-to-end controllership from statutory compliance and audit management to SAP-driven operations, treasury, and taxation. Critically, the individual must be able to translate financial data into actionable performance insights that support commercial decision-making across pricing, margins, and channel economics.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Financial Reporting & Statutory Compliance:

- Ensure accurate and timely preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements in compliance with Ind AS

- Own the financial close process drive discipline, speed, and quality in period-end closing through SAP

- Ensure full compliance with applicable Ind AS standards including Ind AS 115 (revenue recognition), Ind AS 116 (leases), Ind AS 2 (inventories), and other relevant standards

- Manage the full statutory audit cycle including planning, data rooms, schedule preparation, and audit closure with Big 4 statutory auditors

i. Serve as the primary interface with the statutory audit engagement team and partner-level discussions

ii. Proactively anticipate and resolve audit queries; drive timely sign-off with minimal qualifications

- Coordinate and manage tax audits, internal audits, and cost audits

- Prepare Board-level and Audit Committee financial packages, including notes to accounts and MD&A sections

2. SAP Governance & Finance Systems:

- Act as finance owner for SAP driving governance, controls, and continuous improvement across FI/CO modules

- Oversee SAP I2C (Invoice-to-Cash) cycle: billing, collections, credit management, and cash application ensuring end-to-end process discipline from order through receipt

- Ensure seamless integration and reconciliation across FI, CO, MM, and SD modules

- Lead SAP-based financial closing, inter-company reconciliations, and MIS reporting

- Strengthen master data governance across customers, vendors, SKUs, and pricing hierarchies

- Implement and enforce system controls credit limits, pricing discipline, approval workflows, and tolerance levels

- Drive automation, process improvements, and reporting enhancements in collaboration with IT

3. Internal Controls & Risk Management:

- Design, implement, and maintain a robust Internal Financial Controls (IFC) framework across financial reporting and operational processes

- Own the internal control environment including SOPs, control self-assessments, and IFC testing in line with Companies Act requirements

- Oversee GL, AP, AR, billing, and revenue recognition controls across Head Office and factories

- Ensure robust balance sheet reconciliations inventory, GR/IR, receivables, payables, and intercompany

- Drive prompt closure of audit observations (internal and statutory) and implement systemic improvements

- Coordinate with internal audit teams; ensure findings are tracked and addressed within agreed timelines

4. Performance Management & Business Insights:

- Lead annual budgeting, monthly rolling forecasts, and long-range financial planning processes

- Drive SAP-enabled MIS reporting, variance analysis, and management dashboards for CFO and leadership review

- Build and maintain a performance analytics framework that tracks P&L drivers channel-wise, product-wise, and geography-wise

- Provide actionable financial insights to support pricing decisions, margin improvement, and product portfolio optimization

- Partner with Sales, Supply Chain, and Operations leadership to connect financial performance with operational KPIs

- Prepare materials for Board reviews, Audit Committee, and investor (Warburg Pincus) reporting

5. Treasury & Working Capital Management:

- Manage end-to-end treasury operations including cash flow planning, banking relationships, and liquidity management

- Monitor and manage bank limits, working capital borrowings, and interest costs; optimize funding mix

- Drive discipline in cash flow forecasting and variance tracking; own the 13-week cash flow model

- Manage forex exposure and hedging strategies for import payments and foreign currency obligations

- Oversee debtor collections, payment terms, and working capital cycle efficiency in conjunction with the I2C process

- Maintain strong institutional relationships with banks and financial institutions

6. Direct & Indirect Taxation:

- Ensure full compliance with direct tax (income tax, advance tax, TDS, transfer pricing) and indirect tax (GST, customs) regulations

- Oversee timely filings, assessments, and active management of tax litigation and contingencies

- Manage GST credit flows, reconciliations, and working capital impact of indirect taxes

- Optimize tax positions within compliance boundaries; identify structuring opportunities with advisors

- Work closely with external tax consultants and manage departmental assessments

7. Team Leadership & Capability Building:

- Lead and develop the finance team across accounts, treasury, and taxation functions

- Build team capabilities in SAP, analytics, Ind AS, and business finance partnership

- Drive a high-performance, ownership-driven culture with clear accountability and KPIs

- Create succession pipelines and structured development plans for team members

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

Qualification Chartered Accountant (CA) Mandatory. Cost Accountant (CMA) or MBA Finance may be considered as an additional qualification, not a substitute.

Experience: 10-12 years of post-qualification experience. Prior experience in manufacturing, furniture/hardware, FMCG, or distribution-led businesses with significant inventory and working capital complexity is preferred.

Statutory Audit: Demonstrated experience in managing Big 4 statutory audits end-to-end, including partner/manager engagement, complex accounting discussions, and timely closure.

ERP / Systems: Strong hands-on experience in SAP FI/CO is mandatory. Working knowledge of SAP I2C (Invoice-to-Cash), MM, and SD modules is preferred.

SAP-SPECIFIC SKILL REQUIREMENTS (CRITICAL):

- SAP FI: Deep expertise in GL, AP, AR, asset accounting, financial closing, and reconciliations mandatory

- SAP CO: Working knowledge of cost centre accounting, profit centre accounting, and profitability analysis (CO-PA)

- SAP I2C (Invoice-to-Cash): End-to-end understanding of the order-to-cash cycle within SAP billing, credit management, collections, and cash application preferred

- SAP SD: Integration with billing, pricing, credit control, and revenue recognition flows

- SAP MM: Integration with inventory accounting, GR/IR, and procurement-to-pay

- MIS & Automation: Ability to build dashboards, automate reports, and drive process improvements within SAP

- Controls & Master Data: Strong orientation towards master data governance (customer/vendor/material), approval workflows, and audit trails

KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES:

Core Competencies

- Financial controllership & Ind AS compliance

- Internal controls (IFC) & SOP governance

- SAP FI/CO & I2C operations

- Treasury, working capital & forex management

- Direct & indirect tax compliance

- Performance analytics & MIS for leadership

- High ownership and execution orientation

Added Advantage

- Big 4 statutory audit management

- Product costing & cost centre accounting (SAP CO-PC)

- Understanding of furniture / hardware product economics

- Manufacturing overhead absorption & standard costing

- Pricing analytics and channel margin analysis

- PE-backed company reporting experience

- Experience with investor reporting / IC presentations