Key Responsibilities:

1. Lead Accounting, Controllership & Financial Governance:

- Own and drive the accounting and controllership agenda for the business.

- Ensure accuracy, completeness, and integrity of financial books and reported numbers.

- Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes with strong governance and discipline.

- Review and approve complex accounting entries, provisions, accruals, reconciliations, and judgment-based accounting matters.

- Ensure early identification and resolution of accounting, reporting, or control risks through robust Balance Sheet reviews.

- Drive a strong "no surprises" controllership culture across the finance ecosystem.

2. Own External Reporting & Statutory Financial Statements:

- Lead preparation and review of statutory financial statements in line with applicable accounting standards.

- Ensure compliance with Ind AS / IFRS / USGAAP and relevant regulatory requirements.

- Own notes to accounts, disclosures, schedules, reporting packs, and management representation requirements.

- Partner with external auditors to ensure smooth statutory audits, limited reviews, and annual reporting cycles.

- Ensure high-quality, audit-ready documentation and strong substantiation of financial positions.

3. Act as a Strategic Finance Partner & Specialist on Accounting Matters:

- Partner with business finance and functional teams on accounting implications of business decisions.

- Provide guidance on complex transactions, new business models, commercial arrangements, provisions, revenue recognition, cost accounting, and financial reporting treatment.

- Support leadership with clear interpretation of accounting impacts and financial risks.

- Help business teams understand the downstream reporting and compliance implications of operational decisions.

- Oversee Treasury related operations where required.

4. Partner Internal Controls, Risk & Audit Readiness:

- Ensure strong adherence to internal control and SOX/control frameworks.

- Lead control reviews, risk assessments, remediation plans, and governance actions.

- Partner with internal audit, external audit, and control teams to resolve observations.

- Drive accountability across teams for timely closure of audit points and control gaps.

- Strengthen the overall control environment through proactive risk identification.

5. Drive Process Excellence & Finance Transformation:

- Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and strengthen accounting and reporting processes.

- Lead improvement initiatives across close, reconciliations, reporting, audit documentation, and controls.

- Partner with shared services and technology teams to improve process reliability and scalability.

- Support ERP / SAP / S4HANA-related transitions, reporting enhancements, and digital finance initiatives where applicable.

- Reduce manual dependency and improve quality, speed, and transparency of reporting outputs.

6. Lead, Coach & Build a High-Performing Team:

- Manage and develop a team of finance professionals.

- Set clear priorities, performance expectations, timelines, and ownership standards.

- Build technical capability in accounting, reporting, controls, and audit readiness.

- Coach team members to move from task execution to judgment-led controllership.

- Create a culture of accountability, precision, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

- Partner effectively with shared services teams and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

Education:

- Chartered Accountant is mandatory.

Experience:

- Around 12-15 years of post-qualification experience.

- Strong experience in accounting, controllership, external reporting, audit, and financial governance.

- Experience in managing teams is important.

- Prior exposure to large multinational, listed, FMCG, manufacturing, or complex matrix organizations will be preferred.

- Candidates with a combination of accounting/external reporting and finance business partnering experience will be highly relevant.

Technical Skills Required:

- Strong knowledge of Ind AS / IFRS.

- Deep understanding of financial close, statutory reporting, audit, and accounting governance.

- Strong exposure to balance sheet reviews, provisions, accruals, reconciliations, financial statements, and disclosures.

- Strong control mindset, preferably with SOX/internal controls exposure.

- Ability to interpret complex accounting matters and translate them into business-friendly guidance.

- ERP exposure, especially SAP / S4HANA, will be an advantage.