Role Overview:

We are looking for a strategic and results-oriented Finance Professional to lead the Accounts Receivable (Order to Cash) function within a Shared Services environment for a large Multi National Company.

The role carries end-to-end ownership of billing, collections, cash application, credit and dispute management, and AR reporting, requiring strong leadership, deep accounting and statutory expertise, SAP proficiency, and the ability to drive cash-flow outcomes, control excellence, and large-scale process transformation.

Key Responsibilities:

- Lead end-to-end Accounts Receivable operations including invoicing, collections, cash application, credit and dispute management, reconciliations, and AR period-end close across multiple entities and business units.

- Own AR performance outcomes including DSO, overdue and ageing reduction, collection effectiveness index (CEI), bad-debt and provisioning levels, and unapplied cash, and drive cash-flow improvement targets.

- Define and govern collections strategy, dunning cycles, customer segmentation, and escalation frameworks in partnership with Sales, Credit, and business leadership.

- Oversee credit management policies, credit limit reviews, and risk assessment; ensure appropriate ECL/bad-debt provisioning in line with IFRS/Ind AS and company policy.

- Ensure timely and accurate month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close for AR, including revenue-related accruals, AR sub-ledger to GL reconciliation, and cut-off adherence.

- Drive resolution of disputes, deductions, and short payments by working with Sales, Operations, Legal, and Customer teams, and address root causes to prevent recurrence.

- Ensure compliance with Indian statutory requirements including GST (e-invoicing, e-way bills, credit/debit notes), TDS/TCS reconciliation, and applicable accounting standards (IFRS/Ind AS).

- Strengthen internal financial controls (including SOX, where applicable); own control testing and remediation, and ensure audit readiness for statutory, internal, and tax audits.

- Provide senior leadership with AR dashboards, cash forecasts, ageing analysis, and insights; partner with Treasury and FP&A on collections forecasting and working-capital planning.

- Lead, mentor, and develop a large team including Senior Managers, Managers, and Analysts; drive talent development, succession planning, performance management, and a high-performance culture.

- Champion automation, standardization, and digital transformation (RPA, AI-based cash application, collections workflow tools), and lead transitions of new processes or entities into the Shared Services Centre.

- Serve as the primary escalation point and strategic partner for client entities, business unit finance heads, and global stakeholders; manage SLAs, governance forums, and service reviews.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

- Graduate in Commerce/Accounting (B.Com) or equivalent; CA/CMA or MBA (Finance) strongly preferred.

- 16 - 20 years of relevant experience in Accounts Receivable / Order-to-Cash operations, with at least 6 - 8 years in senior leadership roles managing large teams.

- Strong understanding of the end-to-end O2C lifecycle, credit and collections strategy, and core accounting concepts.

- Mandatory hands-on experience working on SAP (FI-AR / SD modules); exposure to SAP Credit Management, collections tools, or similar platforms is an added advantage.

- Sound knowledge of Indian accounting practices and statutory compliance, including GST and TDS, and exposure to IFRS/Ind AS and ECL provisioning.

- Proven experience in leading Shared Services / GCC operations, SLA governance, and process transformation or transition programs.

- Demonstrated ability to influence and partner with senior business stakeholders, including Sales and Treasury.

- Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving abilities with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

- Good working knowledge of MS Excel; exposure to reporting/analytics tools (e.g., Power BI) is an added advantage.