Job description
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Industry: Service
Job Summary:
This is a high-impact leadership mandate for a finance professional who combines deep technical expertise with strong business partnership skills. The CFO will own the Group's financial strategy end-to-end — from building robust controls and compliance frameworks to shaping capital structure, driving working capital efficiency, and preparing the organisation for its next phase of institutional and capital markets engagement.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Financial Strategy & Business Partnership
• Partner with the Director and CEO to shape the Group's financial strategy in alignment with overall business objectives.
• Lead annual budgeting, long-range financial planning, and rolling forecast processes across all business units.
• Provide sharp, data-driven financial insights to support strategic decisions on growth, investments, and resource allocation.
• Identify financial innovations and funding structures that can drive business expansion and margin improvement.
2. Financial Operations, Controls & Compliance
• Establish and continuously strengthen financial control frameworks ensuring compliance with regulatory and accounting standards (Ind AS, Companies Act, SEBI where applicable).
• Oversee statutory audits, internal audits, direct and indirect taxation (GST, TDS, Income Tax), and risk management across all Group entities.
• Manage multi-entity consolidation across CLR Group's various subsidiaries and related entities with accuracy and timeliness.
• Leverage financial analytics to identify risks and opportunities in real time, enabling proactive decision-making.
• Ensure zero-tolerance compliance on ROC filings, secretarial standards, and regulatory submissions.
3. Working Capital, Treasury & Cash Flow Management
• Own end-to-end working capital management — with a sharp focus on reducing Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) and improving collections efficiency.
• Manage treasury operations including cash flow forecasting, liquidity planning, and optimal deployment of funds.
• Build and maintain strong banking and lending institution relationships for credit facilities, working capital lines, and debt structuring.
• Optimise the Group's debt-equity mix and oversee loan covenants, interest cost management, and refinancing where appropriate.
4. Capital Structuring & Business Growth
• Shape the capital strategy to optimise investment, working capital, and cash flow across the Group.
• Oversee capital infusion and equity/debt raise initiatives in coordination with the leadership team.
• Evaluate financial viability of new verticals, geographies, and strategic partnerships.
• Support M&A opportunities as required — financial due diligence, valuation, deal structuring, and post-merger integration from a finance lens.
5. Investor Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
• Build trust and credibility with investors, board members, lenders, and financial institutions.
• Prepare and present periodic financial performance reports, business outlook updates, and strategic plans to the Board and Director.
• Shape transparent reporting systems that drive accountability and performance visibility across the organisation.
• Respond to queries from institutional investors, banks, and other financial stakeholders with clarity and confidence.
6. IPO Readiness & Governance Strengthening
• Lead the finance function's preparation for a potential IPO — including governance upgrades, financial reporting standards alignment, SEBI compliance readiness, and investor-grade disclosures.
• Work with legal, secretarial, and external advisors to ensure the Group's corporate structure and financials are IPO-ready.
• Institutionalise board-level financial reporting, audit committee processes, and independent director engagement.
• Drive adoption of Ind AS reporting standards ensuring financial statements reflect the highest levels of accuracy and transparency.
7. Digital Transformation & Financial Innovation
• Drive automation and digitisation of financial operations — including SAP/ERP optimisation, automated MIS, and real-time dashboards.
• Leverage technology and analytics to enhance financial forecasting, scenario planning, and reporting accuracy.
• Champion a data-first finance culture where decisions are driven by real-time financial intelligence.
• Evaluate and implement fintech solutions that improve efficiency across payroll, invoicing, collections, and treasury.
8. Team Leadership & Finance Function Building
• Lead, mentor, and develop a finance team of 70+ professionals across accounting, taxation, treasury, FP&A, and compliance.
• Build a high-performance finance function with clear ownership, strong processes, and a culture of accuracy and accountability.
• Drive capability development within the team — upskilling on technology, compliance, and business finance skills.
• Establish clear KPIs, review cadences, and performance management processes within the finance function.
Experience & Background
• 15–18 years of progressive finance leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a CFO, Deputy CFO, VP Finance, or Group Finance Controller role.
• Mandatory: Hands-on experience in financial planning & strategy, corporate finance, working capital management, and taxation.
• Must have experience in manpower-intensive or service-driven businesses — IFM, staffing, logistics, telecom, infrastructure O&M, or similar sectors strongly preferred.
• Experience in a large, multi-entity, multi-location organisation with revenues of ₹500 Cr+ strongly preferred.
• M&A experience is an advantage but not mandatory.
• Experience working with private equity, institutional investors, or preparing for capital market transactions (IPO/QIP) is highly desirable.
• Hands-on SAP / ERP experience is essential.
Technical & Functional Competencies
• Deep expertise in Indian financial regulations — Companies Act, GST, TDS, Income Tax, Ind AS, and ROC compliance.
• Strong command over financial modelling, scenario planning, and management reporting.
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performance finance teams.
• Expertise in treasury operations, banking relationships, and debt management.
• Strong understanding of capital structuring, financial due diligence, and investor reporting.
Leadership Competencies
• Strategic business partner — ability to translate financial data into actionable business insights for the leadership team.
• High integrity with an unwavering commitment to governance, transparency, and ethical financial practice.
• Strong communicator — able to present complex financial information clearly to the Board, Director, and investors.
• Hands-on, detail-oriented leader who does not lose sight of operational rigour while thinking strategically.
• Collaborative and cross-functional — able to work effectively with HR, operations, legal, and business unit heads.
Integrity & Legal Standards
• Clean legal track record is mandatory — candidates with pending fraud, criminal, or regulatory cases will not be considered.
• No fraud or criminal cases of any nature — past or present.
• Highest standards of personal and professional integrity are non-negotiable for this role.
Education
• Chartered Accountant (CA) — strongly preferred.
• Cost & Management Accountant (CMA) or MBA – Finance from a Tier 1 / Tier 2 B-School will also be considered.