We are seeking a strategic and analytical Chartered Accountant with upto 8 years of experience to lead our integrated Order-to-Cash (O2C) and Procure-to-Pay (P2P) functions. This is not a traditional accounting role, it is a high-impact process ownership & Governance role. You will be the custodian of the company's cash flow and the architect of our working capital strategy. Your mandate is to transform the AR and AP teams from reactive processing units into proactive, intelligence-driven functions that own, optimize, and safeguard every revenue stream and every cost-related partnership. You will ensure that for every rupee of potential revenue, the company realizes its full value, and for every rupee spent, maximum strategic advantage is gained. 1. Revenue Assurance (O2C) Strategic Oversight: • Process Ownership : Own and maintain the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the entire Order-to-Cash cycle, covering revenue reconciliation, payment gateway settlements, brand claims, and sales incentive payouts. Ensure revenue recognition is strictly enforced as per company policy and applicable accounting standards, validating that revenue is recorded accurately and in the correct period. • Revenue Stream Integrity: Establish a robust control framework to ensure 100% accuracy for all inward and outward sales incentives. Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of brand claims and partner reimbursements, from target tracking to cash realization, eliminating leakage.• Business Intelligence: Review dashboards to identify trends in revenue realization, identify leakages, claim delays, and exception patterns. Drive strategic corrective actions and own the accuracy of the Balance Sheet for all receivables. • Lead new initiatives and drive continuous process improvements to enhance efficiency, reduce manual intervention, and strengthen controls across the O2C function. • Stakeholder Leadership: Serve as the key commercial liaison with Sales Heads, Brand Managers, Channel Partners, Banking Partners, and the Financial Reporting team to align on revenue strategy and execution. Quality Control: • Review & Guide: Validate discrepancies identified, and provide strategic direction for recovery efforts and gateway negotiations. • Validate & Approve: Ensure claim trackers are updated, disputes are resolved promptly, and relationships with external brand finance teams are professionally managed. • Monitor & Escalate: Review exception reports from automated tools, ensuring mismatches and short deposits are cleared within defined SLAs, and providing guidance on complex reconciliation issues. • Approve & Govern: Provide final approval oversight for sales incentive payouts. Review dashboards for accuracy before distribution to sales leadership and ensure scheme communication is clear and timely. 2. Cost Intelligence & Working Capital Optimization (P2P) Strategic Oversight: • Process Ownership : Own and maintain the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the entire Procure-to-Pay cycle, including invoice processing, exception management, vendor reconciliations, and payment execution. • Working Capital Strategy: Architect and own the company's payment terms strategy. Actively manage cash flow timing by strategically scheduling payables to optimize Days Payable Outstanding (DPO) without compromising vendor relationships or procurement leverage. • P&L & Balance Sheet Stewardship: Assume complete ownership of the AP-ledger accuracy. Lead monthly P&L closure commentary for costs and ensure flawless Balance Sheet reconciliations, including Stock transfers, RPT, Vendor Advances, and GR/IR clearing. • Spend Analytics & Value Creation: Transform AP data into actionable business intelligence. Create and maintain real-time dashboards for cost analysis by vendor, category, and store, identifying opportunities for cost savings, process efficiencies, and strategic sourcing. • Fraud Prevention & Analytics: Monitor spend data for unusual patterns (duplicate payments, vendor master changes) and implement proactive fraud detection mechanisms. Quality Control: • Review & Certify: Review all month-end accruals, provisions, and journal entries before closure. Validate AP, GR/IR, and vendor advance schedules prepared for audits, ensuring 100% audit readiness. • Guide & Resolve: Reviewing the exception queue, providing guidance on complex invoice mismatches or vendor queries, and ensuring SLAs for query resolution are met. • Direct & Validate: Lead the dashboard creations and automation initiatives. Review spend analytics reports for insights and validate the integrity of data flowing through automated solutions. • Control & Verify: Establish a robust validation framework where payment batches are executed accurately, vendor master controls are enforced, and settlement reports are reviewed for discrepancies before release. 3. Financial Controls, Compliance & Audit Orchestration Strategic Oversight: • Enforce a rigorous RACI matrix for the entire P2P and O2C cycle. Ensure strict adherence to all statutory compliances, including MSME payment mandates (• Orchestrate readiness for statutory and internal audits. Serve as the primary point of contact for auditors on all AR/AP matters. • Own the integrity of the vendor master database and customer credit master, implementing strict controls around new additions, modifications, and risk assessments. Quality Control: • Audit Readiness Review: Conduct pre-audit reviews of all schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation prepared by the team. Address gaps identified by auditors by implementing corrective actions and process improvements. • Compliance Monitoring: Establish a monthly checklist review process with compliance dashboards (TDS, GST, MSME) • Fraud Prevention Oversight: Guide & monitor spend data for unusual patterns and review fraud analytics reports to implement preventive controls. 4. Team Transformation, Development & Process Excellence Strategic Oversight: • Evolve the AR and AP teams from reactive processing units into proactive business partners. Foster a culture of ownership, curiosity, and continuous improvement. • Champion the adoption and optimization of automated reconciliation tools ,invoice processing systems (OCR), and spend management platforms. Drive the team towards an exception-based management model rather than transaction processing.• Build a culture of /"zero-error execution/" where quality is non-negotiable and every output leaving the department is accurate and audit-ready. • Conduct daily/weekly stand-up meetings to review the exception queue, aging items, and pending tasks, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. • Act as a strategic business partner to Procurement, Logistics, Retail Operations, Marketing, IT, and Admin, ensuring the finance function is responsive, insightful, and value-adding What we look for : • Education: CA or CMA with exposure in O2C and P2P functions • Experience: Overall 5 to 8 years of post-qualification experience, with a minimum of 2-3 years in a leadership role managing both Order-to-Cash and Procure-to-Pay functions or controllership lead, along with past experience in system automation and implementation. • Industry Preference: Candidates from Retail, Consumer Durables, FMCG, or E commerce backgrounds with a deep understanding of multi-location operations is desirable.
Job Title
Head of Finance