Job Description

Business Context and Opportunities

A global conglomerate, the Aditya Birla Group is in the League of Fortune 500. Anchored by an extraordinary force of over 150,000 employees belonging to 100 nationalities, the Group is built on a strong foundation of stakeholder value creation. Backed by seven decades of responsible business practices, the Group operates leading businesses across metals, chemicals, textiles, cement, financial services, fashion retail, telecom, and renewable energy, with over 50% of revenues generated from international operations.

The group expanded its Retail Footprint, leveraging the trust and synergy built over the years in luxury retail by launching itsJewellery brand Indriya, in June 2024.

India's jewellery market is at an exciting inflection point. For decades, jewellery has largely been associated with weddings, family occasions, inheritance and long-term value. A new generation is now expanding what jewellery can mean. For Gen Z and young consumers, jewellery is increasingly about self-expression, identity, mood, styling, gifting and everyday confidence. It is no longer reserved only for milestone moments. It is becoming part of how young people show up each day, at college, at work, at a cafe, at a concert, on social media and in the moments that define their personal style.

Project Tiara is our attempt to build a distinctly new-age jewellery brand for this generation.

The brand is currently in its conceptualisation stage as a separate and independent business under the legal entity Novel Jewels (the creators of Indriya), backed by the trust, ambition and scale of the Aditya Birla Group.

The Core Idea

Project Tiara is built around a simple belief: Jewellery should help you express who you are, every day.

The brand will speak to young consumers who want jewellery that is stylish, affordable, versatile and relevant to their lives. It will focus on everyday wear, trend-responsive drops and pieces that can be worn, stacked, layered, mixed, matched and made personal.

Where the Brand Will Play

Project Tiara is being imagined for the fast-growing daily wear and self-purchase jewellery space. This is a large, under-branded opportunity in India, where young consumers are actively looking for jewellery that feels more current, more expressive and more accessible than traditional fine jewellery.

The brand will likely operate across digital-first channels, selective physical experiences, pop-ups and omni-channel journeys. It will be designed for a consumer who discovers on Instagram, engages through content, browses online, walks into stores and expects a seamless experience across all touchpoints.

How We Aim to Differentiate

Project Tiara will be different from traditional jewellery brands in both product and personality.

This brand will not simply sell jewellery. It will create a new buying behaviour, where jewellery becomes part of everyday identity, styling and self-expression.

Why This Is Exciting

Project Tiara gives us the opportunity to build a brand from the ground up: the consumer lens, product strategy, design system, brand voice, digital ecosystem, supply chain model, retail experience and growth engine.

It will also serve as an innovation sandbox for Novel Jewels, allowing us to experiment with new designs, faster drops, creator collaborations, digital storytelling, consumer communities and more agile ways of building a jewellery brand.

The 3 to 5 Year Ambition

Over the next 3 to 5 years, the ambition is to build Project Tiara into a meaningful, scalable, national Gen Z jewellery brand. The plan is to create a strong digital-first foundation, build repeat-led consumer behaviour, expand through selective offline formats and create a brand that young India sees as expressive, aspirational and accessible.

Project Tiara will also help Novel Jewels engage consumers early in their jewellery journey, creating a long-term relationship that can grow with them as their life stage, income and jewellery needs evolve.

Why Join Us

This is a rare opportunity to be part of a founding team for a new consumer brand within one of India's most respected business groups. The team will have the chance to shape the brand's identity, product language, consumer experience, content engine, commercial model and growth journey from the very beginning.

We are looking for people who are entrepreneurial, consumer-obsessed, culturally aware, digitally fluent and excited by the idea of building something that can redefine how young India experiences jewellery.

Project Tiara is not just a new brand. It is a chance to reimagine jewellery for a new generation.

Internal:

CFO and CEO: Timely Preparation of Monthly MIS and annual budget and submission to senior management
Head Retail and Merchandising: Head Retail and Merchandising team provides:
1. assumptions (sales, inventory turns, gross margin, HR Costs and Capex incl DSOW) for preparation of financial forecast for stores (Company Owned or Franchisee)
2. Assumptions for annual planning budgeting exercise including sales, margins, inventory, turns, store opening plan (incl FOCO and COCO split), store capex, other store costs etc
IT team: Prepare logic for calculations and validations required in IT dashboards, Working with IT Power BI team to prepare dashboards, validate data and make required corrections in dashboards. Co-ordinate with ERP team as and when required to identify and resolve issues
Franchisee team: Timely preparation of financial forecast for franchisee teams, review of financial due diligence of partner and validation of commercial terms in franchisee agreements prior to signing
Merchandising team: Validation and recommendation for approval of inventory OTB and discount proposals
All departments: Work to receive inputs for monthly cashflow forecasting.
RBD team: Work with RBD team to get CFO approval for commercial proposal for stores and incorporate same in NFA
Legal team: Validate and approve commercials in LOI and Lease Deed are as per approved commercials and NFA.

External:

Equity Valuer: Preparation of financial forecast and co-ordination with equity valuer for obtaining valuation report for fundraising. Ensure final report is received in a timely manner
Chairmans Office and GHR: Support CFO in timely response of queries and providing data to GHR and Chairmans office as and when required

Position Purpose and Summary

Lead the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) function by driving strategic planning, forecasting, and performance management across the business. This role partners closely with the CFO team to deliver data-driven insights, ensure financial discipline, and support strategic decision-making. Key responsibilities include:

Develop long-term business plans aligned with strategic priorities.
Design forecasting models, scenario planning, and business simulations to assess performance under varying market conditions.
Lead annual budgeting by consolidating inputs across functions and ensuring alignment with long-term goals.
Monitor business performance against budgets and targets conduct variance analysis and highlight deviations.
Drive in-depth analysis of KPIs and key value drivers to assess financial and operational performance.
Publish timely and insightful MIS reports and dashboards (e.g., Power BI) for leadership and Board review.
Evaluate financial viability of strategic initiatives across short- and long-term horizons.
Provide strategic support on capital allocation, by preparing cashflow forecasts for efficient capital sanction and utilization.
Ensure timely and accurate reporting for internal leadership, Board, and external stakeholders.
Collaborate with merchandising, retail, and regional teams to support financial planning for store openings and business expansion.
Work with merchandising teams to validate and recommend for approval inventory purchasing plan and discount proposals
Drive process excellence by implementing best-in-class financial reporting through Power BI
Mentor and develop a high-performing FP&A team

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Planning & Budgeting

Lead the annual business planning process by coordinating with cross-functional stakeholders to develop detailed financial plans aligned with strategic objectives.
Define and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Key Value Drivers (KVDs) to measure business success and operational efficiency.
Evaluate investment proposals, providing financial insights to support strategic decision-making.
Develop and maintain rolling forecasts and long-range business plans to enable proactive, data-driven decisions.
Build robust financial models to assess the viability of strategic growth initiatives, including new store openings and various schemes and offers.
Conduct scenario and sensitivity analyses to evaluate financial returns, cash flow impact, and risk exposure under varying market conditions.

Analysis of Business Performance and MIS Reporting

Analyze sales performance by product category, brand, and store location prepare detailed P&L statements for each store and variance reports against budget.
Monitor and report on key KPIs/KVDs related to sales, store productivity, product performance, inventory turnover, and overall financial health.
Conduct deep-dive analysis of cost structures including COGS, operating expenses, overheads, and working capital cycles.
Evaluate profitability metrics such as gross margin, EBITDA, and net profit margin assess financial ratios including ROCE, inventory turnover

Management Information System (MIS) Reporting

Oversee the generation and dissemination of timely, accurate, and stakeholder-specific MIS reports.
Present key financial and operational metrics in a concise, visual, and actionable format to aid leadership decision-making.
Ensure timely delivery of monthly, quarterly, and annual reports to senior management, Board of Directors, and other governance bodies.
Prepare and present business performance updates for business review meetings.
Lead ad-hoc reporting and financial analysis to support business queries and strategic initiatives.

Merchandising Review

Partner with the merchandising team to evaluate and validate Open-To-Buy (OTB) plans, discount strategies, and inventory investments.

Dashboarding and Digital Reporting

Drive automation of financial and operational reporting through Power BI and other digital tools.
Daily reporting of sales, gross margin and inventory to senior leadership
Design and maintain executive dashboards for real-time visibility into sales, margins, inventory, and store performance.
Ensure data integrity and consistency across all reporting platforms.

New Store Opening Financial Planning

Collaborate with Retail Business Development (RBD), franchisee, and retail teams to prepare financial forecasts for new store openings.
Support review of commercials for store including rent and other terms and ensure same are incorporated into financial forecast and note for approval
Evaluate store-level profitability, breakeven timelines, and capital investment requirements.
Review LOI and LLA and ensure commercials are in line with approved commercials

Franchisee Performance Evaluation

Monitor and analyze franchisee-level performance across key financial and operational metrics.
Identify underperforming partners and recommend interventions to improve profitability and compliance.

Competitor Analysis and Benchmarking

Track industry trends, macroeconomic indicators, and competitor performance to inform strategic planning.
Conduct quarterly benchmarking of financial and operational metrics against key competitors and provide actionable insights.

People Development

Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing FP&A team with strong analytical and business partnering capabilities.
Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and accountability.

Critical Competencies for Success:

Functional Competencies

Financial Analysis

Financial Planning and Budgeting

Decision Support

Scenario Building

Strategic Business Planning

Behavioral Competencies

Collaboration

Stakeholder Management

Ability to multi task

Communication with senior leadership

Person Profile

Qualified Chartered Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst or MBA Finance.
Experience of at least 8 years in a similar corporate role.
Excellent Business Acumen and understanding of business KPIs and value drivers of retail business.
Strong financial expertise in forecasting, budgeting, treasury, hedging, costing, accounting principles & standards & taxation
Good understanding of Enterprise Risk Management framework
Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.
Proficiency in MS Dynamics 365, Excel, and MS Office tools.
Excellent skillset to develop complex financial models for evaluation of projects/Business plans.
Strong presentation skills and English communication, influencing capability, and adaptability.
Proactive in identifying issues and collaborating on solutions with stakeholders.
Ability to work in cross-functional teams, manage a team, and act as a role model.
Aptitude for continuous learning, improvement, and innovation.
Self-starter, hardworking, and willing to take on stretch targets.

Lead FP& A

AM/Lead FP&A