The D. E. Shaw group is a global investment and technology development firm with more than $90 billion in investment capital as of March 1, 2026, and offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Since our founding in 1988, our firm has earned an international reputation for successful investing based on innovation, careful risk management, and the quality and depth of our staff. We have a significant presence in the world's capital markets, investing in a wide range of companies and financial instruments in both developed and developing economies.
We are seeking a senior finance leader to take ownership of the India finance function and position it as a strategic capability within the D. E. Shaw Group's global operating framework based in Hyderabad. This role sits at the intersection of technical rigor and business judgment - you will own the financial controls architecture across all India legal entities, drive process transformation and intelligent automation, navigate complex accounting and compliance matters in a multi-entity, cross-border structure where clear-cut answers are rare. You will operate at the highest levels of the organization, engaging with board members, regulators, senior leadership and global counterparts. We expect you to bring a point of view on how Generative AI is redefining the finance function - not as a technologist, but as a leader with the instinct to harness it responsibly and at pace. You will also be accountable for building a finance team of enduring quality - attracting talent, creating succession readiness and scaling institutional capability. If you are looking to shape the trajectory of a finance function rather than simply operate one, we would like to hear from you.
WHAT YOU'LL DO DAY-TO-DAY:
You will own the India finance function end-to-end and position it as a strategic capability within the D. E. Shaw group's global operating framework, serving as a trusted advisor to senior leadership with a point of view grounded in both technical depth and business acumen. You will establish and continuously strengthen the financial controls architecture across all India legal entities — ensuring that accounting processes, month-end close, and audit readiness operate at the standard expected of a globally integrated finance function. You will navigate complex, ambiguous accounting and compliance matters with the judgment to take a position, the rigor to defend it, and the discipline to escalate when the risk profile warrants it, while building and owning the broader risk governance architecture that ensures financial, regulatory, and operational risks are systematically identified, assessed, and integrated with the firm's global risk framework. You will lead and deliver high-intensity, cross-functional projects from inception to outcome — aligning diverse stakeholders, holding the team to pace, removing barriers, and maintaining execution discipline through complexity and competing priorities — while influencing and aligning with cross-functional leaders to build the working relationships that move decisions forward. You will engage directly and influence at senior levels including the board of directors, audit committees, regulators, global leadership, and external advisors such as auditors, bankers, and legal counsel, representing the India finance function with credibility and executive presence in high-stakes settings with the ability to hold a position, push back constructively, and present with clarity. You will collaborate effectively with global teams on reporting timelines, governance requirements, and firm-wide initiatives, operating seamlessly across time zones and organizational boundaries. You will identify and prioritize high-impact GenAI applications across statutory reporting, reconciliation, audit readiness, and compliance workflows — distinguishing genuine efficiency gains from implementation noise — and partner credibly with technology teams to evaluate AI tools for accuracy, governance, data integrity, and regulatory fit. You will lead the team through AI adoption with clarity, building the organizational muscle to leverage AI-assisted workflows while maintaining the judgment and control standards that a regulated finance operation demands. You will drive process transformation across the finance function including systematic ERP improvements, workflow automation, and adaptation to evolving regulatory and business requirements; identify and eliminate inefficiencies in existing processes to move the function from steady-state maintenance towards continuous improvement and operational excellence; and champion the adoption of new tools and methodologies, building the organizational readiness to absorb change without compromising control or compliance standards. You will build, scale, and develop a high-performing India finance team — owning performance management, talent development, and creating succession readiness at every level — while attracting and retaining high-caliber professionals and fostering a culture of ownership, intellectual rigor, and continuous learning. You will invest in structured development paths for direct reports, ensuring the team's institutional capability grows with the firm.
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR:
Basic qualifications:
- Chartered Accountant with 15+ years of post-qualification experience. Company Secretary (CS) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualification is an added advantage
- Proven track record as a financial controller in a large multinational, ideally within a highly complex regulated environment for the last 3-5 years
- Strategic thinking and business acumen - ability to connect finance operations to firm-level priorities and contribute to decisions well beyond the compliance mandate
- A track record of driving transformation - process redesigns, system migrations, automation initiatives - with the judgment to distinguish high-impact change from change for its own sake
- Sound judgment under ambiguity in a complex, multi-entity, global environment, with the conviction to take a position, the discipline to escalate, and the resilience to operate at full capacity through audit cycles, regulatory deadlines, and board timelines
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior leadership with executive presence and a proven record of building and scaling high-performing teams including succession planning and talent development
- Excellent written and verbal communication - the ability to distil complex financial and regulatory matters into clear, definitive narratives for both technical and non-technical audiences. This role demands someone who can calibrate tone, depth, and precision to the audience and the stakes of the moment
- Intellectual curiosity and a bias toward continuous learning - someone who stays current on regulatory evolution, emerging technology trends including GenAI, and best practices in finance operations - brings fresh perspectives for consistent evolution
- A deep ownership and accountability orientation - this is an ideal role for someone who proactively owns outcomes end-to-end and holds themselves to the highest forms of ethics and integrity
Interested candidates can apply through our website: https://www.deshawindia.com/recruit/jobs/Adv/Link/AscDerFinContMay2026
We encourage candidates with relevant experience looking to restart their careers after a break to apply for this position. Learn about Recommence, our gender-neutral return-to-work initiative.
The Firm offers excellent benefits, a casual, collegial working environment, and an attractive compensation package. For further information about our recruitment process, including how applicant data will be processed, please visit https://www.deshawindia.com/careers
Members of the D. E. Shaw group do not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of sex, race, colour, caste, creed, religion, pregnancy, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other protected class.
