Deputy Manager Finance

Qualification & Experience

Education: CA/ CMA qualification would be preferred with significant financial controllership and statutory compliance responsibilities.

Experience: 1–4 years of relevant experience in financial controllership, accounting, payments, statutory compliance, audit management, and financial governance.

Preferred Experience: Prior experience in FMCG, manufacturing, consumer goods, food processing, or a similar operating environment would be advantageous

Key Responsibilities

1. Financial Controllership & Governance

• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and integrity of books of accounts and financial records.
• Establish and maintain a robust financial control framework across key business processes.
• Ensure adherence to accounting policies, internal financial controls, delegation of authority, and standard operating procedures.
• Review key balance-sheet accounts and ensure timely reconciliation and closure of outstanding items.
• Identify financial and process risks and implement appropriate preventive and detective controls.
• Drive strong financial discipline and governance across functions.
• Ensure appropriate documentation and audit trails for all financial transactions.
• Continuously review and strengthen finance processes to improve control effectiveness and operational efficiency.

2. Accounting & Financial Closing

• Oversee periodic book closure processes and ensure timely and accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closing.
• Review general ledger entries, provisions, accruals, prepaid expenses, fixed assets, and other key accounting areas.
• Ensure timely completion of bank, vendor, customer, intercompany, and balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Review ageing of open items and drive timely resolution of long-pending balances.
• Ensure financial statements and management reports are prepared accurately and in accordance with applicable accounting standards and organisational policies.
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to ensure timely availability of information required for financial closure.

3. Payments & Accounts Payable Management

• Oversee end-to-end payment processes, ensuring timely and accurate payments to vendors, employees, statutory authorities, and other stakeholders.
• Ensure all payments are processed in accordance with approved policies, contractual terms, delegation of authority, and internal controls.
• Review payment proposals and ensure appropriate supporting documentation and approvals.
• Monitor vendor ageing, outstanding liabilities, advances, debit balances, and other exceptions.
• Ensure effective maker-checker controls and segregation of duties across payment processes.
• Resolve vendor payment issues and coordinate with procurement and business teams for timely closure of discrepancies.
• Drive process improvements to enhance payment accuracy, turnaround time, and control effectiveness.

4. Statutory & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure timely and accurate compliance with applicable direct and indirect tax requirements, including GST, TDS, income tax, and other relevant statutory obligations.
• Ensure timely filing of statutory returns and payment of applicable taxes and duties.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and records to support statutory filings and assessments.
• Coordinate with tax consultants, regulatory authorities, and internal stakeholders on compliance matters.
• Monitor changes in accounting, taxation, and regulatory requirements and ensure timely implementation.
• Support responses to notices, assessments, queries, and other communications from statutory authorities.
• Maintain a comprehensive compliance calendar and ensure zero instances of missed statutory deadlines.

5. Audit Management

• Lead and coordinate statutory audits, internal audits, tax audits, and other financial or compliance-related audits.
• Act as the primary point of coordination between auditors and internal stakeholders.
• Ensure timely availability of accurate data, documentation, schedules, and explanations required during audits.
• Track audit observations and drive timely closure of identified gaps and corrective actions.
• Analyse recurring audit observations and implement sustainable process improvements to prevent recurrence.
• Ensure audit readiness throughout the year rather than relying solely on year-end preparation.

6. Internal Financial Controls & Risk Management

• Design, implement, document, and periodically test internal financial controls across key finance processes.
• Identify control gaps, financial risks, fraud vulnerabilities, and process inefficiencies.
• Recommend and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure appropriate segregation of duties and access controls across financial systems and processes.
• Support risk assessments and ensure appropriate mitigation plans are established and monitored.
• Promote a strong culture of financial accountability, compliance, and ethical conduct across the organization.

7. Treasury & Banking Coordination

• Coordinate with banks for payment processing, account administration, and other banking requirements.
• Monitor cash positions and support effective cash-flow management.
• Ensure timely bank reconciliations and closure of outstanding reconciling items.
• Maintain appropriate controls over banking access, authorized signatories, and payment approval mechanisms.
• Support working-capital optimization through effective monitoring of payables, receivables, and cash requirements.

8. Financial MIS & Reporting

• Prepare and review periodic financial reports and management dashboards covering financial performance, cash flows, working capital, compliance, payments, audit status, and key control indicators.
• Provide timely and accurate financial information to management for decision-making.
• Track key finance metrics and highlight significant exceptions, risks, and emerging issues.
• Analyze financial data to identify trends, control weaknesses, and opportunities for process improvement.
• Support management reviews with clear financial insights and actionable recommendations.

9. Process Improvement & Automation

• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, and automate finance processes.
• Drive improvements in accounting, payment processing, reconciliations, compliance tracking, and reporting.
• Leverage ERP systems, digital tools, and automation to improve accuracy, efficiency, transparency, and control.
• Develop and maintain SOPs for critical finance processes.
• Promote continuous improvement and adoption of best practices across the finance function.