Director - Finance (University of Liverpool, Bangalore)

Role Overview :

We are hiring a Head of Finance for a Joint Venture University under the India Campus business. This role will be the finance leader for the JV, responsible for driving financial discipline, operational excellence, and informed decision-making at the campus level.

Beyond day-to-day financial management, the role acts as a strategic partner to the JV COO and campus leadership, supporting decisions on program mix, intake planning, pricing, cost structures, and scale-up initiatives. The role reports hard-line to the JV Board and works closely with the VP Finance, India Campus Business, ensuring alignment with portfolio-level strategy and governance.

This role is suited for a finance leader who combines strong execution skills with commercial thinking and is comfortable operating in a JV and matrix environment.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Campus Financial Strategy & Planning Translate campus academic and growth plans into annual budgets and medium-term financial plans. Support intake sizing, program launches, and cohort planning through financial analysis. Contribute to campus-level strategy discussions with clear views on sustainability, breakeven, and return on investment.

2. Budgeting, Forecasting & Performance Management Own annual budgeting and rolling forecasts for the JV. Monitor performance against plan; identify risks, opportunities, and corrective actions. Track unit economics at program and cohort level and drive margin improvement initiatives.

3. Business Partnering & Decision Support Act as the primary finance partner to the JV COO and leadership team. Support decisions on pricing, scholarships, faculty and infrastructure costs, and vendor engagements. Evaluate financial implications of new initiatives, partnerships, and operational changes. Balance academic priorities with financial discipline and governance.

4. Accounting, Controls & Compliance Oversee outsourced accounting firm managing day-to-day bookkeeping and statutory compliance. Ensure timely monthly closes, accurate MIS, and adherence to accounting standards.

Maintain strong internal controls, approval workflows, and audit readiness. Coordinate statutory, tax, and partner-university audits.

Ensure timely and accurate management of tax, regulatory, and secretarial compliances for the JV, coordinating with advisors and central teams as required.

5. Reporting, Governance & Stakeholder Management Prepare financial reports and dashboards for JV management, partner universities, and India Campus Finance. Ensure compliance with finance policies, approval matrices, and reporting standards. Act as the first level of financial review for capex proposals, contracts, and commercial commitments.

6. Cash Flow & Scale Readiness Manage cash flow planning, working capital, and funding requirements. Support efficient utilisation of capital in line with JV agreements. Work with central teams to implement common finance systems, tools, and reporting formats as the campus scales.

Desired Profile :

Experience & Qualifications

Chartered Accountant with 812 years of post-qualification experience.

Experience in a business-unit, campus, or single-entity finance leadership role.

Exposure to education, services, infrastructure, or operations-heavy businesses preferred.

Comfort working with outsourced accounting models and matrix reporting.

Core Capabilities :

Strong operational finance foundation with growing strategic acumen.

Ability to influence business decisions through data and commercial insight.

Hands-on mindset with the ability to zoom out to campus-level economics.

High ownership, structure, and stakeholder-management skills.

Why This Role :

End-to-end ownership of finance for university JV.

Direct partnership with JV COO and campus leadership.

Exposure to global university partners and structured JV governance.

Clear progression path as campuses and responsibilities scale.