Associate Director, Global Finance Operations

General Mills; Mumbai; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

General Mills in Mumbai seeks a senior finance leader to drive global finance operations across AP/AR and General Accounting, coordinating with regional hubs. You will optimize processes, oversee vendor delivery, and align services with business goals.

The role demands 15+ years in finance, strong governance, and proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and external partners in a complex global environment. Strong analytical and stakeholder management skills are essential.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in finance domain, including leadership roles in global finance operations.
• Experience in controllership / finance operations of a division or business.
• Strong governance, stakeholder management and vendor management capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead global finance operations across AP/AR and General Accounting for multiple regions.
• Oversee vendor service delivery and external partnerships to meet SLAs and drive value.
• Ensure compliance and governance across vendor-managed operations and financial controls.
• Drive transformation, digitization, and continuous improvement of finance processes.

Skills

Vendor management

Finance operations

Process optimization

Governance

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Education

B.Com

CA (ICAI)

MBA

Tools

SAP

Job description

Company Overview

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one another and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.

Company Overview

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.

Overview

The role delivers as the Finance leader to all the service delivery of the global / regional hubs for AR/AP & GAO organization.

This in partnership with functional business stakeholders to identify service components to deliver business outcomes and capabilities with a focus on delivery through vendor partners. This role will oversee vendor service delivery and finance operations, ensuring seamless integration and execution of financial services across the organization. The role is crucial in managing vendor relationships, optimizing service delivery and driving operational efficiency while ensuring that all finance operations are aligned with company goals. This role also leads the finance operations transformation agenda by advancing scalable processes, modern business systems, and high-performing external partnerships to improve control, efficiency, service, and business value.

The incumbent needs to be a strategic thinker with a strong background in vendor management, finance operations, and process optimization. They need to establish and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders, service delivery teams and vendor partners to deliver business results. This role leads a strong adherence to governance procedure to maintain the health across all delivery centers for vendors partners and across geographies. The role will also be responsible for projects delivery involving multiple internal, external and matrix partners.

Key Accountabilities

Finance Operations Strategy & Service Delivery

• Develop strategy & road map for driving global finance operations with service excellence, digital integration and actionable insights driven organization
• Lead end-to-end delivery across Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and General Accounting Operations across global and regional hubs like India, China, Europe and North America
• Ensure finance operations are aligned to business priorities, scalable for growth, and executed with high standards of consistency and quality.
• Act as a trusted advisor to finance leaders, controllers, and business stakeholders on strategic priorities and operational decisions.

Vendor Governance & External Partnership Management

• Lead strategic relationships with external partners to ensure delivery against SLAs, contractual commitments, and business expectations
• Oversee the right source mix across in-house and outsourced models to expand scope and strengthen capability delivery.
• Monitor service performance and relationship health through structured reviews with stakeholders and finance leadership.

Controls, Compliance & Operational Excellence

• Ensure all finance processes operate efficiently, remain compliant, and meet business and control requirements
• Strengthen governance documentation and operating discipline to support regulatory compliance and sustainable service delivery.
• Ensure General Mills control protocols and defined guidelines are consistently implemented across vendor-managed operations
• Partner with Audit and Compliance teams to support reviews, issue resolution, and overall process integrity

Transformation, Digitization & Continuous Improvement

• Lead the finance operations transformation agenda to improve control, efficiency, service, and business value
• Identify and apply external best practices, digital trends, and emerging capabilities to advance finance operations maturity
• Build business cases for technology enablement and process modernization to enhance service delivery and operational effectiveness
• Drive a continuous improvement mindset focused on simplification, standardization, and automation

People Leadership & Organization Capability

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing global finance organization across multiple regions
• Drive team engagement, performance management, and talent planning to build a strong and sustainable leadership pipeline
• Foster a collaborative, results-oriented culture supported by ongoing capability building and professional development
• Strengthen organizational resilience through business continuity planning, cross-training, and knowledge management
• Influence talent interventions and employer brand strategies to position General Mills as an employer of choice
• Build strong engagement with vendor teams to protect critical talent and reinforce the General Mills brand

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum Education – Full time Graduation from an Accredited university (B. Com)
• Total Experience - 15+ years
• Significant experience in finance domain with controllership / Finance operations of a division or Business / Leadership roles in Finance organization

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferred Major Area of Study: Finance & Accounting
• Major Area of Study: Finance, Analytics, Accountancy, Costing
• Preferred Qualification: Master’s in commerce / finance / accounting, CA (ICAI), MBA
• Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of financial principles, processes, and systems is essential for driving process scope expansion, capability definition, and delivery.
• Knowledge and understanding of Accounting Standards (Indian and US GAAP)
• Strong knowledge and expertise in accounting function and processes like general ledger, inventory management, and cost accounting
• Proven track record of leading and coordinating strategic initiatives within a global organization, with experience in setting interfaces and aligning functional strategies
• Knowledge of Systems like SAP and expertise on technical tools is preferred
• Management of third-party service partners

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet minimum age qualifications in the country in which the job is located.