Chief Financial Officer – Food Processing Industry Cornerstone

The Corporate Institute; Chennai; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,000,000; Full time

Job summary

The Corporate Institute in India seeks a Chief Financial Officer to steer the finance function during a critical shift from project commissioning to full-scale export operations. The role blends global treasury, cost control and governance with the entrepreneurial drive to finalise funding and scale a 100% Export Oriented Unit for international sales.

The ideal candidate holds CA and/or MBA in Finance, has 20+ years in FMCG/process manufacturing, and brings hands-on experience in export finance,

Qualifications

• CA and/or MBA with finance specialization from a premier B-school.
• 20+ years of progressive financial leadership in FMCG/ Process Manufacturing MNCs or large Indian companies.
• Export exposure to 100% EOU operations and Western export markets.
• Proven track record of securing project funds and structuring debt-equity for greenfield/brownfield manufacturing projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead capital raising, trade finance, working-capital management, plant costing and financial governance.
• Finance leader who secured project funding under tight timelines by navigating bank consortiums and structuring debt-equity for greenfield plants and expansions.
• Built and ran the full finance function for a 100% Export Oriented Unit, covering international trade practices, customs-port clearances, shipping logistics, export incentives, and relationships with Western customers and overseas partners.
• Drove rigorous working-capital discipline – establishing internal controls and vendor schedules, surgically managing cash outflows pre-revenue, and optimising the cross-border cash-conversion cycle.

Skills

Capital raising

Trade finance

Working capital

Financial governance

Debt-equity structuring

ERP implementation

Zoho Books

Export exposure

Education

CA

MBA in Finance

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Zoho Books

Job description

1. Role Overview:

The CFO will serve as a strategic co-pilot during the crucial transition from project commissioning to full-scale commercial export operations. The role combines MNC-level financial control and export-trade mastery with the entrepreneurial agility required to finalise project funding and scale a global B2B manufacturing business.

2. Key Responsibilities:

• – Lead capital raising, commercial trade finance, working-capital management, plant costing and financial governance.
• – Finance leader who secured project funding under tight timelines by navigating bank consortiums and structuring debt-equity for greenfield plants and expansions.
• – Built and ran the full finance function for a 100% Export Oriented Unit, covering international trade practices, customs-port clearances, shipping logistics, export incentives, and relationships with Western customers and overseas partners.
• – Drove rigorous working-capital discipline – establishing internal controls and vendor schedules, surgically managing cash outflows pre-revenue, and optimising the cross-border cash-conversion cycle (ocean transit, customs, customer credit).
• – Developed standard absorption costing and shop-floor yield variance tracking, accounting for seasonal procurement, moisture losses and perishable dynamics; partnered with operations and consultants to optimise utilities, raw materials and unit economics.
• – Owned end-to-end governance and compliance (GST, Income Tax, statutory audits, Board and lender reporting) and led ERP implementation (SAP-Oracle) while overseeing the existing Zoho Books environment.

3. Ideal Profile:

• – Education: CA and-or MBA with specialisation in Finance from a premier B-school.
• – Experience: 20+ years of progressive financial leadership with significant experience in Food Processing – FMCG – Process Manufacturing MNCs or large Indian companies; direct experience in FMCG – food-ingredient manufacturing preferred.
• – Export exposure: Demonstrated expertise in 100% EOU operations and Western export markets.
• – Fund raising: Proven track record of securing project funds and structuring debt-equity for greenfield or brownfield manufacturing projects.