Head Finance | Automotive Components | Mumbai | CA

Wikilabs India; Mumbai; On-site; INR 6,000,000 - 9,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Wikilabs India is seeking a Head Finance to lead the finance function for India and establish robust financial systems for a new Gujarat plant. Based in Mumbai, the role requires 15–20 years in automotive manufacturing with hands-on plant and manufacturing finance experience.

The ideal candidate will drive costing, budgeting, MIS, working capital and capex, while partnering with operations, sales and procurement to optimize profitability.

Qualifications

• Requires CA with 15–20 years in automotive components/manufacturing.
• Strong background in plant and manufacturing finance, costing and capital expenditure.
• Proven ability to lead budgeting, MIS and cash flow planning.

Responsibilities

• Lead the India finance function and partner with leadership and global finance.
• Oversee plant finance, costing, BOM costing and variance analysis for Gujarat operations.
• Manage budgeting, rolling forecasts and monthly MIS dashboards.

Skills

Strategic financial partnering

Costing

Budgeting & forecasting

Financial controls

Cash flow management

ERP systems

Education

Chartered Accountant (CA)

Tools

SAP

Job description

Our client is a global automotive components manufacturing group with a strong international presence, expanding its operations in India with the establishment of a new manufacturing plant in Gujarat.

We are looking for an experienced Head Finance to lead the finance function for India and play a critical role in establishing robust financial systems, controls and processes for the new manufacturing operation.

The ideal candidate will have 15–20 years of experience, preferably with a strong background in automotive components / auto parts manufacturing, and should have hands‑on expertise in plant finance, manufacturing finance, costing, working capital, capex, commercial finance, taxation and financial controls.

The position will be based in Mumbai, with regular travel to the Gujarat manufacturing plant.

Key Responsibilities

1. Finance Leadership & Business Partnering

• Lead the overall finance function for the India business and partner with the India leadership team and global finance organization.
• Develop and implement financial processes, controls, policies and reporting systems for the India operation.
• Provide strategic financial insights to the management on profitability, cost optimization, investments and business performance.
• Act as a strong business partner to the Plant, Operations, Procurement, Sales and Supply Chain teams.

2. Plant Finance & Manufacturing Finance

• Lead end-to-end finance operations for the Gujarat manufacturing plant.
• Establish and manage plant finance, cost accounting and manufacturing reporting systems.
• Monitor production costs, conversion costs, material consumption, labour costs, overheads and manufacturing variances.
• Drive standard costing, product costing, BOM costing and variance analysis.
• Analyse production efficiency, yield, scrap, wastage, productivity and cost per unit.
• Work closely with plant leadership to identify and deliver cost reduction and operational efficiency initiatives.
• Establish robust financial controls across stores, inventory, production, procurement and dispatch.

3. Budgeting, Planning & MIS

• Lead the annual budgeting and business planning process for India.
• Prepare rolling forecasts and long‑term financial plans.
• Develop comprehensive monthly MIS and management dashboards covering revenue, margins, costs, working capital, cash flow and profitability.
• Analyse actual versus budget performance and drive corrective actions.
• Provide financial analysis for new products, customers, capacity expansion and business opportunities.

4. Capex & New Plant Financial Management

• Lead financial planning and control for plant setup, machinery acquisition and expansion projects.
• Evaluate CAPEX proposals and prepare financial/business cases for investments.
• Monitor project budgets, expenditure, capitalization and project ROI.
• Work with the plant and project teams to ensure effective utilization of capital.
• Establish appropriate controls for fixed assets, capitalization and depreciation.

5. Working Capital & Cash Flow

• Drive effective working capital management across the business.
• Monitor receivables, inventory, payables and cash conversion cycle.
• Improve cash flow forecasting and liquidity management.
• Develop initiatives to optimize inventory and reduce working capital requirements.
• Work closely with customers and commercial teams on collections and credit management.

6. Commercial & Customer Finance

• Partner with the commercial and sales teams on customer profitability and pricing.
• Evaluate commercial proposals, RFQs, new business opportunities and customer contracts from a financial perspective.
• Analyse customer-wise profitability, contribution margins and cost movements.
• Support annual price negotiations and cost‑reduction / localization discussions with automotive OEMs and Tier‑1 customers.
• Monitor customer claims, debit notes, rebates and commercial settlements.

7. Financial Accounting, Controls & Compliance

• Ensure accurate and timely monthly and annual financial closure.
• Oversee statutory accounting, taxation, audits and regulatory compliance.
• Ensure compliance with GST, TDS, Companies Act, Income Tax, transfer pricing and other applicable regulations.
• Establish strong internal controls and ensure adherence to global finance policies.
• Coordinate with statutory auditors, internal auditors, tax advisors, banks and other financial institutions.

8. Inventory & Cost Control

• Drive robust inventory accounting and controls across raw materials, WIP, finished goods and stores.
• Monitor inventory ageing, slow‑moving and obsolete inventory.
• Lead periodic physical verification and reconciliation.
• Ensure accurate product costing and inventory valuation.
• Work with operations and procurement teams to reduce material and inventory costs.

9. Treasury & Banking

• Manage banking relationships and day‑to‑day treasury requirements.
• Oversee cash management, fund requirements, working capital facilities and foreign exchange exposures.
• Support financing requirements related to plant expansion and CAPEX.
• Ensure effective management of foreign currency transactions in coordination with the global finance team.

10. Team Leadership & Global Finance Interface

• Build and lead a high‑performing finance team in India.
• Establish clear roles, processes and accountability across plant and corporate finance.
• Work closely with the Global CFO / Regional Finance Leadership on reporting, governance and financial strategy.
• Ensure India finance reporting is aligned with global accounting standards, policies and reporting requirements.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Chartered Accountant (CA) with 15–20 years of relevant experience.
• Strong experience in automotive components / auto parts manufacturing is highly preferred.
• Candidates from automotive OEMs, Tier‑1 / Tier‑2 automotive component manufacturers or engineering manufacturing companies would be preferred.
• Strong hands‑on experience in plant finance and manufacturing finance.
• Proven expertise in costing, budgeting, MIS, working capital, CAPEX and financial controls.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing economics, product costing and operational KPIs.
• Experience in setting up or managing finance operations for a new plant / greenfield manufacturing project would be a strong advantage.
• Experience dealing with automotive OEM customers and their commercial requirements will be preferred.
• Strong exposure to ERP systems, preferably SAP.
• International / MNC experience and ability to work with global finance teams is desirable.
• Strong analytical, commercial and business partnering skills.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management capabilities.

What We Are Looking For

This is not a pure accounting role. We are looking for a finance leader who can combine plant finance expertise with commercial acumen and strategic business partnering.