Head - Finance, Shared Services

John Cockerill; Mumbai; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 5,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Friendly working environment

Job summary

John Cockerill in Mumbai is seeking a senior finance leader to manage financial reporting, treasury, tax, and governance across the India entities. You will oversee a ~25-member SSC, drive IFRS compliance, and partner with global finance to enable strategic decisions.

The role requires a Master's in accounting/finance, a CA/CPA/ACCA would be preferred, and 20+ years of progressive accounting experience, including leadership of large teams in a multinational setup.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or related field.
• Professional accounting qualification (CA/CPA/ACCA) preferred.
• 20+ years of progressive accounting experience, including multinational SSC exposure.
• Minimum 5 years of people management leading medium to large teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of ~25 accounting professionals across GL, Fixed Assets, Intercompany, Reporting, Tax and Treasury.
• Ensure compliance with IFRS, internal controls, and regulatory requirements.
• Drive finance transformation, process standardization, and automation.
• Coordinate audits and ensure timely financial reporting for India entities.

Skills

Leadership

English fluency

IFRS knowledge

Finance transformation

Change management

Education

Master's degree in Accounting/Finance/Commerce

CA/CPA/ACCA (desirable)

Tools

SAP

ERP systems

Job description

John Cockerill, enablers of opportunities

Driven since 1817 by the entrepreneurial spirit and thirst for innovation of its founder, the John Cockerill Group develops large-scale technological solutions to meet the needs of our time: facilitating access to low-carbon energies, enabling sustainable industrial production, preserving natural resources, contributing to greener mobility, enhancing security and installing essential infrastructures. Its offer to companies, governments and communities consists of services and associated equipment for the sectors of energy, defense, industry, environment, transport and infrastructures. With more than 8 200 employees, John Cockerill achieved a turnover of € 1.649 billion in 2025 in 27 countries, on 5 continents.

Location

Mumbai, India

Job Purpose

The role has overall responsibility to manage financial aspects of the company. This includes timely financial reporting, maintaining bank and other credit institution relationships, cash management, budget preparation, contract review and approval, coordination for annual audit, tax returns, and overall interface between Finance function and various other functions of the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership, People Management & Organizational Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of approximately 25 accounting professionals across General Ledger, Fixed Assets, Intercompany, Reporting, Tax, and Treasury activities.
• Drive talent acquisition, succession planning, performance management, and employee development initiatives.
• Create a high-performing environment where objectives are clearly defined, progress is regularly monitored, and achievements are recognized.
• Promote a culture of ownership, customer focus, and continuous improvement across the Shared Service Center.
• Build organizational capabilities to support the growth and evolution of the SSC.

Governance, Compliance & Regulatory Requirements

• Ensure full compliance with local statutory requirements, corporate policies, accounting standards, and regulatory obligations.
• Support the financial reporting requirements of publicly listed entities within the Group and ensure strict adherence to reporting deadlines, disclosure requirements, and internal control frameworks.
• Maintain and continuously strengthen the internal control environment in line with Group policies and governance expectations.
• Coordinate internal and external audits and ensure timely resolution of audit observations and remediation actions.
• Ensure proper documentation, retention, and traceability of accounting records and supporting evidence.
• Partner with Tax, Legal, Treasury, Internal Audit, and Corporate Finance teams to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations and reporting requirements.
• Monitor regulatory developments and proactively assess their impact on accounting processes and financial reporting.

Accounting Operations & Financial Reporting

• Ensure accurate, timely, and compliant accounting and reporting activities for multiple legal entities in India.
• Manage month-end, quarter-end, and year-end closing processes in accordance with internal reporting deadlines.
• Oversee General Ledger activities, account reconciliations, intercompany accounting, fixed assets, provisions, and accruals.
• Ensure the preparation of reliable statutory accounts and IFRS reporting packages.
• Coordinate the resolution of complex accounting and reporting issues.
• Maintain high standards of data quality, financial integrity, and process discipline throughout the accounting organization.

Treasury Operations & Banking Relationships

• Oversee treasury accounting activities and ensure accurate accounting treatment of cash, financing transactions, and banking operations.
• Ensure robust controls over payment processes, banking access rights, signatory management, and segregation of duties. Monitor compliance with Group treasury policies.
• Maintain effective relationships with banking partners and support the management of banking mandates, account administration, and banking documentation.
• Collaborate with Group Treasury on cash management, liquidity monitoring, financing activities, foreign exchange transactions, and banking projects.

Customer Service & Stakeholder Management

• Build strong partnerships with internal customers, finance leaders, and business stakeholders.
• Ensure delivery of high-quality accounting services that meet agreed service levels and business expectations.
• Act as a trusted advisor to the business on accounting, reporting, compliance, and process-related matters.
• Promote a customer-centric mindset throughout the SSC organization.
• Drive continuous improvement of service quality, responsiveness, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Change Management & Finance Transformation

• Act as a key driver of finance transformation and change initiatives.
• Lead process standardization, harmonization, and automation efforts across the accounting organization.
• Support the implementation of ERP, digital finance, artificial intelligence, and shared service initiatives.
• Challenge existing ways of working and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, quality, scalability, and control.
• Ensure successful adoption of new processes, systems, and organizational models through effective stakeholder engagement and change management practices.
• Contribute actively to the continuous evolution of the global finance operating model, collaborate actively with the other shared services of the group globally.

Trade Finance

• Work closely with commercial, contract, and finance teams to secure favourable payment terms, bank guarantees, letters of credit, and export financing arrangements.
• Help structure financing solutions to support business growth (For India businesses).
• Throughout the project lifecycle, oversee financial security instruments, optimizes guarantee lines, and ensure compliance with banking and insurance requirements.
• Advice on implementing risk mitigation strategies that enable successful deal closure.
• Manage relationships with banks and export credit agencies and support dispute resolution (if any) and cash flow optimization.

Performance Management & Operational Excellence

• Establish and monitor KPIs, SLAs, and operational performance indicators for the Shared Service Center.
• Implement a strong management-by-objectives culture focused on measurable business outcomes.
• Analyze operational performance and identify actions to improve quality, productivity, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
• Ensure clear accountability across all levels of the shared service.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives through data-driven decision making and operational excellence methodologies.

Education & Experience

• Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, or related field.
• Professional accounting qualification (CA, CPA, ACCA, or equivalent) preferred.
• 20+ years of progressive accounting experience, including significant experience in a Shared Service Center and multinational environment.
• Minimum 5 years of people management experience leading medium to large teams.

Background, Skills And Competencies

• Strong knowledge of IFRS and accounting processes.
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred).
• Proven experience in finance transformation, process improvement, and change management initiatives.
• Fluency in English

Equal Opportunity Employer

John Cockerill and all John Cockerill Companies are equal opportunity employers that evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), age, marital status, disability, veteran status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and other characteristics protected by law.

John Cockerill offers you career and development opportunities within its various sectors in a friendly working environment.