Industrial Trainee

zeissgroup; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 223,000 - 335,000; Full time

Job summary

ZEISS India is seeking an Industrial Trainee to support the Plant & Manufacturing Finance team with hands-on exposure to costing, reporting, budgeting, and finance transformation projects in a global manufacturing environment.

The two trainees will report to the Manager - Plant Finance and the Head of Plant & Manufacturing Finance, gaining experience in SAP FI/CO/MM, data handling, variance analysis, and dashboard preparation for leadership.

Qualifications

• CA Intermediate cleared and pursuing CA per ICAI norms.
• Articleship experience in finance, costing, accounts, or audit is desirable.
• Exposure to manufacturing or plant finance is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Costing & cost transparency support, including variance analysis.
• Reporting, MIS, and analysis for monthly plant finance.
• Budgeting & forecasting support with data collection and consolidation.
• Inventory and working capital reporting, valuation checks, and obsolescence analysis.
• SAP data extraction, reconciliation, and reporting (FI/CO/MM).
• Assistance with internal controls, audits, and governance documentation.

Skills

MS Excel

Analytical skills

SAP knowledge

Education

CA Intermediate

Tools

SAP FI/CO/MM

Job description

ZEISS in India

ZEISS in India is headquartered in Bengaluru and present in the fields of Industrial Quality Solutions, Research Microscopy Solutions, Medical Technology, Vision Care and Sports & Cine Optics.

ZEISS India has 3 production facilities, R&D center, Global IT services and about 40 Sales & Service offices in almost all Tier I and Tier II cities in India. With 2200+ employees and continued investments over 25 years in India, ZEISS' success story in India is continuing at a rapid pace.

Further information at ZEISS India.

Role Purpose

The Industrial Trainee will support the Plant & Manufacturing Finance team, providing hands-on assistance across costing, reporting, budgeting, and finance transformation projects across manufacturing operations. This is a structured training role designed for CA students, offering practical exposure to plant finance, controlling, and cross-functional projects in a global manufacturing environment.

The trainees (2 nos) will report either to the Manager - Plant Finance (Controller, Manufacturing) and the other to the Head of Plant & Manufacturing Finance. Responsibilities are broadly common; specific project allocation will be guided by the respective reporting manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Costing & Cost Transparency Support
  • Assist in product and process costing, standard costing, and variance analysis.
  • Help maintain cost data and prepare cost transparency reports for products and processes.
  • Support structured analysis to identify cost reduction and efficiency opportunities.
• Reporting, MIS & Analysis
  • Support preparation of monthly plant finance reports, MIS, and management dashboards.
  • Assist in OPEX and CAPEX tracking, along with actual vs. budget/forecast variance analysis.
  • Help standardize, streamline, and automate recurring manufacturing finance reports.
• Budgeting & Forecasting Support
  • Assist in data collection and consolidation for annual budgets and rolling forecasts.
  • Support variance analysis and preparation of review decks for finance and plant leadership.
• Inventory & Working Capital
  • Support inventory reporting, valuation checks, and slow-moving / obsolete stock analysis.
• SAP, Systems & Automation
  • Assist with data extraction, reconciliation, and reporting in SAP (FI / CO / MM).
  • Support system-based reporting and finance automation initiatives.
• Compliance & Audit Support
  • Assist in preparing schedules and documentation for statutory and internal audits.
  • Support adherence to internal controls, accounting policies, and governance requirements.

Key Projects

• Adoption of global standards such as CMM tool implementation.
• Standardization of manufacturing OPEX reporting.
• Automation projects across plant finance processes.
• SAP transformation project support.
• Bluebird Financial Readiness.
• Revenue and Cost Dashboards.
• Other ad hoc costing, reporting, and process-improvement projects as assigned.

Desired Profile

Qualification

CA Intermediate (both groups) cleared; currently pursuing CA and eligible for / undertaking industrial training as per ICAI norms.

Experience

• Articleship experience in finance, costing, accounts, or audit.
• Exposure to manufacturing or plant finance is an advantage.

Technical Skills

• Strong MS Excel skills and comfort working with large data sets.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Working knowledge of SAP (FI / CO / MM) is an advantage.
• Sound understanding of costing, accounting, and financial analysis fundamentals.

Behavioral Skills

• Eagerness to learn, high ownership, and strong attention to detail.
• Structured, analytical, and disciplined problem-solving approach.
• Good communication and ability to work with cross-functional and shop-floor teams.
• Comfortable working in a factory environment.

What the Role Offers

• Hands-on exposure to plant and manufacturing finance in a global organization.
• Involvement in live finance transformation and automation projects.
• Direct mentorship from experienced