Senior Associate Finance Manager

Puma; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Puma India is seeking a Senior Associate Finance Manager in Bengaluru to manage the business unit P&L, drive working capital and strategic financial initiatives, and partner with the Business Head for growth. The role emphasizes governance, automation, and insightful decision support.

Ideal candidates are CA qualified with 1–2 years of relevant experience, strong Excel skills, and familiarity with SAP. Willingness to engage with cross-functional teams and drive process improvements is essential.

Qualifications

• CA with 1–2 years of post-qualification experience.
• Experience in business finance and commercial role.
• Strong Excel and data analysis skills.
• GST knowledge and compliance awareness.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage P&L for the business unit.
• Partner with Business Heads to achieve revenue, margin, and EBIT targets.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning.
• Drive working capital optimization and DSO improvements.
• Ensure compliance, governance, and internal controls.
• Provide financial insights for strategic decisions.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Financial analytics

Data interpretation

Automation (Python)

Budgeting

Stakeholder management

Education

CA (Chartered Accountant)

Tools

SAP

Job description

Position Title: Senior Associate Finance Manager

Reports to: Assistant Manager Finance and Accounting

Location: Bengaluru

Position Summary:

To manage a business unit for PUMA India and work closely with the Business Head to achieve KPIs for the business unit P&L and working capital management, Business Partnering, Control, compliance, process automation, Strategy for future growth.

Key Objectives:

1. Business Performance & P&L Management

• Own and manage the complete Profit & Loss (P&L) for the assigned business unit.
• Partner closely with Business Heads and Sales teams to drive achievement of revenue, margin, and EBIT targets.
• Monitor business performance through regular financial reviews and provide actionable insights to improve profitability.
• Identify risks and opportunities impacting financial performance and proactively recommend corrective actions.

2.Financial Planning & Analysis

• Lead annual budgeting, periodic forecasting, and long-range planning processes for the business unit.
• Conduct variance analysis against budgets and forecasts, highlighting key business drivers and recommending interventions.
• Support strategic decision-making through financial modelling, scenario analysis, and business case evaluations.

3.Working Capital & Receivables Management

• Drive working capital optimization with a strong focus on Accounts Receivable and Days Sales Outstanding (DSO).
• Collaborate with Sales and Customers to ensure timely collection of receivables and resolution of payment-related issues.
• Monitor credit exposure and elevate risks impacting cash flow and collections.
• Customer Reconciliation & Commercial Governance
• Partner with reconciliation teams to ensure timely closure of customer reconciliation issues.
• Engage directly with customers to resolve complex finance-related disputes, deductions, and outstanding issues.
• Ensure accurate accounting and commercial compliance across customer transactions.

4.Business Partnering & Strategic Support

• Support Business Heads on strategic initiatives, growth opportunities, pricing decisions, customer negotiations, and profitability improvement projects.
• Provide financial insights and recommendations to enhance operational and commercial effectiveness.
• Act as the primary finance contact for business teams and customers on finance-related matters.

5.Controls, Compliance & Risk Management

• Work closely with Internal Audit, Loss Prevention, and Control teams to strengthen financial governance and minimize leakages.
• Ensure compliance with accounting policies, internal controls, statutory requirements, and company SOPs.
• Drive process improvements, automation initiatives, and standardization of finance processes.

6.Performance Reporting & Management Review

• Develop, track, and review business KPIs on a daily and periodic basis.
• Proactively identify and elevate potential risks or performance gaps.
• Prepare and present business reviews, financial performance reports, and management dashboards to senior leadership.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Achievement of Sales, Gross Margin, and EBIT targets
• Working Capital performance and DSO management
• Account Receivable ageing and collection efficiency
• Timely closure of customer reconciliations and dispute resolution
• Forecast and budget accuracy
• Reduction in commercial leakages and control gaps
• Process improvement

Organizational relationships:

• Internal: CFO & Finance Leadership, Business Heads, Sales Teams, Supply Chain & Planning, Operations & Warehouse Teams, Legal Team ,Merchandising Team ,Internal Audit & L
• External:Key Customers, Channel Partners and Distributors (where applicable)

Eligibility Criteria And Functional Competencies Required:

• Chartered accountant with 1-2 years of experience
• Similar experience in Business finance and commercial role
• Self-motivated, Great people skills to manage and work with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to think innovatively and provide quick solutions to business problems
• Ability to bring changes to current processes through robust SOPs and automations
• Good managerial skills and ability to lead a team
• Good understanding of accounting standards and GST
• Excellent working knowledge of excel is a must
• Ability to handle and comprehend huge data
• Experience in retail industry and working knowledge of SAP would be an advantage
• Open to domestic travel and ability to close issues with the customer independently.

Technical Skills Required

• Advanced Microsoft Excel and financial analytics
• Ability to analyse and interpret large data sets
• Experience with SAP preferred
• Knowledge of automation (SQL, Python, AI tools) and reporting solutions is an added advantage