Senior Manager Finance, Accounts & Compliance

Soul Forest India; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 2,100,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Soul Forest India is seeking a Senior Manager – Finance, Accounts and Compliance to independently run the finance function across multiple group entities and ensure clean books, strong controls, timely statutory filings, and meaningful financial insights for strategy and decision-making.

The role combines hands-on accounting with strategic oversight, engaging with auditors, bankers, legal advisors and authorities to support growth and governance.

Qualifications

• CA qualification is mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end accounts across multiple entities – bookkeeping, ledgers, reconciliations, monthly closings, and finalisation of financial statements.
• Manage statutory and regulatory compliances – Income Tax, TDS, advance tax, returns, tax audits, MCA requirements, FEMA and RBI compliance.
• Drive budgeting, reporting and MIS – budgets, forecasts, cash flow plans, MIS and management reports.
• Oversee treasury and banking relationships – fund planning, cash flows, and banking operations.
• Coordinate with auditors, consultants, and statutory authorities – finance point of contact for auditors/tax advisors.
• Draft/review basic commercial agreements and financial clauses with legal/external inputs where needed.
• Build a clean compliance backbone – maintain trackers, registers, and data room for audit/due-diligence readiness.
• Strengthen internal controls – design and monitor financial processes and approvals as the organization scales.
• Lead the Finance & Accounts team – delegate, review, and own outcomes.

Education

Chartered Accountant (CA)

Job description

Job Title: Senior Manager – Finance, Accounts and Compliance

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience: 5+ years post-qualification experience, excluding Articleship

Compensation: Up to ₹24 LPA, depending on experience and fit

About Soul Forest

We are a business that transforms barren lands into biodiverse forests through an 80:20 model—80% nature reserve, 20% eco-sensitive living, wellness, and livelihoods. Our 250-acre pilot in Veltoor, Telangana is a living lab of restoration and regeneration. Founded by Earthshot Prize-winning climate entrepreneurs, Soul Forest aims to scale this model to 100,000 acres globally in the next decade.

What’s the Role?

• As Senior Manager – Finance, Accounts and Compliance at Soul Forest, you will independently manage the finance function across multiple group entities, with end-to-end ownership of accounts, taxation, compliances, reporting, controls, and financial processes.
• You will work closely with organisational and financial data to ensure clean books, strong internal controls, robust documentation, and timely statutory compliance, while providing meaningful financial information that supports management decision-making.
• You will also coordinate with auditors, bankers, consultants, legal advisors, and statutory authorities, and support the review of commercial agreements from a finance and compliance perspective.
• This is a rounded finance leadership role for someone who is hands-on, commercially aware, and comfortable moving between detailed financial operations and strategic decision support.

What You’ll Do

• Own end-to-end accounts across multiple entities – oversee bookkeeping, ledger scrutiny, reconciliations, monthly closing, and finalisation of financial statements.
• Own statutory and regulatory compliances – manage Income Tax, TDS, advance tax, returns, tax audits, MCA requirements, FEMA and RBI complainces, and other applicable compliances, ensuring filings and submissions happen on time.
• Drive budgeting, reporting and MIS – prepare budgets, forecasts, cash flow plans, MIS and management reports, translating financial data into meaningful information for business and management decision-making.
• Manage treasury and banking relationships – oversee banking operations, fund planning, cash flows and treasury requirements, while coordinating effectively with bankers and other financial stakeholders.
• Coordinate with auditors, consultants and statutory authorities – act as the key finance point of contact for statutory auditors, tax advisors, legal/compliance consultants and relevant government or regulatory authorities, ensuring timely closure of queries and submissions.
• Support commercial agreements – draft and/or review basic commercial agreements and financial clauses, and coordinate with legal or external consultants where specialist inputs are required.
• Build a clean compliance backbone – maintain trackers, registers, documentation and a structured data room so the organisation remains audit-ready and due-diligence-ready with minimal compliance slippage.
• Strengthen internal controls – design, implement, review and continuously strengthen financial processes, approval mechanisms, documentation standards and controls as the organisation scales.
• Lead the Finance & Accounts team – allocate responsibilities, review outputs, guide the team and take overall ownership of the quality and timeliness of finance deliverables.

Who We’re Looking For

• Qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) only — this is a mandatory requirement.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant post-qualification experience, excluding Articleship, preferably in a mid-sized or growing organisation.
• Strong experience managing accounts and finance operations across multiple entities or organisations.
• Strong hands-on experience in accounting, reconciliations and finalisation of books, with expertise in MIS, budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting.
• Strong working knowledge of Income Tax, TDS, MCA and other statutory/regulatory compliances, along with working exposure to GST.
• Ability to interpret financial information and provide meaningful insights to management for decision-making.
• Prior experience working closely with bankers, statutory auditors, tax advisors, consultants and government/statutory authorities.
• Ability to draft or review basic commercial agreements and coordinate with legal or external consultants where required.
• Strong understanding of internal financial controls, including experience setting up, strengthening and monitoring processes and controls.
• Prior experience leading and managing a Finance/Accounts team, including delegation, review and ownership of outcomes.
• A hands-on and commercially aware approach, with the ability to independently manage the finance function and take ownership of ensuring that nothing slips.

Who Should Skip This

This role is probably not for you if:

• You prefer narrow or siloed accounting roles and are not interested in owning the finance function across multiple entities.
• Your experience has largely been limited to specific support activities without end-to-end ownership of accounts, reporting and compliances.
• You are uncomfortable independently taking responsibility for statutory deadlines, financial controls and accurate reporting.
• You prefer working only with numbers and are uncomfortable engaging with bankers, auditors, consultants, legal advisors or statutory authorities.
• You are not comfortable moving between hands-on financial operations and providing management-level information for decision-making.
• You’re not actively keeping yourself updated on changes in taxation, accounting standards and regulatory requirements.

Why Work With Us?

• Be the Backbone: You will build and own the finance & compliance backbone of a pioneering, nature-led organisation.
• Scale with Purpose: Work at the intersection of finance, business and climate action.
• High Exposure: Get direct exposure to founders, management, investors, bankers, advisors and multi-entity structures.
• Build, Not Just Maintain: Shape financial processes, controls and systems that will support the organisation as it scales.
• Growth & Learning: Grow with the organisation while taking meaningful ownership of the finance function.

Soul Forest is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.