Bachelor’s degree in Commerce / Finance / Accounting (e.g., B. Com, BBA Finance). Many firms prefer a Master’s (M. Com, MBA – Finance) or qualified/part-qualified professional qualification (CA, CMA, CFA) for a senior role.
5-8 years (or more) of relevant experience in finance/FP&A/analyst roles.
Strong command of accounting and finance fundamentals: P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, cost accounting, variance analysis.
Advanced Excel skills: modelling, pivot tables, lookups.
Knowledge of ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, Infor, etc.) would be a plus
Business intelligence / dashboarding tools (Power BI, Tableau) would be a plus.
Analytical mindset, good commercial/business acumen (understanding of how operations affect finance).
Communication skills: must be able to present complex financial data to non-finance stakeholders in a clear way.
Interpersonal skills: working cross-functionally, influencing without direct authority.
Attention to detail + strong organisational skills (meeting deadlines for month/quarter close).
For manufacturing/export firms in Gujarat: familiarity with cost of goods sold (COGS), inventory working capital, import/export duties/foreign exchange, duty drawbacks, GST etc.
Ability to handle pressure, meet tight timelines, and work with ambiguity.
Lead the financial planning & analysis (FP&A) process: budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modelling.
Prepare and present monthly/quarterly management financial reports to senior management: profit & loss, balance sheet, cash flow, key metrics, variance explanations.
Analyse business performance drivers (sales, cost of goods sold, overheads, working capital) and translate them into actionable insights.
Work closely with operations/plant sites to monitor cost controls, capital expenditures and productivity metrics.
Develop financial models for new projects / expansions / investments, including ROI, payback, IRR analyses.
Improve financial processes & systems: automation of reports, dashboard development, use of business intelligence tools.
Mentor/guide junior analysts, coordinate cross-functional teams (finance + operations + maybe exports).
Risk assessment and mitigation: analyze financial risks like currency fluctuations (especially if export), interest rate risk, credit risk for customers/suppliers, working capital risk.
Provide ad-hoc analysis for management (What-if scenarios, M&A support, vendor-/customer-pricing decisions etc.).