Associate Director - Financial Planning & Analysis

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Financial Planning

• Lead annual operating plans (AOP), quarterly forecasts, and long-term strategic planning processes.
• Build robust financial models and scenario plans to support company-level and BU-level decision-making.

2. Business Finance

• Act as a financial business partner to key functions like operations, sales, supply chain, and product.
• Evaluate new projects, pricing decisions, discount structures, and marketing ROI.

3. Inventory Finance & Working Capital Optimization

• Collaborate with supply chain, commercial, and procurement teams to drive inventory finance planning.
• Monitor key metrics like inventory turns, and vendor payment cycles.

4. Performance Analysis & Reporting

• Deliver monthly MIS, variance analysis (Budget vs. Actual), and performance dashboards.
• Support board presentations, investor decks, and internal reviews.

5. Cost Control & Financial Governance

• Drive cost rationalization initiatives across departments while maintaining service levels.
• Track key cost heads: logistics, marketing, manpower, warehousing, and tech spends.
• Strengthen budgeting discipline and internal controls.

7. Team & Stakeholder Management

• Mentor a high-performing FP&A and business finance team.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with other functions.
• Serve as a thought partner to the finance controller and leadership on strategic initiatives.

Key Requirements

• 3+ years of Post MBA experience in FP&A, business finance, or strategic finance, with exposure to inventory-heavy businesses.
• Or Chartered Accountant (CA) with 6+ years of post-qualification experience, with strong exposure to financial planning, business finance, or strategic finance roles.
• Deep expertise in financial modeling, forecasting, budgeting, and commercial finance.
• Hands-on experience in managing inventory finance and working capital.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical mindset with attention to detail and a bias for action.

Preferred Qualifications

• CA or MBA (Finance) from Tier 1/2 institutes (IIMs, ISB, XLRI, FMS, ICAI, etc.)
• Prior experience in e-commerce, pharma distribution, FMCG, or retail sectors.
• Familiarity with ERP (SAP/Oracle), planning tools (Anaplan, Hyperion), and BI platforms.