Head Finance & Commercial

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Strategic Financial Leadership

• Partner with CEO and leadership team to define financial strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Drive capital allocation, investment decisions, and financial planning for growth initiatives.
• Represent the company in board meetings, and group-level finance discussions.
  

2. Governance & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to statutory regulations, Companies Act, FEMA, RBI guidelines, and internal governance frameworks.
• Oversee taxation management, corporate accounts, accounts payable, and statutory audits through the Financial Controller function.
• Maintain audit readiness across all finance and bullion operations.
• Ensure timely filing of returns and compliance with regulatory authorities.

3. Financial Planning & Analysis

• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning.
• Drive FP&A to deliver actionable insights on profitability, store performance, and cost optimization.
• Monitor KPIs and financial health metrics to support strategic decisions.
  

4. Treasury & Liquidity Management

• Manage cash flow forecasting, working capital, and banking relationships.
• Optimize capital structure and funding strategies for cost efficiency.
• Oversee FX and bullion hedging strategies to mitigate price volatility.
  

5. Bullion Sourcing & Price Risk Management

• Establish policies for bullion procurement and price risk mitigation.
• Implement hedging strategies using commodity exchanges and financial instruments.
  

6. Commercial Oversight

• Oversee retail commercial operations, ensuring financial discipline and process efficiency.
• Drive automation of payment processes, vendor contracting, and marketing spend controls.
• Ensure robust governance for franchisee financial operations and store-level commercials.
  

7. New Scheme Implementation

• Collaborate with Retail and Merchandising teams to design and implement innovative customer schemes.
• Ensure financial viability, risk assessment, and compliance for new initiatives.
• Lead financial planning and risk mitigation for schemes like “Double Rate Protection” in gold pricing, ensuring accurate hedging and alignment with bullion sourcing strategy.
  

8. Risk Management

• Develop and maintain frameworks for bullion price risk, liquidity risk, and operational risk.
• Ensure insurance coverage for assets, operations, and supply chain.
• Drive compliance with internal controls and regulatory standards.
  

9. Digital Transformation & Automation

• Champion automation in finance processes, reporting, and analytics using ERP and BI tools.
• Implement technology-driven solutions for treasury, risk management, and FP&A.
  

10. Leadership & People Development

• Build and mentor a high-performing finance team across all sub-functions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Critical Competencies for Success:

• Strategic Financial Leadership – Align financial strategy with business growth and profitability goals.
• Treasury & Risk Management – Manage liquidity, bullion sourcing, FX, and price risk effectively.
• Commercial Acumen – Drive cost efficiency and negotiate favorable terms across retail and HO.
• Governance & Compliance – Ensure statutory adherence, corporate accounts, taxation, and audit readiness.
• Analytical & FP&A Expertise – Deliver insights for budgeting, forecasting, and performance improvement.
• Digital Finance Transformation – Leverage ERP, BI tools, and automation for process excellence.
• Stakeholder Management – Influence leadership and external partners for strategic decisions.
• Innovation in Financial Solutions – Enable new schemes like Double Rate Protection with risk mitigation.

Person Profile

1. Education – Chartered Accountant (CA) or MBA in Finance; CFA preferred.
2. Experience – 20+ years in Finance role and 8-10 years on experience in Finance leadership, with retail/multi-location exposure.
3. Industry Preference – Luxury retail, FMCG, or consumer businesses.