Associate Manager - Category Finance

Job Title: Finance Business Partner – Innovation & Marketing Department: Finance Reports To: Head – Commercial Finance / Head – FP&A Industry: FMCG / Consumer Goods / Retail Role Purpose: To lead and manage financial planning, analysis, reporting, and control for innovation projects and marketing spends, ensuring accurate P&L management, strategic financial partnership with cross-functional teams, and enhanced business outcomes through insights and governance. Key Responsibilities: Financial Outcomes Full ownership of P&L for Innovation and Marketing spends. Manage consolidated P&L performance including ownership and review of trial balances for group companies. Prepare monthly system P&L by Category x Channel, and oversee inter-company transaction reviews. Assist in budgeting, MTP, and AOP exercises, ensuring accuracy in projections and timely submission to BPC. Annual planning and monthly tracking of ATL (Above-The-Line) spends – actuals vs budget, LE, and provisioning. Set up and improve processes for spend accounting, control, vendor management, reconciliations, and IO creation/maintenance. Partner with category and media teams to harmonize financial processes across all innovations and marketing initiatives. Customer Service & Business Partnering Partner cross-functionally with Innovation, Marketing, Packaging Development, and other teams for effective project financial management. Provide finance insights to departmental heads for decision-making. Deliver 360-degree financial performance reviews for launched innovations including distribution, spends, and marketing ROI. Report performance updates for innovation portfolio, promotional activities, and trade spends. Drive contract execution and compliance with SOA for ATL goods & services procurement. Ensure KPI tracking, savings reporting, and reconciliation of media plan vs actuals. Internal Processes & Controls Drive governance for all domestic and export innovation projects, ensuring profitability and financial feasibility. Create and institutionalize innovation frameworks and renovation guidelines. Support continuous improvement and automation initiatives for enhanced process efficiency. Lead or participate in cross-functional projects with finance ownership. Key Deliverables / Measures of Success Accuracy of consolidated and category-wise P&Ls Timely and accurate ATL spend reporting and provisioning Quality of insights and financial visibility for innovations Process adherence and control effectiveness Financial governance on marketing and innovation budgets Savings realized through effective vendor and media management Innovation project profitability and contribution to margin accretion Qualifications & Experience Critical Success Factors Chartered Accountant (First or Second Attempt) or MBA Finance from a reputed institution 2–3 years of post-qualification experience in business partnering or FP&A Strong analytical skills, financial acumen, and stakeholder management ability Desirable Factors Experience in FMCG or consumer-facing industry Proficiency in interpreting financial data and deriving actionable insights Experience in ATL/BTL spend management, P&L ownership, and project-based financial governance Skills & Competencies Advanced Excel, SAP, or similar ERP and financial planning systems Strong interpersonal and influencing skills Process and result orientation Strategic thinking and detail orientation Ability to work in a cross-functional matrix environment