Head of Finance India

India Leadership Team (ILT)

Finance Director, Global Financial Services

Key Areas of Responsibility

1. Financial Leadership – India

2. Commercial Business Partnering

3. Finance Shared Services Oversight

4. Operational Expansion Support (Bangalore)

5. Finance Stewardship and Team Development

6. Accounting & Financial Operations

7. Compliance & Continuous Improvement

8. Cross-functional & Global Engagement

Detailed Responsibilities

1. Financial Leadership

• Full financial responsibility for India market: financial reporting, analysis, planning, and controls.
• Communicate and present financial results, forecasts, and plans to senior leadership.
• Lead financial reporting on order intake, revenue, profitability, and cash flow.
• Ensure alignment with company policies, IFRS, and local GAAP.

2. Commercial Business Partner

• Act as Deputy to the India Market Head when needed.
• Provide financial input on all commercial decisions – tenders, bids, and service contracts.
• Conduct monthly Commercial / Market Reviews and present financial assessments to the Divisional Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
• Lead development and review of business cases and post-investment appraisals.
• Provide strategic and operational advice on pricing, working capital, customer credit, and commercial risk.

3. Finance Shared Services (SSC) Oversight

• Oversight of India’s SSC (Accounts Payable currently), with a goal to expand its capabilities.
• Drive service improvement, customer satisfaction, and process efficiencies.
• Enhance team structure and capabilities to ensure delivery excellence and professional growth.

4. Operational Expansion in Bangalore

• Serve as finance business partner for new manufacturing/operations set-up in Bangalore.
• Develop local controls, accounting processes, and operational financial oversight.
• Support recruitment of key operational finance roles, e.g., Operations Accountant.
• Collaborate with Global Operations Finance Director to ensure alignment and reporting accuracy.

5. Finance Stewardship & Team Management

• Lead the India Finance team, fostering a culture of excellence, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Deliver strong internal control environment, drive performance improvement, and ensure financial integrity.
• Support talent development through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.
• Ensure financial priorities (e.g., working capital, margin improvement, cost savings) are embedded in decision-making.

6. Accounting & Financial Operations

• Oversee statutory and management reporting across multiple Indian locations (Delhi, Gurgaon, Pune, Bangalore).
• Ensure timely and accurate financial close (monthly, interim, annual).
• Lead planning, forecasting, and budgeting cycles in alignment with Market Head and business units.
• Manage reporting tools (Onyx, Oracle, HFM) and drive data accuracy and timeliness.
• Provide oversight on treasury matters, IFRS, India GAAP compliance, tax, and ad hoc financial reporting.

7. Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure compliance with local statutory and tax regulations (direct and indirect).
• Collaborate with Legal, HR, and Compliance on risk, audit, ethics, and regulatory matters.
• Drive continuous improvement in processes, systems, and reporting.
• Implement and modernize controls in line with the global control framework.

8. Global & Cross-functional Engagement

• Primary liaison for external and internal audits in India.
• Collaborate with global tax and treasury functions on guarantees, hedging, cash pooling, VAT, and RCT compliance.
• Ensure compliance with Smiths Group policies – including Delegation of Authority, Capex, Expenses, etc.
• Engage actively in India Leadership Team initiatives and contribute to broader employee engagement.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Chartered Accountant (CA)

  with a minimum of 10 years’ managerial experience.
• Minimum 3 years in a senior finance role with full P&L responsibility.
• Strong expertise in

  IFRS, India GAAP, taxation, and revenue recognition

  .
• Deep understanding of financial and accounting operations in manufacturing and long-term project environments.
• Proven ability to drive strategic planning, commercial insight, and business partnering.

Preferred

• Experience with a

  Big 4 accounting firm

  .
• ERP experience (e.g.,

  SAP

  ) and consolidation systems (e.g.,

  Oracle, HFM

  ).
• Exposure to international and matrix organizations.

Technical Skills

• Strong command of

  Excel

  ,

  Word

  ,

  Outlook

  .
• Knowledge of

  local and international tax laws

  , audit processes, and statutory requirements.
• Expertise in

  financial modeling

  , cost accounting, and pricing.
• Practical experience with

  treasury instruments

  , foreign exchange, and guarantees.

Key Attributes

• Methodical, highly organized, and detail-oriented.
• Strong leadership and team development capabilities.
• Strategic thinker with commercial acumen and problem-solving skills.
• Influential communicator with ability to engage stakeholders at all levels.
• Change agent mindset, with a continuous improvement orientation.
• Resilient under pressure with a hands-on, proactive approach.

Planning & Decision-Making

• Accountable for all financial and accounting decisions within India in accordance with Delegation of Authority (DoA).
• Authorised to approve budgets, contracts, and commercial decisions.
• Capable of deputising for the Head of Market and exercising decision-making authority as needed.
• Design and lead budgeting, resource allocation, and financial risk mitigation strategies.

Impact & Scope

• High-impact role managing financial performance in a complex and evolving market.
• Drives strategic decisions with commercial, operational, and compliance implications.
• Responsible for identifying financial risks, ensuring proper revenue recognition, and safeguarding assets.
• Errors could materially affect revenue, margin, cash flow, or contractual exposure.

Summary

critical leadership role