CA Commercial Finance

**Role Summary** We are looking for a commercially sharp Chartered Accountant to join our Finance team as a key business partner to operations, procurement, and leadership. The role is anchored in commercial finance driving cost discipline through rigorous benchmarking, leading vendor negotiations with data-backed insights, and partnering with business units to translate financial analysis into strategic decisions. This is a high-visibility role with direct exposure to senior management. **Key Responsibilities** **1. Vendor Negotiation & Procurement Finance** • Lead end-to-end commercial negotiations with vendors, service providers, and contractors covering pricing, payment terms, SLAs, and penalty clauses. • Build and maintain TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) models to evaluate vendor proposals beyond headline rates. • Develop negotiation briefs for procurement teams, including BATNA positions, market intelligence, and financial risk assessments. • Review and redline commercial terms in vendor contracts with a focus on payment schedules, escalation clauses, and indemnity exposure. • Track and report savings realised vs. targets, presenting outcomes to HoD and procurement leadership on a monthly basis. • Establish preferred vendor frameworks and rate cards across major spend categories. **2. Cost Benchmarking & Analytics** • Design and maintain a cost benchmarking repository across all major spend categories — capex, opex, manpower, logistics, and technology. • Conduct peer benchmarking using industry databases (CRISIL, Bloomberg, market surveys) to assess competitiveness of existing contracts. • Develop price indices and inflation-adjusted cost trackers to support renegotiation triggers and budgetary planning. • Identify cost outliers and variance drivers; prepare deep-dive analyses with actionable recommendations for leadership. • Collaborate with category owners to translate benchmarking findings into sourcing strategies and contract structures. **3. Business Partnering & FP&A** • Partner with business unit heads to provide financial insights that support pricing decisions, new business bids, and product profitability analysis. • Own the monthly MIS for commercial spend — tracking actuals vs. budget with commentary on variance and forward-looking risks. • Lead the annual operating expense budget process for commercial functions, including zero-based budgeting exercises. • Build financial models for new initiatives, capex proposals, and make-vs.-buy decisions. • Support HoD with board-level presentations on cost performance, savings pipeline, and commercial risk exposures. **4. Commercial Controls & Compliance** • Ensure all vendor engagements are aligned with the company's delegation of authority (DoA) and procurement policy. • Review commercial terms in agreements for GST, TDS, and related tax implications; coordinate with the tax team for structuring inputs. • Maintain a contract repository with key commercial milestones, renewal dates, and performance triggers. • Support internal and statutory audit requirements related to vendor payments, advances, and contract documentation. • Drive continuous improvement in commercial processes — standardising templates, approval workflows, and policy adherence. **Qualifications & Experience Mandatory** • Chartered Accountant (ICAI) • 5–6 years of post-qualification experience, with at least 4 years in commercial finance role. • Demonstrable experience in vendor negotiations and/or commercial finance functions. • Strong working knowledge of cost benchmarking methodologies and procurement finance. • High intent and high integrity is the first basic requirement. Preferred • Prior experience in sectors such as financial services, fintech, manufacturing, FMCG, or infrastructure. • Exposure to ERP systems (Zoho/Zoho Books/other SaaS products) and procurement platforms. • Experience working in a Big 4 / mid-tier audit firm followed by an industry stint. • Understanding of indirect tax (GST) implications in vendor contracts.