Lead Finance Specialist

Job Description Summary

This role is responsible for leading statutory financial reporting, audit coordination, and legal entity compliance for entities within scope. The position plays a critical role in ensuring timely and accurate statutory filings, maintaining compliance with local regulatory requirements, and supporting a strong internal control environment.

The role also supports technical accounting compliance, statutory-to-GAAP alignment, financial controllership, and continuous process improvement. In addition to executing core statutory reporting responsibilities, the position is expected to work closely with internal and external stakeholders to improve reporting quality, simplify processes, strengthen controls, and ensure operational discipline across the reporting cycle.

The role requires a strong understanding of statutory reporting requirements, audit management, legal entity financial oversight, and cross-functional collaboration. It has a direct impact on the quality, accuracy, and integrity of entity-level financial reporting and compliance outcomes.

Job Description

Roles and Responsibilities

Statutory Financial Reporting and Filings

• Lead the preparation, review, and timely submission of statutory financial statements for entities in scope.
• Ensure statutory financial statements are accurate, complete, and compliant with applicable local regulations, accounting standards, and internal corporate requirements.
• Coordinate end-to-end statutory filing activities and maintain adherence to filing deadlines and compliance calendars.

Statutory Audit Management

• Own and manage the full statutory audit lifecycle, including planning, coordination, issue resolution, and closure.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for external auditors and manage audit relationships to ensure timely and efficient completion of audits.
• Coordinate internal stakeholders to ensure audit readiness, quality support, and timely closure of audit observations.

Legal Entity Controllership

• Act as the controllership focal point at country/entity level, with a sound understanding of underlying business activities and financial drivers.
• Proactively identify, assess, and escalate financial reporting, compliance, and controllership risks to the Regional Controller.
• Support robust legal entity governance through disciplined reporting, analysis, and issue management.

Statutory to GAAP Reconciliation and Ledger Oversight

• Oversee statutory-to-GAAP adjustments in Statutory HFM and ensure accurate accounting treatment and postings in SAP dual ledger (L1).
• Lead analysis of legal entity-level Stat-to-GAAP reconciling items and drive remediation, reduction, and simplification in alignment with corporate policy.
• Support consistency and transparency between local statutory books and management reporting requirements.

Compliance, Controls, and Operational Excellence

• Ensure compliance with key statutory, tax, and controllership-related KPIs.
• Contribute to the design, execution, and continuous enhancement of financial and operational internal controls.
• Support and lead Lean and process improvement initiatives to simplify statutory reporting processes, improve quality, and enhance efficiency.
• Promote process discipline, standardization, and continuous improvement across the reporting and compliance cycle.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner closely with regional business line teams and key functions including Tax, Legal, Treasury, Operations, and other finance teams to gather, validate, and reconcile financial information.
• Ensure completeness and consistency of financial data, disclosures, and compliance submissions through effective stakeholder coordination.
• Provide timely and accurate financial information required to support broader controllership, tax, and compliance processes.

Tax and Regulatory Support

• Coordinate and provide timely, accurate data to tax teams to support tax calculations, compliance activities, and statutory filings.
• Oversee regional transactional tax filings, including VAT compliance, and help ensure adherence to local regulatory requirements.
• Support regulatory interactions and compliance processes as required for entities in scope.

Required Qualifications

• Chartered Accountant / Certified Public Accountant / Postgraduate qualification in Commerce, Accounting, or Finance from an accredited institution.
• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in financial reporting, statutory audits, and legal entity compliance.
• Strong experience working with India statutory reporting requirements, preferably including listed entities.
• Hands-on experience with SAP, FDL, HFM, or comparable financial reporting and consolidation systems preferred.

Desired Characteristics

• Strong knowledge of IFRS, US GAAP, local accounting standards, and statutory/legal reporting requirements.
• Solid understanding of legal entity controllership, statutory audit management, and statutory-to-GAAP reconciliation processes.
• Familiarity with financial systems and reporting tools, including SAP and HFM.
• Advanced Excel and data handling skills, with the ability to manage and analyze large datasets effectively.
• Strong analytical capability and problem-solving orientation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively under tight timelines.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate across functions and with external partners.
• Continuous improvement mindset with demonstrated ability to drive process simplification and operational excellence.

Additional Information