Business Finance and Financial Planning Lead

Job Role: Business Finance and FP&A Lead

Experience: 7–14 Years

Qualification: CA/MBA (Finance)

Location: Pune HQ

1. Role Overview

We are hiring a Business Finance and FP&A Lead for one of our clients to drive profitable growth, margin expansion, and sustainable value creation through strong business finance, strategic partnering, and best-in-class financial planning and performance management.

The incumbent will lead integrated business planning, budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, management reporting, and commercial decision support. The role requires translating complex financial and business data into actionable insights that influence strategic and operational decisions, optimize resource allocation, improve profitability, and maximize return on investment (ROI).

2. Key Responsibilities

a.) Business Finance / Business Partnering

Partners with business functions to drive financial performance and profitable growth. Influences decisions by challenging assumptions and providing commercial insights.

b.) FP&A

Leads budgeting, forecasting, AOP, LBE/LR and monthly performance reviews. Drives variance analysis and forward-looking financial planning.

c.) P&L Understanding

Strong understanding of Revenue, Gross Margin, Opex and EBITDA. Identifies key business drivers impacting profitability and performance.

d.) Decision Support

Converts financial and business data into actionable recommendations. Supports strategic decisions through business cases, ROI analysis and scenario planning.

e.) Commercial Acumen

Strong understanding of pricing, product/customer mix, trade spends and promotions. Focuses on margin improvement, profitability and revenue growth.

f.) Financial Modelling

Strong Excel and financial modelling capabilities with scenario and sensitivity analysis. Develops business cases to evaluate investments and growth opportunities.

g.) Stakeholder Management

Builds strong relationships with senior Sales, Marketing, Commercial, Supply Chain and Operations stakeholders. Effectively influences and constructively challenges business decisions.

h.) FMCG / Consumer Experience

Experience in FMCG, B2C, Consumer, Retail, QSR, E-commerce or Manufacturing environments. Understanding of high-volume and commercially driven business models.

i.) Global / Matrix Exposure

Experience working with Global, Regional or Group Finance teams. Comfortable operating within complex matrix structures and aligning local and global priorities.

j.) BI & Finance Systems

Strong exposure to SAP/Oracle or similar ERP and financial planning tools. Experience with Power BI, dashboards and analytics is preferred.

k.) Transformation / New Business

Experience supporting finance transformation, process automation and business improvement initiatives. Exposure to new product launches, new businesses or strategic growth projects is preferred.

3. Essential Qualifications & Experience

• CA / MBA in Finance
• 7–14 years of relevant experience in Financial Planning & Analysis, Business Finance, Commercial Finance, or related finance leadership roles.
• Strong Communication and Interpersonal skills.
• Strong hands-on experience in budgeting, forecasting and Pricing.
• Strong understanding of P&L management.
• Proven exposure to Revenue Growth Management, price-volume-mix analysis, trade spends, promotional effectiveness, and commercial profitability.

4. Preferred Industry & Technical Exposure

• Experience in FMCG, Consumer Goods, Food, Retail or Manufacturing environments.
• Exposure to high-volume, multi-product, multi-channel, or commercially intensive business models.