Chief Financial Officer - Retail - CA

About the Company:

Our client is a leading organized retailer in the premium watches and accessories segment, with a strong presence across India through an extensive network of 80+ stores. The company partners with globally renowned brands and offers a wide assortment spanning classic, luxury, fashion, and smartwatches.

With a robust omni-channel presence, the business provides access to over 10,000+ styles and maintains a large inventory footprint to ensure seamless customer experience. Known for authenticity, strong brand partnerships, and high service standards, the company is now entering its next phase of growth and transformation.

Role Overview:

We are seeking a high-calibre CFO to partner with the promoters and leadership team in steering Just In Time through its most ambitious phase of growth. This is a rare opportunity to help build a world-class finance function as the business scales from 90 to 150+ stores, deepens its omnichannel presence, and pursues an active acquisition and capital markets strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Retail Financial Excellence & Store Expansion:

- Drive financial performance across 90+ stores and growing omnichannel operations.

- Partner with the Retail Head on store expansion strategy - financial modelling, ROI evaluation, lease economics, and store-level P&L for the journey to 150 stores by 2027.

- Optimise inventory cycles, stock turns, and working capital efficiency across the store network.

- Build store-level profitability frameworks - identify underperformers, drive cost discipline, and improve unit economics.

2. IPO Readiness & Capital Markets Leadership:

- Lead the end-to-end IPO journey including restructuring, due diligence, DRHP/RHP preparation, and listing execution.

- Manage stakeholders including investment bankers, legal advisors, auditors, and regulatory bodies.

- Drive listing on NSE/BSE.

- Establish robust post-listing governance, compliance, and disclosure frameworks.

3. Corporate Finance Leadership:

- Drive capital structure strategy, fundraising, and treasury management.

- Lead PE/VC funding rounds, structured financing, and pre-IPO placements.

- Build financial models, valuation frameworks, and scenario planning.

- Evaluate M&A opportunities, partnerships, and strategic investments.

- Optimize key financial metrics including ROCE, EBITDA, and shareholder value.

4. Compliance, Governance & Risk:

- Lead compliance across Ind AS, Companies Act, and listing regulations.

- Strengthen internal controls, audit frameworks, and risk governance.

- Drive board governance, policies, and ethical financial practices.

- Oversee regulatory filings, secretarial coordination, and legal-finance interface.

5. Retail Financial Excellence:

- Drive financial performance across multi-store and omni-channel operations.

- Optimize inventory cycles, stock turns, and working capital efficiency.

- Improve store-level profitability and cost structures.

- Support expansion strategy with ROI-focused decision-making.

6. Strategic Finance & Business Partnership:

- Lead budgeting, forecasting, MIS, and performance tracking.

- Partner with leadership on growth strategy and scalability.

- Enable data-driven decision-making across the organization.

7. Investor Relations & Market Positioning:

- Build relationships with institutional investors and analysts.

- Drive investor communication and valuation narrative.

- Position the company as a strong public-market story.

8. Leadership & Organizational Impact:

- Build and lead a high-performance finance and compliance team.

- Act as a strategic advisor to promoters and board.

- Bring structure, governance, and scalability to a high-growth environment.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

- CA with 18-25 years of progressive finance leadership experience.

- Strong experience in Retail/Consumer/Luxury/Omni-channel businesses.

- Demonstrated experience supporting multi-store retail expansion - store economics, ROI modelling, lease evaluation, and P&L build-out.

- Proven IPO execution or readiness experience.

- Track record in scaling high-growth, multi-location businesses.

- Experience with PE/VC-backed companies preferred.