Lead - Manufacturing/Plant Commercial

About the Role:

The Lead - Manufacturing/Plant Commercial will act as the strategic finance and commercial business partner for Manufacturing and Plant Operations, while also owning the organization-wide Accounts Payable function. The role is anchored on two strategic pillars: driving enterprise-wide cost optimization with a sharp focus on manufacturing, and strengthening plant-level commercial discipline and payables governance.

This is fundamentally a leadership and stakeholder-orchestration role. The incumbent will lead a team of finance managers, translate organizational priorities into executable plans, and drive outcomes by aligning cross-functional stakeholders - operating through the team rather than delivering transactional work directly.

Key Responsibilities:

Commercial Strategy, Cost Management & Profitability:

- Architect and lead the organization's annual cost-optimization agenda across manufacturing, identifying structural savings opportunities while safeguarding quality, delivery, and operational continuity.

- Institutionalize should-cost modelling, competitive benchmarking, and price-trend analysis to build a fact-based foundation for manufacturing strategy and negotiations.

- Establish a rigorous savings governance mechanism - validating, tracking, and reconciling realized savings against finance systems to protect the credibility of reported numbers.

- Proactively surface sources of cost leakage, including price variances and unrealized rebates or credits, and drive time-bound corrective action with category owners.

- Partner closely with Manufacturing, R&D, and Operations leadership to convert value-engineering ideas into implementable, measurable initiatives.

Manufacturing Commercial - COGS & Cost Management:

- Own the plant's commercial rhythm, including periodic physical stock verification and inventory reconciliation, to safeguard asset integrity and ensure clean financial reporting.

- Lead plant-level budgeting, the annual operating plan (AOP), and periodic re-forecasting, embedding financial discipline into plant decision-making.

- Build robust ROI and financial feasibility frameworks to evaluate plant CAPEX, productivity, and process-improvement investments, ensuring capital is deployed against the highest-value opportunities.

- Track manufacturing cost trends, productivity metrics, and material consumption patterns to surface early warning signals and identify improvement levers.

- Maintain a strong on-ground presence at the Chakan plant, partnering with Plant, Operations, and Supply Chain teams to strengthen planning discipline and financial governance at the shop-floor level.

- Own end-to-end COGS analysis, underpinned by a deep, working command of Bills of Material (BOM) and their cost implications.

- Lead SAP standard and actual costing runs, investigating variances and ensuring costing outputs accurately reflect ground realities.

- Develop forward-looking costing forecasts that inform pricing, sourcing, and manufacturing decisions.

- Proactively identify and resolve BOM discrepancies and structural issues that could distort costing accuracy, partnering with R&D and Manufacturing to maintain data integrity.

Accounts Payable Management:

- Own the organization-wide Accounts Payable function through the Manager - Accounts Payable, ensuring vendor payments are processed accurately, on time, and within approved commercial terms.

- Strengthen AP controls and process discipline, ensuring adherence to the Delegation of Authority (DOA), agreed payment terms, and internal control requirements.

- Partner with Treasury, Sourcing, and Plant teams to optimize payment cycles, improve working capital efficiency, and capture early-payment or rebate opportunities where available.

Audit Coordination:

- Serve as the coordination point for internal and statutory audits spanning Manufacturing, Plant, and Accounts Payable.

- Partner with Internal Audit to address, close, and prevent recurrence of audit observations, strengthening the overall control environment.

- Maintain continuous audit readiness across the team through disciplined documentation, process compliance, and timely evidence management.

Team Leadership & Stakeholder Management:

- Build, lead, and develop a team of managers spanning Plant Commercial and Accounts Payable, setting clear priorities and holding the team accountable for outcomes.

- Operate as the primary point of commercial and financial alignment across Manufacturing, Plant, R&D, Treasury, Supply Chain, and Audit stakeholders.

- Drive execution discipline through the team, proactively surfacing and resolving cross-functional bottlenecks.

- Deliver consolidated, insight-driven management reporting covering cost savings, plant commercial performance, and Accounts Payable.

Key Skills & Competencies:

- Manufacturing Commercial Acumen

- Cost Management, COGS & Costing (BOM, SAP Standard/Actual Costing)

- Plant Commercial Management (Stock Verification, Budgeting, ROI Evaluation)

- Accounts Payable Oversight & Working Capital Management

- Financial Analysis & Strategic Business Partnering

- Budgeting, Forecasting & Cost Control

- MIS Reporting & Data-driven Decision Support

- SAP & ERP Systems Proficiency

- Audit, Controls & Compliance

- Team Leadership & People Development

- Cross-functional Stakeholder Management

- Strong Analytical & Structured Problem-Solving Skills

Experience:

- Chartered Accountant (CA) / Cost & Management Accountant (CMA) - 2018 - 2022 passout

- 5 - 8 years of progressive experience in Commercial Finance, Manufacturing Finance, or Plant Finance, including demonstrated experience leading a team.

- Prior exposure to a manufacturing, consumer durables, engineering, or supply chain-intensive environment strongly preferred.

- Hands-on experience with SAP costing (BOM, standard and actual costing runs) preferred.

Location:

- Pune (Chakan Plant)