Finance Leader

About The Convergence Foundation

The Convergence Foundation (TCF) is an Indian philanthropic foundation established by Ashish and Manisha Dhawan in April 2021. TCF builds on their legacy of impactful philanthropy, including the founding of transformative institutions like Ashoka University and the Central Square Foundation.

Our mission is clear: to transform the lives of all Indians through rapid, sustained economic growth and inclusive development. To achieve this, we focus on 3 pillars

• Direct engines of economic growth that enable job creation,
• Human capital development through education and employability, and
• Development Enablers that strengthen the philanthropic ecosystem and improve state capacity.

In each area, TCF works on:

• Building pioneering institutions to address India's most complex socio-economic challenges.
• Shaping the larger ecosystem and sharing knowledge, insights and learning with
• other philanthropists, governments and key stakeholders.

We believe that the government is the key actor for system change, and the role of philanthropy and nonprofits is to strategically support the government. The TCF Network includes 20+ organisations all working systemically with the government, committed to addressing specific areas of India's socio-economic development, across our three pillars.

Position Summary

We are seeking a seasoned finance leader to own end-to-end finance and accounting for TCF and select portfolio entities. This role combines operational excellence with strategic finance, ensuring robust controllership, sharp decision support to leadership, and full compliance for Section 8 companies. The leader will build and scale seamless processes, manage internal teams and external partners, and drive timely, insight-rich financial reporting that informs board- and CEO-level decisions. The role reports to the CEO, TCF.

Key Responsibilities

1) End-to-End Finance Ownership

• Lead and institutionalize full-cycle finance and accounting: GL, AP, AR, treasury, cash flow, banking, payroll, fixed assets, reconciliations, monthly/quarterly/annual close, and audit readiness.
• Design and deliver accurate, timely MIS, board decks, and donor/grant reporting;
  analyze trends, variances, and unit economics to inform strategic decisions.
• Build and enforce finance policies, internal controls, and risk management frameworks aligned to growth and multi-entity complexity.

2) Strategy, Planning, and Decision Support

• Own budgeting, forecasting, scenario planning, and multi-year financial modeling;
  partner with leadershipon resource allocation, cost optimization, and investment decisions.
• Evaluate contracts, leases, and vendor agreements;
  drive commercial negotiations that balance mission, cost, and risk.

3) Compliance and Governance (Section 8 Focus)

• Ensure compliance under Companies Act for Section 8 companies and applicable rules: board/committee governance, statutory registers/records, and ROC filings (AOC-4, MGT-7, etc.) in partnership with company secretarial.
• Oversee tax and regulatory compliance: Income Tax (including 12AB/80G maintenance and reporting), TDS, GST (if applicable), professional tax, labor- related compliances.
• Manage FCRA (if applicable): registration/renewal, bank accounts, utilization tracking, returns (FC-3 series), and donor compliance.
• Ensure grant/contract fiscal compliance, CSR alignment/CSR-1 (as relevant), and adherence to donor covenants;
  steward clean statutoryand grant audits.

4) Stakeholder Management and Communication

• Act as a trusted partner to the CEO, leadership team, board/committees, donors, auditors, legal/CS, and portfolio organisation heads.
• Lead clear, persuasive communication of financial insights and recommendations to diverse stakeholders;
  represent TCF externally when required.

5) Team, Systems, and Operations

• Build and mentor a high-performing finance team;
  institute SLAs and quality benchmarks.
• Select and oversee finance systems/ERPs, accounting and reporting tools;
  drive automation and process excellence.
• Oversee IT/office procurement policies and vendor management as needed for operational effectiveness.

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities

• Chartered Accountant (CA) with 10–15 years of post-qualification experience in controllership and business finance;
  demonstrated end-to-endownership of finance and accounting in multi-entity or nonprofit/Section 8 environments.
• Strong command of compliance for Section 8 companies under the Companies Act, Income Tax (including 12AB/80G), TDS, GST (if applicable), audit, and grant/grantee fiscal compliance;
  FCRA exposure preferred.
• Proven stakeholder management with senior leadership, boards, donors, auditors, regulators, vendors, and portfolio organisations;
  high executive presence.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication;
  ability to craft and deliver crisp MIS, board narratives, and strategic recommendations.
• Strong strategic thinking and decision-making;
  adept at budgeting, FP&A, scenario modeling, and translating data into action.
• Demonstrated ability to build processes and teams from scratch;
  high ownership, planning, and prioritization.
• Technology savvy: experience with ERPs/accounting and reporting systems;
  comfort with automationand data tools.

Personal Characteristics

• Professionalism, integrity, and strong time management
• Collaborative, flexible, and hands-on;
  thrives in a mission-driven, fast-paced environment
• Multitasker who can set priorities and meet deadlines consistently
• Strong leadership and cross-functional influence