Commercial Specialist

Job Description: Senior General Manager - Plant Commercial & Accounts Location - Gangaikondan Immediate Joiners Preferred 1. Role Overview The Senior General Manager - Plant Commercial & Accounts will serve as the strategic leader for all plant-level commercial, finance, costing, audit, and statutory compliance activities across the manufacturing facility. The role ensures financial discipline, strong internal controls, optimized cost structures, accurate financial reporting, process governance, and compliance with statutory & company policies. This position partners closely with Plant Head, Operations, Supply Chain, and Corporate Finance to drive profitability, cost efficiency, and commercial excellence across the plant. 2. Key Responsibilities A. Accounting & Financial Control - Lead and supervise all financial accounting operations for the plant including AP, AR, GL, asset management, and costing modules. - Ensure accurate posting of expenses, provisions, accruals, and timely month-end and year-end closures. - Oversee cost allocation, standard cost updates, production variances, and plant-level profitability. - Maintain robust internal controls and ensure compliance with accounting standards and company SOPs. - Coordinate with Corporate Finance for consolidation, budgeting cycles, audit finalization, and financial statements preparation. - Review and approve all plant-level financial transactions and ensure audit readiness. B. Commercial Operations & Governance - Oversee plant commercial functions including vendor empanelment, contract validation, purchase order approvals, and commercial terms review. - Ensure regulatory compliance on vendor contracts, rate agreements, and service-level agreements. - Validate inbound/outbound logistics bills, freight handling charges, rate compliance, and timely payment processing. - Ensure accurate review of sales/dispatch documents including GST invoices, e-way bills, delivery challans, and pricing adherence. - Partner with supply chain and procurement on cost negotiations, vendor performance, and commercial risk mitigation. - Strengthen commercial SOPs, ensure adherence, and drive process improvements. C. Inventory, Costing & Cost Control - Ensure accurate valuation and recording of RM, WIP, FG inventories through strict discipline in stock-taking, cycle counts, and reconciliation. - Monitor BOM accuracy, standard costing, material consumption patterns, yield metrics, and rework/scrap management. - Drive investigation and root-cause analysis for cost variances, scrap generation, and material losses. - Oversee annual and periodic cost audits and ensure compliance with cost accounting standards. - Implement cost optimization initiatives across operations, logistics, procurement, and overheads. D. Compliance, Taxation & Statutory Management - Ensure timely and accurate compliance related to GST, TDS, customs/excise (if applicable), and other local statutory requirements. - Maintain audit documentation for internal, statutory, cost, and GST audits; ensure closure of audit observations. - Ensure compliance with Customs/SEZ/EOU norms (if applicable), duty drawback, and export/import documentation integrity. - Represent the plant during government inspections, regulatory reviews, and external audits. - Strengthen governance and risk management processes to maintain a high compliance score. E. MIS, Budgeting, Analytics & Reporting - Drive end-to-end plant MIS including production metrics, financial KPIs, cost variance analysis, overhead trends, and commercial performance. - Prepare weekly/monthly dashboards for senior management and corporate finance, highlighting trends, risks, deviations, and savings opportunities. - Forecast plant financial performance, working capital requirement, and cash flow needs. - Lead annual budget preparation for the plant, including Capex planning, costing updates, and departmental budgets. - Provide data-driven insights to support management decision-making and operational excellence. F. Leadership, Team Development & Cross-functional Collaboration - Lead, mentor, and develop the plant accounts and commercial team to drive high performance and capability building. - Conduct training on financial discipline, GST documentation, inventory controls, and commercial SOPs. - Work closely with Plant Head, Operations, SCM, HR, and Corporate Finance to align financial risks, cost initiatives, and business plans. - Drive accountability, compliance, and continuous improvement culture across plant teams. 3. Key Competencies & Skills - Strong knowledge of accounting standards, cost accounting, plant finance, and commercial laws. - Deep understanding of GST, customs, SEZ/EOU regulations, and statutory frameworks related to manufacturing operations. - Hands-on expertise in ERP systems (SAP/Oracle) and advanced Excel/analytics tools. - Strong business acumen with ability to analyze plant operations and drive cost improvements. - Excellent communication, stakeholder management, negotiation, and team leadership skills. - High integrity, problem-solving mindset, and ability to work independently in a fast-paced plant environment. 4. Qualifications & Experience - CA / ICWA preferred; MBA (Finance) / with strong manufacturing finance experience may also apply. - 15-20+ years of experience in plant finance, costing, commercial, and statutory compliance roles. - Minimum 5-7 years in a senior leadership role in a large-scale manufacturing setup (preferably solar, electronics, engineering, or similar). -