Deputy Controller

Serve as the key finance and compliance lead for the India entity, acting as the local deputy to the global finance team. This role oversees day-to-day accounting operations, statutory compliance, and internal controls, while also functioning as a PMO-style coordinator across India and U.S. Finance Teams. The Finance Lead will strengthen the India accounting function, drive standardization across entities, and ensure timely, accurate financial reporting that supports strategic decision-making across the Ceres Global portfolio.

Key Responsibilities:

1) Controllership & Close:

• Own monthly and quarterly close for the India legal entity; ensure timely reconciliations, accruals, and intercompany settlements.

• Maintain accurate financial statements aligned with global accounting policies and chart of accounts.

• Support internal and external audits (statutory, tax, and internal), managing all auditor interactions and closing points promptly.

• Partner with U.S. Finance to ensure full visibility and consistency across all India reporting cycles.

2) Compliance & Statutory Governance:

• Ensure full statutory compliance with Indian regulations including Companies Act, GST, TDS/TCS, PF/ESI/PT, Shops & Establishments, and FEMA.

• Coordinate with external consultants for ROC filings, transfer pricing documentation, and tax audit requirements.

• Maintain and strengthen the internal control framework through documented SOPs, compliance calendars, and risk registers.

3) PMO Leadership & Cross-Border Coordination:

• Act as the bridge between the U.S. and India finance teams, ensuring structured communication, accountability, and timely deliverables.

• Lead PMO-style project management for finance initiatives, including process improvements, audits, ERP rollouts, and policy implementation.

• Run structured weekly and monthly syncs between India and U.S. teams; track project progress and ensure on-time execution of priorities.

4) Procure-to-Pay & Vendor Oversight:

• Oversee vendor onboarding, PO compliance, and payment processing; ensure adherence to approval matrices and spending policies.

• Work with U.S. Finance to standardize PO and AP practices across entities while maintaining DPO discipline.

• Support automation and digital workflows for invoice approvals, reconciliations, and reporting.

5) Reporting & Data Governance:

• Prepare monthly management reports for the US finance Team summarizing close status, variances, and compliance performance.

• Support global FP&A by providing India-specific financial data, reports, and variance analyses.

• Ensure data accuracy across ERP, payroll, and banking systems; manage master data governance for vendors, jobs, and cost codes.

6) Systems & Automation:

• Serve as the Finance Product Owner for India's ERP, expense management, and payroll tools.

• Collaborate with IT and U.S. Finance teams to automate reconciliations, report packs, and monthly close checklists.

• Drive adoption of digital tools and ensure maker-checker control discipline.

7) Team Leadership & Capability Building:

• Lead and mentor the India finance team across AP, AR, GL, and compliance; promote accountability and collaboration.

• Establish SLAs, RACIs, and SOPs for consistent and timely deliverables.

• Encourage a one-team culture with the U.S. office, providing training, visibility, and professional development opportunities.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Education: CA/CPA/CMA preferred; MBA (Finance) a plus.

• Experience: 10-15 years overall, with strong controllership in India and collaboration with global teams/shared services.

• Demonstrated ownership of monthly close, audits, India statutory/tax compliance, and vendor lifecycle.

• Exposure to project/job costing or construction/engineering/services environments is an advantage.

• Hands- on ERP proficiency (e.g., NetSuite/Oracle/SAP/Microsoft Dynamics) and MS Excel/Power Query/Power BI.

• Strong written/verbal communication; able to translate finance outcomes for non- finance leaders.

Skills & Competencies:

• Controllership mindset, attention to detail, and high integrity.

• Problem- solving and process design (SOPs, RACIs, controls).

• Stakeholder management across India-US time zones.

• Data & automation orientation; comfort with dashboards and self- service analytics.

• Team leadership: coaching, performance management, and succession planning.

Tools & Systems (Illustrative):

ERP (e.g., NetSuite/Oracle/SAP or equivalent) - AP automation/expense (e.g., Coupa/Concur/Ramco) - Payroll (India provider) - BI tools (Excel, Power BI) - Project/job- costing modules - Bank portals & payment gateways