Chief Financial Officer - Automobile - CA

Position Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Reports To Managing Director / Board of Directors

Direct Reports: Finance Controller, Head - FP&A, Head - Accounts, Internal Audit Lead, Treasury Manager

Department: Finance & Accounts

Industry :Automobile Dealership (Multi-brand / Multi-location, India)

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

Experience :18-25 years (with at least 5 years in a CFO / Finance Head role), Automobile Industry experience preferred

Qualification :CA / CPA / MBA (Finance) from a reputed institute; CFA / CS preferred

1. About the Role:

The organisation is a fast-growing, multi-location automobile dealership in India operating across passenger vehicles, after-sales service, spare parts, pre-owned vehicles, vehicle finance facilitation and insurance. As the business approaches its next phase of growth, we are seeking a strategically-minded Chief Financial Officer to take ownership of the full finance function.

The CFO will be a core member of the executive leadership team and serve as the Managing Director's principal business partner on capital, profitability and governance. The role demands a leader who can simultaneously build best-in-class controls and MIS, drive dealership-level profitability through sharp FP&A, and prepare the organisation for institutional scrutiny.

2. Key Responsibilities:

2.1 Strategic FP&A and Business Partnering:

• Own the annual operating plan, rolling forecasts and long-range plan across all dealership verticals - new vehicle sales, service, spares, pre-owned, finance & insurance (F&I).
• Partner with the MD and business heads on dealership-level P&Ls; drive unit economics analysis on per-vehicle margin, workshop labour productivity, parts gross margin, F&I penetration and inventory turns.
• Build and review pricing, scheme pass-through, OEM claim recoveries, target-incentive accruals and dealer-margin reconciliations.
• Lead capex appraisal for new showrooms, workshops and digital initiatives; track post-investment ROI and payback.
• Provide scenario modelling for OEM mix changes, EV transition, interest-rate movements and inventory funding decisions.
• Drive cost optimisation programs across manpower, rent, marketing, logistics and overheads with clear ownership and tracking.

2.2 Financial Controls, Compliance and Audit:

• Establish, document and enforce a robust internal control framework covering cash collections, vehicle delivery, RTO, inventory custody, warranty claims, vendor payments and reconciliations.
• Own statutory and tax compliance end-to-end - Companies Act, Income Tax, GST (including motor-vehicle specific provisions), TCS on motor vehicles, TDS, PF/ESI, Shops & Establishment and dealer-licensing requirements.
• Manage statutory audit, internal audit, tax audit, GST audit and OEM audits; ensure clean reports with no material observations.
• Implement a strong fraud-risk and revenue-leakage prevention framework - particularly around cash sales, used-car valuations, accessory billing and workshop estimates.
• Ensure robust governance over OEM floor-plan funding, channel-finance limits and inventory-funding hypothecation compliance.

2.3 Book-keeping, Accounting and MIS:

• Lead the day-to-day accounting, general ledger close and monthly book closure across all locations within 7 working days with full sign-off accuracy.
• Own the chart of accounts, cost-centre and profit-centre structure across showrooms, workshops, spares and pre-owned business lines.
• Drive accurate, on-time MIS to the MD and Board - including dealership-wise P&L, working capital, inventory ageing (new + used), receivables ageing, OEM claim ageing, manpower productivity and cash flow.
• Build a single source of truth by integrating DMS (Dealer Management System), ERP, payroll and banking platforms; reduce manual interventions and reconciliation gaps.
• Standardise daily, weekly and monthly dashboards; institutionalise variance analysis against budget, prior period and OEM benchmarks.
• Ensure timely book-keeping hygiene - vendor reconciliations, inter-branch reconciliations, OEM ledger reconciliations and bank reconciliations continuously.

2.4 Treasury, Working Capital and Banking:

• Manage working capital tightly - vehicle inventory funding, channel finance, retail trade advances and customer-deposit float.
• Maintain banking relationships, negotiate facility limits, interest rates and OEM-subvented financing terms.
• Optimise the cost of funds across inventory financing, term loans and short-term facilities; manage forex exposure on imported spares where applicable.
• Drive zero-tolerance discipline on customer cheque bounces, post-dated cheque tracking and undeposited collections.

2.5 Leadership, Team and Systems:

• Build, mentor and retain a high-performing finance organisation across HO and locations with clear KPIs and succession depth.
• Sponsor and lead finance automation initiatives - DMS-ERP integration, e-invoicing, RPA for reconciliations, AI/analytics for inventory and pricing.
• Represent finance in OEM business reviews, banker meetings, auditor discussions and Board meetings.
• Champion a culture of integrity, ownership and data-driven decision-making across the dealership network.

3. Candidate Profile:

3.1 Qualifications:

• Chartered Accountant (CA) is mandatory; additional qualifications such as MBA (Finance), CPA, CFA or CS will be an advantage.
• 18-25 years of progressive finance experience, with at least 5 years in a CFO, Finance Director or Head-of-Finance role, preferably from the Automobile Industry
• Prior exposure to the automobile dealership, automotive OEM, large multi-location retail or capital-intensive distribution business is strongly preferred.

3.2 Functional Skills:

• Deep expertise in Indian GAAP / Ind AS, direct and indirect tax, GST, TCS on motor vehicles and Companies Act compliance.
• Hands-on experience with dealership working-capital cycles - inventory funding, channel finance, OEM claims and F&I commissions.
• Strong command of ERP (SAP / Oracle / MS Dynamics) and DMS platforms used in the automobile industry (e.g., Autoline, DBM, Incadea, SAP DBM).
• Demonstrated track record of implementing internal controls, ICFR, SOPs and audit-ready processes in a multi-location environment.
• Excellent analytical and modelling skills; ability to translate operating data into Board-level insights.

3.3 Behavioural & Leadership Competencies:

• Unimpeachable integrity and a strong governance mindset.
• Hands-on, detail-oriented, yet able to step back and see the strategic picture.
• Strong influencing skills with the MD, promoters, OEM partners, bankers and auditors.
• Ability to lead change in a traditional, family-promoted business as it professionalises and prepares for public-market scrutiny.
• High ownership, resilience under tight closing timelines and the ability to develop people.

4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Accuracy and timeliness of monthly book closure and Board MIS (- 7 working days).
• Zero material audit observations across statutory, internal, tax, GST and OEM audits.
• Improvement in EBITDA margin and dealership-level profitability versus AOP.
• Working capital cycle - inventory days, receivables days, OEM-claim ageing reduction.
• Successful completion of IPO-readiness milestones (Ind AS conversion, ICFR, segment reporting, DRHP support).
• Cost of funds and effective management of channel-finance and inventory-funding lines.
• Finance team engagement, capability uplift and retention.