Head of Commercial Finance

Key Responsibilities 1. Sales & Revenue Governance Partner with Sales and Business Heads to drive profitable revenue growth and achievement of annual business targets. Establish robust controls around sales booking, revenue recognition, rebates, incentives, and commercial agreements.

Monitor sales performance against budgets, forecasts, and strategic plans. Review customer-wise, product-wise, and region-wise revenue trends and identify growth opportunities. Ensure compliance with company policies on commercial commitments, contracts, and revenue management.

Lead monthly revenue reviews with leadership teams and recommend corrective actions where required. 2. Margin & Cost Management Drive gross margin and contribution margin improvement initiatives across businesses and regions. Analyze product, customer, channel, and project profitability to identify margin enhancement opportunities.

Monitor key cost drivers including procurement, logistics, manufacturing, project execution, and overheads. Develop and implement cost optimization programs in collaboration with cross-functional teams. Establish margin tracking mechanisms and ensure accountability for profitability targets.

Provide actionable insights on variance analysis against budget and forecast. 3. Pricing & Discount Controls Design and implement pricing governance frameworks to maximize profitability while maintaining market competitiveness. Review and approve pricing proposals, special discounts, commercial exceptions, and strategic bids.

Develop pricing models considering market dynamics, competition, cost structures, and customer segments. Monitor discount leakage and ensure adherence to delegated authority matrices. Conduct periodic pricing effectiveness studies and recommend corrective measures.

Support key account negotiations and major customer commercial discussions. 4. Working Capital & Receivables Management Drive working capital improvement initiatives with focus on receivables, inventory, and cash flow optimization. Monitor debtor ageing, collection efficiency, overdue receivables, and credit exposures.

Partner with Sales and Operations teams to improve cash conversion cycle and reduce working capital intensity. Establish customer credit management frameworks and approval processes. Lead periodic reviews of collections performance and escalation of high-risk accounts.

Ensure timely resolution of customer disputes impacting collections and cash flow. 5. HO and Regional Commercial Governance Lead and standardize commercial finance processes across Head Office and regional business units. Ensure adherence to commercial policies, approval workflows, delegation matrices, and compliance requirements.

Drive consistency in financial controls, reporting standards, and governance practices across locations. Review commercial risks associated with customer contracts, projects, tenders, and business transactions. Support internal and external audits related to commercial operations.

Strengthen risk management practices and implement preventive control mechanisms. 6. Commercial Excellence & Analytics Develop advanced business analytics and performance dashboards to support strategic decision-making. Lead budgeting, forecasting, business planning, and performance review processes.

Generate insights on sales productivity, customer profitability, market trends, pricing effectiveness, and business performance. Drive automation and digitalization initiatives within commercial finance processes. Build predictive models and scenario analyses to support business strategy and investment decisions.

Establish KPIs and performance scorecards for business leadership teams. 7. Stakeholder Management & Field Engagement Act as a strategic finance partner to Business Heads, Sales Leadership, Operations, Supply Chain, and Corporate Finance teams. Provide financial guidance during customer negotiations, commercial discussions, and business reviews.

Engage regularly with regional teams to understand market dynamics, operational challenges, and growth opportunities. Influence business decisions through fact-based financial analysis and commercial insights. Present business performance, risks, opportunities, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.

Build a high-performance commercial finance team through coaching, capability building, and succession planning. Key Success Metrics Revenue Growth & Forecast Accuracy Gross Margin & EBITDA Improvement Pricing Realization & Discount Compliance Working Capital Days / Cash Conversion Cycle DSO (Days Sales Outstanding) Reduction Collection Efficiency & Cash Flow Improvement Commercial Risk Mitigation Business Partnering Effectiveness Automation & Analytics Adoption Stakeholder Satisfaction Scores Preferred Profile CA / CMA / MBA Finance from a reputed institution. 15 years of experience in Commercial Finance, Business Finance, FP&A, Sales Finance, or Finance Business Partnering roles. Strong experience in manufacturing, industrial, engineering, EPC, energy, FMCG, or B2B environments.

Proven track record of partnering with Sales and Business Leadership teams. Strong commercial acumen, analytical capability, negotiation skills, and leadership experience. Experience managing multi-location and regional commercial finance operations.