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.