Manager - Audit & Finance

Role: Manager - Audit & Finance

Driving intelligent control environments, seamless statutory alignment, and digital finance transformation as a forward-deployed solver (fds) by architecting a resilient governance framework and ensuring every process aligns with business outcomes.

Role Description

You are a proactive, indispensable partner to Searces leadership, deeply embedded in our financial integrity and operational strategy. This isnt just about checking boxes or managing year-end schedules; its about being an Audit Strategist who preempts operational risks, optimizes internal controls, and acts as a force multiplier for Searces financial health, transparency, and growth.

Youll be a Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for orchestrating all statutory, external, and internal audit activities for the India region and group entities. You will ensure meticulous compliance, handle complex accounting inquiries, and serve as a critical advisor, enabling Searce to navigate the intricate regulatory landscape with confidence and efficiency.

Lets be clear: this role demands more than just technical knowledge. It requires a keen business acumen, an analytical mindset to identify operational bottlenecks, and the proactive drive to implement tech-driven audit strategies. Youll solve challenges before they arise, operate with a process-first mindset, and contribute directly to our ability to solve differently for our clients and our organization.

If youre a meticulously organized, analytical professional with a strategic brain, an unwavering commitment to compliance, and the ability to amplify financial impact — youre exactly who were looking for.

Youre not just an audit manager; youre a Governance Architect.

Responsibilities

(A) Statutory Audits & External Compliance

• Take full accountability as the primary point of contact and lead coordinator for all external statutory and regulatory audits.
• Manage the end-to-end statutory audit process, preparing comprehensive audit schedules and resolving complex accounting inquiries under GAAP/IFRS/US GAAP.
• Ensure all regulatory financial statements and group entity consolidations are finalized accurately, transparently, and filed strictly on time.

(B) Controllership & Financial Operations Oversight

• 
  Oversee the preparation of accurate, timely, and comprehensive monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements.
• Manage full-cycle accounting operations, including General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Payroll, ensuring an accelerated and highly accurate month-end close.
• Continuously monitor financial data accuracy to safeguard the organizations financial health and reporting integrity.

(C) Internal Audit & Risk Management

• Design, implement, and monitor a robust internal control environment (e.g., SOX / Internal Financial Controls compliance).
• Identify financial, systemic, and operational risks across various business units and develop bulletproof mitigation strategies.
• Plan and execute comprehensive internal audit programs, reporting critical findings directly to executive leadership and driving the aggressive implementation of corrective action plans.

(D) Process Improvement & Automated Workflows

• Champion the digital transformation of the finance and audit departments by continuously mapping current processes to identify bottlenecks and eliminate manual data entry.
• Evaluate, implement, and manage advanced ERP enhancements and financial automation tools.
• Design and deploy scalable automated workflows, including AI-driven procure-to-pay platforms, automated reconciliations, and continuous audit monitoring systems.

Functional Skills

• Analytical Architect: Breaks down complex accounting standards and operational workflows to design robust, compliant, and optimized internal control environments.
• Compliance Custodian: Manages all statutory deadlines, audit schedules, and regulatory filings with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring zero-defect execution.
• Risk Strategist: Navigates the risk landscape with precision, exercising sharp professional skepticism, challenging assumptions, and exploring alternative explanations or disconfirming evidence.
• Value-Driven Researcher: Goes beyond surface-level numbers to find genuine opportunities for operational efficiency, cost leakage elimination, and process streamlining.
• Process-First Driver: Thinks systematically to eliminate manual tasks, map workflows, and implement scalable automation that enhances audit speed and financial reporting accuracy.
• Leadership Multiplier: Mentors and guides a team of accounting and audit professionals, setting clear goals, amplifying their capabilities, and ensuring collective excellence.

Skills

Internal Audit, Statutory Audit, Financial Controllership, Risk Management, Internal Financial Controls (IFC/SOX), US GAAP/IFRS, General Ledger, Accounting Operations, Process Mapping, Team Leadership, Analytical Skills, Attention to Detail.

Tech Superpowers

• Data-Fluent Navigator: Proficiently uses advanced financial, ERP, and audit software to extract, analyze, and synthesize large datasets for strategic continuous monitoring and reporting.
• Automation Evangelist: Identifies manual, repetitive accounting and reconciliation processes and champions the implementation of automation tools to reduce human error and accelerate month-end close.
• Predictive Modeler: Leverages advanced analytics to forecast financial operational workflows, simulate risk scenarios, and provide data-backed recommendations to management.
• Tech-Informed Auditor: Utilizes modern continuous-audit monitoring tech and specialized databases to ensure internal testing frameworks are backed by the latest systemic efficiencies and case metrics.

Experience & Relevance

• Audit Pedigree: A Qualified Chartered Accountant (or CPA / Masters in Commerce) with around 8-10 years of proven post-qualification work experience in a similar corporate or assurance role.
• Leadership Acumen: Prior experience leading, mentoring, and upskilling a team of audit and accounting professionals, demonstrating the ability to manage change and foster accountability.
• Compliance Command: Exhibits a proven track record of successfully managing end-to-end statutory audit lifecycles, complex group consolidations, and strict regulatory filings for a corporate entity.
• Strategic Mindset: Proven ability to look beyond the balance sheet to identify risk mitigation strategies and design automated workflows that directly contribute to financial agility.