Finance Manager - Duties & Taxes - CA

Description:
Job Summary:
The Finance Manager - Duties & Taxes leads the duty tax function (e.g., accounting for GST/VAT, customs, excise) with accountability for compliance, controls, reconciliations, and governance. The role manages a team, drives stakeholder alignment across business units regions, and delivers process transition and continuous improvement using Quality Decision Making (QDM) and Six Sigma/Lean methodologies.
Please note this is not a taxation-related role but is a functional role managing a process within record-to-report (RTR).
CA is mandatory.
Key Responsibilities:
a) Leadership & People Management
- Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing Duties & Taxes team (accountants/ clerical associates).
- Set goals, conduct performance reviews, and develop capability through coaching and structured training.
- Establish clear RACI, workload balancing, and succession plans; foster a culture of ownership, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
b) Stakeholder Management & Governance
- Engage senior stakeholders (Finance Leadership, Ship-to- Collect, Clearance) to align on policies, transactions treatment and risk appetite.
- Represent the function in SteerCo/PMO forums; present dashboards, issue logs, and remediation plans.
- Manage external relationships with consultants & auditors; ensure proactive communication on complex/ambiguous matters.
c) Compliance, Accounting & Controls
- Ensure timely and accurate reporting & accounting treatment of payment of customs duties & taxes paid at clearance and reconciliations of re-billing of these to external customers
- Oversee GL integrity: provisions, accruals, true-ups, journal approvals, Balance Sheet reconciliations.
- Maintain robust internal controls (segregation of duties, evidence, approvals, data quality checks) and audit readiness.
d) Process Transition (QDM / Six Sigma) & Continuous Improvement
- Lead transition of duties & taxes processes to new operating models (e.g. in-sourcing)
- Apply QDM principles for decision quality; use Six Sigma/Lean (DMAIC, SIPOC, value stream mapping) to eliminate defects, reduce cycle time, and standardize SOPs.
- Define future-state process maps, SLAs/OLAs, control matrices, and automation opportunities (templates, validations, bots).

- Drive change management: KT (knowledge transfer), training, hypercare, and stabilization with measurable outcomes.
e) Technology & Data
- Partner with IT on system design/ configurations
- Enhance data integrity via standardized templates, data validations, and reconciliations; enable self-service analytics (Power BI/Excel).
- Implement exception monitoring and metric dashboards for proactive risk management.
Required Skills & Qualifications:
Team/People Management:
- 5+ years leading finance teams; strong coaching, feedback, and performance management.
Stakeholder Management:
- Influences senior leaders; manages cross-functional decision-making and escalations.
Process Excellence:
- Demonstrated QDM application and Six Sigma/Lean experience (DMAIC, Kaizen, root-cause analysis).
Accounting:
- Solid grasp of accounting principles, GL controls, and reconciliations.
Tools:
- ERP (SAP/Oracle/MS Dynamics), Advanced Excel (PivotTables, lookups, Power Query), and dashboarding (Power BI preferred).
Attributes:
- Analytical rigor, structured problem-solving, clarity in communication, high attention to detail, and deadline discipline.
Education/Experience:
- Bachelors/Masters in Accounting/Finance. Professional qualification preferred (CA/CPA/ACCA or equivalent). CA is mandatory.
- 8 - 12 years in Finance roles with at least 35 years in people leadership and process transition.

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Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in Shared Services/GBS environments or large-scale ERP module rollouts.
- Exposure to internal/external audits and remediation of control gaps.
- Certification in Lean/Six Sigma (Green Belt/Black Belt) and familiarity with QDM frameworks.
KPIs & Performance Metrics:
Compliance Timeliness:
- Payments on time; zero missed deadlines.
Accuracy & Control:
- Error rate in postings; aged reconciling items; audit queries closure time.
Process Efficiency:
- Cycle-time reduction for filings/reconciliations; touchpoints automated; SLA adherence post-transition.
Stakeholder Satisfaction:
- Feedback from Finance/Stakeholders leadership; SteerCo action item closure rates.
Team Health:
- Attrition, internal mobility, training completion, and skill certification.
Decision Quality:
- QDM usage in key decisions; documented decision logs with outcomes and benefits realized.
Role Deliverables (First 90 - 180 days):
- Function charter with governance model (SteerCo cadence, KPIs, risk register).
- Current vs. future-state process maps with SOPs, RACI, and control matrices.
- Transition plan (KT schedule, SLAs, hypercare) with defined stabilization criteria.
- Dashboard pack (compliance, reconciliations, exceptions) and monthly leadership reporting.
- Continuous improvement pipeline with quantified benefits.