Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Job Description:

Job Summary

We are looking for a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) who can take complete ownership of the finance function and work closely with the founders on business growth, capital strategy, financial governance, and long-term value creation.

This is not a traditional accounting or finance controller role.

The ideal candidate should have strong experience with multi-entity and cross-border businesses, along with hands-on knowledge of FEMA, FERA, transfer pricing, and international transactions. The candidate should also have experience working with institutional investors and leading or significantly contributing to fundraising activities.

The ideal candidate will have experience raising capital from top-tier Venture Capital, Private Equity, or institutional debt investors and should be capable of taking a growing, bootstrapped business through institutional fundraising while building the financial and governance framework required for future IPO readiness.

The CFO will be responsible for building a scalable finance function, strengthening financial controls and governance, managing cash and capital efficiently, and providing the founders with financial insights required to make strategic business decisions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Finance Strategy & Business Partnership

• Own the overall financial strategy and partner closely with the founders on business growth and long-term financial planning.
• Build and manage annual budgets, financial forecasts, business plans, and scenario models.
• Provide the founders and leadership team with clear financial insights to support strategic and operational decisions.
• Develop financial KPIs and dashboards covering revenue, profitability, cash flow, working capital, unit economics, and overall business performance.
• Evaluate new business opportunities, investments, acquisitions, expansion plans, and major financial commitments.
• Establish financial discipline and accountability across the organisation.

2. Fundraising, Capital Strategy & Investor Relations

• Own the fundraising strategy across equity, venture capital, private equity, and institutional debt.
• Lead fundraising processes from preparation through due diligence, negotiations, term sheets, documentation, and closing.
• Build and maintain relationships with top-tier VC funds, PE firms, institutional investors, and debt financing institutions.
• Prepare investor-ready financial models, business plans, MIS, information memorandums, and due diligence materials.
• Lead financial due diligence and coordinate with legal, tax, accounting, and other professional advisors during fundraising.
• Evaluate capital structure, dilution, valuation, debt versus equity financing, and overall cost of capital.
• Establish robust investor reporting and governance processes post-fundraise.
• Prepare the organisation for progressively larger institutional funding rounds.

3. IPO Readiness & Financial Governance

• Build the financial systems, controls, processes, and governance required to transition from a founder-led/bootstrapped business to an institutionally funded organisation.
• Develop a long-term roadmap towards IPO readiness, including financial reporting, internal controls, governance, compliance, audit readiness, and management reporting.
• Work with auditors, legal advisors, investment bankers, merchant bankers, and other advisors as required for future capital markets activities.
• Ensure the organisation maintains appropriate standards of financial governance as it scales.
• Establish processes that provide transparency, accuracy, and auditability of financial information.
• Identify financial and governance gaps early and build systems to address them.

4. Multi-Entity & Cross-Border Finance

• Own the financial management of a multi-entity structure across India and Australia.
• Oversee consolidation, intercompany accounting, multi-currency reporting, and cross-border financial transactions.
• Ensure appropriate structuring and documentation of transactions between group entities.
• Oversee FEMA and FERA compliance for cross-border transactions, investments, remittances, and related-party arrangements.
• Manage transfer pricing policies and ensure appropriate arm's-length documentation for intercompany transactions.
• Oversee foreign exchange exposure, currency risk, and cross-border treasury management.
• Work with external tax and legal advisors on international structuring and regulatory matters.

5. Financial Reporting & Management Information

• Oversee accurate and timely monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting.
• Establish strong management reporting systems for the founders and leadership team.
• Oversee consolidated financial statements across group entities.
• Ensure compliance with applicable Indian and Australian accounting standards.
• Establish appropriate financial controls and reporting processes as the organisation scales.
• Translate financial data into clear business insights rather than limiting reporting to accounting outputs.

6. Treasury, Cash Flow & Working Capital

• Own the company's cash flow and treasury strategy.
• Maintain strong visibility on cash position, burn rate, runway, working capital, and capital requirements.
• Develop short-term and long-term cash flow forecasts.
• Optimise working capital and ensure efficient management of receivables and payables.
• Manage banking relationships and negotiate banking facilities, credit lines, and other financial arrangements.
• Establish appropriate controls around cash, payments, investments, and financial commitments.

7. Tax, Compliance & Regulatory Oversight

• Oversee corporate tax, GST, TDS, ROC, and other applicable statutory requirements in India.
• Oversee Australian tax and regulatory requirements, including GST, BAS, FBT, and corporate tax obligations.
• Ensure appropriate compliance with corporate, financial, tax, and regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.
• Manage relationships with statutory auditors, tax advisors, legal counsel, company secretaries, and other external advisors.
• Ensure timely completion of statutory, internal, tax, and financial audits.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and governance for related-party and cross-border transactions.

8. Risk Management & Internal Controls

• Establish and strengthen internal financial controls as the company scales.
• Identify financial, operational, regulatory, liquidity, and business risks.
• Develop appropriate risk mitigation frameworks and financial controls.
• Establish approval matrices, delegation of authority, financial policies, and control mechanisms.
• Ensure financial processes are scalable and capable of supporting rapid business growth.

9. Finance Team & Function Building

• Build and lead a high-performing finance organisation aligned with the company's growth plans.
• Define the finance team's structure, responsibilities, processes, and performance expectations.
• Develop finance systems, automation, and reporting infrastructure to reduce manual dependency.
• Mentor and develop finance leadership and team members.
• Build a finance function that can scale with the company rather than simply support its current size.

Key Requirements & Qualifications

Education

• Qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) or equivalent finance qualification.
• MBA Finance / CFA / CPA would be an advantage.

Experience

• 15+ years of relevant experience, with significant experience in senior finance leadership roles such as CFO, VP Finance, Finance Director, or equivalent.

Fundraising Experience

• Proven experience leading or significantly contributing to institutional fundraising from top-tier VC, PE, or institutional debt investors.

Cross-Border Finance

• Strong experience managing multi-entity and cross-border transactions, preferably across India and international jurisdictions.

FEMA / FERA

• Strong hands-on understanding of FEMA, FERA, cross-border remittances, foreign investment, and related regulatory requirements.

Capital Markets

• Experience building financial governance and reporting frameworks with a clear understanding of IPO readiness and capital markets requirements.

Financial Strategy

• Strong expertise in financial modelling, forecasting, budgeting, cash flow management, valuation, capital structure, and strategic finance.

Investor Management

• Experience working directly with institutional investors, investment bankers, lenders, auditors, and professional advisors.

Multi-Entity Accounting

• Experience with consolidation, intercompany transactions, transfer pricing, multi-currency accounting, and international reporting.

Industry

• Experience in SaaS, technology, IT services, or high-growth businesses preferred.

Leadership

• Proven ability to build and lead finance teams and establish finance functions from the ground up.

Business Acumen

• Strong commercial understanding with the ability to connect financial performance with business strategy and growth.

What We Are Looking For

The right person for this role should be more than a strong accountant.

We are looking for a finance leader and strategic business partner who can:

• Build the financial foundation for a high-growth technology company.
• Bring institutional discipline to a bootstrapped organisation.
• Navigate complex FEMA, FERA, transfer pricing, and cross-border transactions.
• Lead conversations with sophisticated investors and financial institutions.
• Build a finance function capable of supporting significant scale.
• Help the founders make better decisions around growth, profitability, capital, valuation, and risk.
• Take the organisation from bootstrapped → institutionally funded → IPO-ready.

Preferred Background

Candidates who have worked in high-growth technology or SaaS businesses and have experience with one or more of the following will be strongly considered:

• CFO / Finance Director / VP Finance roles in a high-growth company.
• Leading institutional fundraising from recognised VC or PE funds.
• Raising institutional debt or structured financing.
• Managing complex India and international entity structures.
• Taking a company through multiple stages of institutionalisation.
• Building finance and governance functions ahead of a potential IPO.
• Working closely with founders and boards on capital allocation and business strategy.
• Experience with a company that has scaled significantly in revenue, employees, or valuation.