Varsity Education - Chief Financial Officer (10-15 yrs)

Designation: Chief Financial Officer

Location: Hyderabad

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a key executive responsible for overseeing the financial operations, planning, and strategy of the educational institution group. This role involves ensuring the financial sustainability and growth of the organization while maintaining compliance with educational sector regulations and fostering operational excellence. The CFO will provide leadership in financial planning, budget management, investment strategies, risk management, and financial reporting, aligning these efforts with the institution's mission to deliver quality education.

Key responsibilities:

1) Controllership:

- Ensure that the current operations with respect to finance are handled seamlessly and smoothly working with the current leadership team of Finance and Directors

- Review the existing Shared service structure and take steps to increase the efficiency

- Improve the books close process to close books every month by T+5

- Review the transactional processes of core functions like O2C and P2P and

2) FP&A / Business Finance:

- Ensure that appropriate Management Information Systems / reporting and Visibility is in place for all finance systems

- Review the current CFO dashboard and create an appropriate dashboard with all reporting parameters and metrics

- Create Data warehouse to get data from other systems and create required reports

- Support business in preparing required reports like Branch wise PL etc., and review with business teams

- Prepare AOP and track the same and review the actuals with Business to achieve the same

- Have PL reviews and cost reviews with stake holders, agree on action items and track them to closure

- Create a frame work for reviewing costs and ensuring they are in control and optimized

- Keep track of historical cost % and EBITDA %s and work with business towards maintaining the same PL performance and improving the same as planned

- Understand the financial health of the organization and build models for sustenance and growth.

- Measure current performance and growth with respect to parameters like EBITDA, Cash flows, CAGR etc.

3) Automation:

Work with Oracle financials IT team to ensure:

a) Required enhancements for Oracle Fusion implementation are done

b) Required support is provided to core Finance users in time

c) Being inducted and get the systems implemented from regulatory, statutory compliance perspective and for growth as well.

- Review other projects that are WIP and get them to close and bring in expected efficiencies in the process and reporting

- Understand the system controls and ensure required standards are maintained and required stake holders are trained to perform accordingly.

4) Strategy:

- Prepare short term and long terms business plans as required

- Ensure appropriate investor onboarding in 6 months to one year as necessary and as desired by the leadership

5) Legal & Compliance:

- Ensure statutory and regulatory compliance from all aspects (GST and other related parameters)

- Tax planning for both Direct and Indirect Taxes

- Track operational compliance at branches also and report periodically on the same

- Ensure Legal tracker / Litigation trackers are maintained and reviewed periodically

6) Team Management Within and Cross functional:

- Maintain the CFO organisation aligning with proposed organisational plans and structure ensuring there is required overlap / interaction between the teams to achieve desired outcomes

- Work with all related stakeholders on the new transformation initiative and ensure all required placeholders with respect to proper implementation from budgeting, forecasting, working capital, cash flows etc for new initiatives and growth along with growth in existing regions / geographies

7) Others:

- Work with Infinity Learn team and enable decision making from the financial health perspective, merger and acquisitions perspective and support CEO, directors with respect to investors onboarding

Qualifications and requirements:

1) Education:

- Bachelors degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field.

- MBA or CPA preferred.

2) Experience:

- Minimum of 10-15 years of financial leadership experience, preferably within the educational sector.

- Proven track record of strategic financial planning, budget management, and risk mitigation.

3) Skills:

- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.

- Proficiency in financial software and ERP systems.