Commercial Accounting Lead – India & Distributor Markets

Role Location

 Mumbai, India

Overview

•        As the Commercial Accounting Lead for India & Distributor Markets at General Mills, you will partner with the India and Global Emerging Markets (GEMS) Sales & Marketing functions and the commercial Finance organizations to maintain accurate financial statements in compliance with US GAAP and local accounting requirements. In this role, you will be accountable for providing accounting and controls technical guidance and solutions, evaluating business finance transactions against changing accounting and regulatory rules, supporting our financial reporting processes, as well as driving process improvements. You will also have the opportunity to support a variety of strategic projects.

•        Key success factors include the ability to lead a team through an evolving global operating model, high situational agility, ability to partner for impact with multiple business partners, high technical accounting and financial acumen, and a commitment to governance and process excellence.

•        You will be part of the Global Accounting Organization (GAO) reporting to the Asia Financial Controller and will oversee a team of accounting professionals located in both India and distributor markets in the region.

Key Accountabilities

Business Partnership

•        Provide accounting expertise and business partnership across the India Business Unit and the Asia based GEMS business teams primarily in Order-to-Cash: Revenue, Trade, Consumer and related processes (3 markets)

•        Collaborate with other GMI functions to improve the processes that interact with accounting; increase results through strong relationships.   

•        Collaborate across functions and communicate with leadership to drive the accuracy of financial results, functional excellence, and development of accounting and controls capabilities throughout the organization.

•        Build functional excellence in accounting capability, across the order-to-cash space and ensure balance between GAO strategy and business needs.  

•        Partner to provide technical accounting support to other functions based on agreed project plans.  Examples include business model changes, E-commerce, etc.

Accounting Functional Excellence

•        Follow and comply with company policy, US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) and current financial legislation for financial statements.

•        Follow and comply with Local statutory requirements.

•        Own the quality and timely completion of statutory audit and filings for the 1 jurisdiction of India.

•        Collaborate with FP&A to ensure accuracy of management reporting

•        Monitor and review results completed by outsourced partner and centers of excellence to ensure process accurately meets accounting needs.

•        Maintain and oversee relevant accounting procedures, controls, and processes.

•        Develop sustainable solutions for all identified control gaps and ensure they are implemented in a manner consistent with global standard process. 

•        Ensure an accurate and timely monthly, quarterly and year-end close, and ensure the timely reporting of all monthly financial information.  This includes managing issues escalated from shared services.

•        Review and approve transactions as defined by operational accounting policy or governance requirements

Organizational leadership

•        Lead and develop team of ~5 professional staff members.

•        Proactively identify where work can be automated, standardized, and centralized to further streamline processes and strengthen financial controls. 

•        Foster a culture of continuous improvement and functional excellence, influence the global standards as part of the global commercial accounting Community of Practice.

•        Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

•        Certified Public Accountant’s degree of any jurisdiction with Accounting Standard expertise

•        Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance

•        10+ years’ experience in Management & Accounting, including 5+ years in a supervisory role.

•        Experience managing distributor markets or multi-country operations.

•        Results oriented, proactive, agile

•        Ability to develop and coach technical talent

•        Process and process improvement driven mindset

•        Well organized and agile to manage and prioritize changing workload

•        Ability to build trusting relationships

•        Ability to work with and influence different stakeholders

•        English proficiency required

Preferred Qualifications

•        Master’s degree in Accounting/Finance

•        Big four public accounting firm experience

•        Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP) and financial consolidation tools

•        Demonstrated leadership skills with proven expertise supervising management and professional level staff