Financial Reporting & Accounting Head India

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for respective financial reporting and accounting activities while working collaboratively between function leaders as primary point of contact for all FRA matters to apply IFRS principles in preparation and analysis of financial statements, ensure effectiveness of controls and high quality of reporting, execute month end closing processes, advise on technical accounting matters and liaise with internal and external auditors. Responsible for various financial services, projects, and may need to design, modify, install, and/or maintain accounting systems to ensure an adequate recognition of financial transactions
• Statutory reporting as per SEBI Listing Obligations and Disclosure requirements (LODR) regulations. Manage statutory audit, ICFR and other regulatory requirements for all India legal entities as per statutory timelines
• Manage and support Indirect tax and Withholding tax compliances, review of Tax demands, confirm tax positions, regular review of Tax exposure and evaluation of provisions and participate in Tax investigations/hearings with Tax officials as required
• Leadership and Management. Set clear objectives for the Country Financial Reporting and Accounting in line with Global FRA’s vision
• Manage ESG reporting for India entities including monthly Closing and Quarter Certification with variances analyzed and documented in compliance with the LSI, review of closing deck and reporting package and discuss with CFOs, SMEs, Co-ordinating the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) for the listed entity- Novartis India Limited . Coordinates with country stakeholders to ensure integration, efficiency/effectiveness of the service delivery. Primary point of contact for FRA matters including delivery of service levels and key performance indicators (KPI’s) as defined by FRA process.
• Owns and drives future productivity improvements to achieve efficiency (cost reduction) and effectiveness targets year over year . Review month end close activities including the analysis and validation of financial   statements, month close meetings with key stakeholders to review financial performance and balance sheet details, FCRS sign offs on a monthly basis
• Drive conclusions on complex accounting issues, implementation of reporting projects and/or policies, and continuous process improvement throughout the accounting and reporting cycle.Ensures adherence to the Novartis Financial Control Manual (FCM) and coordination of remediation activities as identified through internal or external reviews. Ensure SOX 302 sign off process in alignment with CFOs and CEOs
• Review all aspects of Employee Benefit accounting ensuring accuracy and completeness of provisions and reported numbers. Support Corporate Tax and Transfer pricing requirements. Provides Accounting Services to all Divisions. Ensures that Reporting data are compliant to Novartis standards and country statutory requirements. Liaise with Technical Accounting for complex accounting to confirm booking or seeking advice
•  Ensure Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for FRA are clearly defined, measured regularly and achieved and when not achieved, root-cause analysis performed and corrective action plans executed. Collaborates within FRA to gain best practices insights to measure and improve operations and leverage project efforts. Sponsor/enable value add, productivity & innovative FRA solutions to support business competitive advantage
• Support implementation of systems & processes. Provide financial support to CCFO and CFOs of legal entities to meet corporate governance duties Compliance. Ensure financial compliance/SOX 404 attestation by building/maintaining an appropriate control framework

Essential Requirements:

• Chartered Accountant with 18-20 years of experience
• Good understanding of IFRS/Ind AS accounting standards and regulatory compliances
• Analytical mindset and ability to understand situations, interdependencies, and challenges in a holistic way