Lead Financial Analyst (Accounts Payable / Recovery Audit)
Accounting & Finance, IT
Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
- Lead end-to-end Accounts Payable audit/recovery audit engagements, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and quality of deliverables.
- Review vendor master data, invoices, payment records, and contracts to identify overpayments, duplicate payments, and recovery opportunities.
- Ensure adherence to client-specific SOPs, audit methodologies, and internal quality benchmarks.
- Drive process improvements and automation opportunities within the AP audit workflow.
- Manage, mentor, and develop a team of financial analysts, ensuring balanced workload distribution and productivity.
- Own the end-to-end performance management cycle for the team – goal-setting, periodic reviews, and annual appraisals.
- Identify skill gaps and coordinate training / upskilling initiatives to strengthen team capability.
- Foster a collaborative, high-accountability team culture and support career development conversations.
- Serve as a primary point of contact for senior client stakeholders.
- Conduct regular status calls, present findings, and manage client expectations across different time zones.
- Build long-term, trust-based relationships with client finance and procurement teams.
- Prepare and present recovery audit findings, dashboards, and reports to client leadership.
- Act as a coordination point between the Mangalore centre and the central HR/Admin teams on day-to-day office matters.
- Coordinate with vendors (facilities, IT, housekeeping, transport, etc.) to ensure smooth office operations.
- Support local employee engagement, onboarding logistics, and general office administration as needed.
- Escalate and follow up on facility or vendor-related issues to ensure timely resolution.
- Prior experience in Accounts Payable, preferably within a large multinational corporation (MNC) or a shared services / GBS environment.
- Prior experience in Recovery audit is an additional advantage.
- Demonstrated experience leading a team, including direct ownership of performance management and the appraisal process.
- Proven track record of managing senior client-side stakeholders, particularly from the USA, Canada, Europe, or other international geographies.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills; comfortable presenting to and corresponding with senior client leadership.
- Willingness to take on light office/centre coordination responsibilities alongside core finance duties, working with HR, Admin, and external vendors.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail.
- Proficiency in MS Excel; familiarity with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, Coupa, or similar) is an advantage.
- Flexibility to work in shifts aligned with US / Canada / Europe time zones, as required.
- Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Finance, Accounting, or a related field (B.Com / BBA / BBM).
- MCom/ MBA / PGDM in Finance is preferred.
- A professional certification (e.g., CA-Inter, CMA, CPA) is an additional advantage.
- Opportunity to lead a high-visibility function combining finance delivery, people leadership, and client management.
- Exposure to global clients across retail and non-retail sectors.
- Collaborative work culture with clear growth pathways into senior finance leadership roles.