Finance Director - Hyderabad

MUTUAL NDA · Biological E. Limited (BE), founded in 1953, is India's first private-sector biological products company and the first pharmaceutical company in South India. Originally incorporated as Biological Products Private Limited, BE develops, manufactures, and supplies vacc ...

Job description

MUTUAL NDA

Biological E. Limited (BE), founded in 1953, is India's first private-sector biological products company and the first pharmaceutical company in South India. Originally incorporated as Biological Products Private Limited, BE develops, manufactures, and supplies vaccines and therapeutics.

BE's portfolio includes 12 World Health Organization (WHO)-approved vaccines and 11 USFDA-approved generic injectables. The company has the capability to develop and manufacture vaccines across all major technology platforms, including microbial/bacterial fermentation, recombinant vaccines, and viral vaccines. BE supplies essential and life-saving vaccines and pharmaceuticals to UN agencies such as UNICEF and PAHO, global markets, and within India to the National Immunization Programme, State Governments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), the Indian Armed Forces, and the domestic retail market.

For over five decades, BE has played a pivotal role in supporting public health programmes in India. BE is the leading global supplier of Pentavalent vaccine and the largest producer of Tetanus vaccine worldwide. In India, it is the top producer of snake anti-venom and a prominent supplier of essential injectables, such as anti-coagulants. Additionally, BE offers trusted remedies for cough, cold, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory issues, and critical care products.

In recent years, BE has undertaken strategic initiatives for organizational expansion, including developing generic injectable products for regulated markets, exploring synthetic biology and metabolic engineering for sustainable API manufacturing, and creating novel vaccines for global markets.

BE exports vaccines to over 140 countries, partnering with organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The company has delivered several million doses of LPV to children worldwide and distributed over two billion doses of vaccines to public and private markets globally. BE maintains a presence across nearly all continents.

BE's workforce of over 6,000 dedicated employees, including renowned scientists, attracts talent from around the world. The company operates three state-of-the-art facilities for development, scale-up, and commercial manufacturing in Hyderabad, India. These facilities are certified by the USFDA, WHO, and other regulatory bodies. BE collaborates with leading global organizations and government research institutes to create innovative vaccines and therapeutics, ensuring access to remote corners of the world and improving lives globally.

BE has received numerous awards and recognitions. Since 2014, it has been honoured with the Pharmexcil Award by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, for three consecutive years. In 2017, Fortune India's Next 500 included BE in its list. In 2022, BioSpectrum, a leading pharma journal, ranked BE 6th among the top 20 biotechnology companies in India.

Role Title: Finance Director – Domestic Business

Entity: BE Life Sciences Pvt Ltd (Domestic Business Platform)

Location: Hyderabad, India

Reports to: Group Chief Financial Officer, Biological E Limited

Dotted line: CEO – Domestic Business

Role Context: Biological E is evolving into a three-entity healthcare group:

• Biological E Limited – Vaccines and Holding Company
• BE BIOSOL Pvt Ltd – CDMO platform
• BE Life Sciences Pvt Ltd – Domestic formulations and branded generics platform

The domestic business is currently approximately INR 500+ crore in scale, with low single digit profitability and a largely field based organisation of approximately 1,100 colleagues. The ambition for the next three years is to build a focused, brand led India business that can grow to approximately INR 800 crore while improving profitability to 18 to 20 per cent. The Finance Director – Domestic Business will be the finance leader for BE Life Sciences Pvt Ltd, with responsibility for P&L stewardship, financial planning, controls and value creation in partnership with the Domestic Business CEO and the Group CFO.

Role Purpose and Mandate

• Act as the strategic finance partner to the Domestic Business CEO.
• Build a financial discipline that supports growth from INR 500 crore to approximately INR 800 crore with a clear path to 18 to 20 per cent profitability.
• Ensure strong financial planning, analysis and control for the domestic business, with a clear link between commercial choices and financial outcomes.
• Represent the domestic business in group level finance discussions and support future readiness for investor, lender and due diligence expectations.

Key Responsibilities

1. P&L Ownership and Financial Planning

• Own the integrity of the Domestic Business P&L, including revenue, gross margin, trade spends, operating costs and profitability.
• Lead the annual operating plan and periodic forecasting process for the domestic business, in close partnership with the CEO and functional leaders.
• Translate strategy and commercial plans into clear financial targets, budgets and performance dashboards.
• Monitor monthly performance against plan and drive corrective actions where required.

2. Commercial Finance and Profitability Improvement

• Partner with Sales, Marketing and Trade functions to evaluate:

• Portfolio and brand mix,

• Pricing decisions and discount structures,

• Trade schemes and promotions.

• Provide clear financial analysis on brand and customer profitability and support decisions to rationalise tail brands or unprofitable activities.

• Design and track financial metrics for field productivity and brand investments, ensuring resources are allocated to the most value accretive opportunities.

3. Controls, Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure robust financial controls are in place in the domestic business across:

• Revenue recognition,

• Trade schemes and incentives,
• Expense management,

• Inventory and receivables.

• Work with Group Finance to ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards, tax requirements and internal policies.

• Identify and manage key financial risks in the domestic business, including credit risk, trade practices, regulatory changes and pricing pressures.

4. Business Partnering and Decision Support

• Provide decision support to the Domestic Business CEO and leadership team on:

• New brand or line extensions,

• Territory or channel strategy,
• Major contracts and investments,

• Cost optimisation opportunities.

• Present clear, concise and fact-based analysis that links business actions to P and L and cash impact.

• Participate actively in domestic leadership reviews and represent the financial perspective in all key decisions.

5. Alignment with Group Finance and Future Readiness

• Ensure accurate and timely reporting from the domestic business into Group Finance, including monthly results, forecasts and key performance indicators.
• Coordinate with the Group CFO on policies, capital allocation, working capital management and any group wide initiatives that impact the domestic business.
• Maintain clean financial records, documentation and reporting that support potential future external reviews, lenders or investor level scrutiny.

6. Leadership and Team Development

• Lead and develop the finance team for the domestic business, setting clear expectations on quality, timeliness and business partnership.
• Build capabilities in commercial finance, analytics and business partnering within the team.
• Role model integrity, transparency and a performance-oriented mindset.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Education

• Chartered Accountant or equivalent professional qualification in finance and accounting.
• An MBA in Finance or related field from a reputed institution is an advantage.

Experience

• Typically, 12 to 18 years of experience in Finance, primarily in pharmaceuticals, healthcare or FMCG, with significant exposure to the India domestic market.
• Proven experience as a Finance Head, Finance Director or senior Commercial Finance leader for a business unit or company with material P and L responsibility.

• Strong track record in:

• Supporting profitable growth agendas,

• Improving margins and return on investment,
• Partnering with Sales and Marketing on pricing, trade spends and brand investments,

• Strengthening controls and compliance in a complex commercial environment.

• Prior experience in a promoter led or family-owned company environment is preferred.

Skills and Attributes

• Strong financial and analytical skills with the ability to connect numbers to business reality.
• High level of commercial acumen and comfort in field driven, branded generics businesses.
• Ability to challenge and support business leaders constructively.
• High integrity, discretion and judgement.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to present complex financial information in a simple form for decision making.