General Manager - Financial Planning and Analysis

Job Overview

This role drives the monitoring and reporting of critical business metrics, facilitating improved decision-making through real-time management information systems and financial analysis, including competitive market evaluation.

Industry Context and Business Strategy

The Indian retail sector, valued at USD 517 billion in 2014, is projected to grow annually by 12.1%, reaching USD 916 billion by 2019. Clothing and fashion constitute the largest segment in organized retail, with value retailers expanding faster than traditional brands. The acquisition of Pantaloons Fashion and Retail Limited marked a strategic entry into the value and casual apparel market, broadening product categories to include women's and children's fashion. The merger forming Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited positioned the company as India's largest listed apparel firm.

Pantaloons occupies a middle ground between value retailers and premium department stores, focusing on scaling up with enhanced fashion credentials and internal brands to accelerate growth. The business aims to more than double revenues to Rs 5500 crores and triple EBITDA by the end of 2020, leveraging a store network expansion and emphasis on internal manufacturing capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with business operations and stakeholders to ensure timely, complete, and accurate reporting.
• Manage data collection and validation processes with various functions.
• Proactively construct business scenarios addressing complex, dynamic environments.
• Stay informed on competition and industry best practices related to key performance indicators.

Deliverables and Accountabilities

• Oversee the preparation and delivery of annual business plans and rolling forecasts, integrating inputs from all functions and validating source data and outputs for senior leadership.
• Deliver monthly financial statements and management reports, critically analyzing balance sheets, cash flow, and working capital.
• Produce quarterly and annual financial presentations for boards and investors, including comparative analysis with industry and competitors.
• Provide extensive support to operations and zonal teams with performance tracking reports, analyzing revenue, cost trends, and profitability metrics at store and zone levels.
• Conduct detailed analysis of business drivers such as gross margin, EBITDA, sales execution, and space utilization, developing action plans to address negative variances and monitoring progress.
• Analyze competitive decks and provide timely insights to management.
• Lead people management efforts including training needs assessment, talent development, performance feedback, and maintaining employee engagement.