About the role

Financial Controller at Hunger Inc.

THE ROLE

Hunger Inc. operates one of India’s most complex food businesses under a single roof. Bombay Sweet Shop spans manufacturing, retail cafes, dark stores, B2B gifting, HORECA, brand partnerships, D2C e-commerce, and airport retail. The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro, Papa’s, and Veronica’s each run as full-service restaurant operations with their own unit economics. Every one of these businesses recognises revenue differently, carries inventory differently, and converts cash on a different cycle.

As part of the Hunger Inc. family—home to The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro, Veronica’s, and Papa’s—Bombay Sweet Shop is where tradition meets innovation. We are hiring a Financial Controller to own the books of this entire consolidated entity. This is not a compliance-only role. This is the backbone of the finance function — every decision made by the business depends on the numbers this person produces being accurate, timely, and complete.

This role exists to answer the following questions, every month:

Are the books closed, accurate, and audit-ready within 5 working days of the month-end?
Is every rupee of revenue recognised correctly across six different business models?
Do we know our exact cash position, receivables, and liabilities across every channel and entity — and can we forecast them?

WHO YOU ARE

This role is for someone who has managed the books of a business with genuine operational complexity — not just scale in a single format:

You have run accounting for a multi-format or multi-entity business: some combination of manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, B2B, and/or food service.
You have established or overhauled accounting policies (revenue recognition, provisioning, capitalisation) — not just followed inherited ones.
You have managed a monthly close process end-to-end and brought close timelines down.
You have led a team of 8+ people in an accounts or controllership function.
You have coordinated statutory audits and dealt with auditor queries without depending on your CFO to resolve them.
You see manual data entry as a problem to be solved, not a cost of doing business.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Automate the accounts function
- Audit every manual data-entry process currently performed by the team: invoice capture, bank reconciliation, aggregator settlement matching, GST return preparation, vendor ledger updates.
- Identify which processes can be replaced or substantially reduced through AI tools and automation — prioritise by volume and error rate.
- Build the business case for automation investments and lead implementation.
- Transition the team’s operating model over time: from data entry to exception review, discrepancy resolution, and decision-making.
- Target end state: all routine data inputs handled through AI tools, with the team focused on review, judgement calls, and controls.
Design and enforce internal controls
- Build authorisation matrices for payments, procurement, and write-offs — tiered by value and category.
- Establish segregation of duties across the accounts team and between accounts and operations.
- Design cash handling and deposit controls for high-volume retail and restaurant locations.
- Build and run a periodic internal audit calendar covering all locations.
- Establish fraud detection mechanisms, particularly for cash-heavy and inventory-heavy operations.
- Maintain a risk register and escalation protocol for control failures.
- Build the foundations of scale as the company prepares for its growth from a one city operation with 700 employees to a pan-India operation with thousands of employees.
Own the books and close them on time
- Close monthly books of accounts within 5 working days of month-end, across all verticals and entities.
- Establish and maintain revenue recognition policies for each channel: point-of-sale (cafes, restaurants), delivery confirmation (dark stores, D2C), contract terms (B2B, HORECA), and net-of-commission vs gross recognition (aggregator platforms).
- Define provisioning policies (doubtful debts, slow-moving inventory, warranty/returns) and capitalisation policies (kitchen equipment, leasehold improvements, brand buildout costs).
- Own the chart of accounts and cost centre structure; ensure every transaction is coded correctly for management and statutory reporting.
Own financial reporting accuracy
- Review and sign off on monthly management accounts before they reach the Director of Finance. Target: 100% accuracy — no restatements, no post-close corrections becoming routine.
- Prepare consolidated financial statements: P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement across all verticals.
- Manage intercompany accounting and eliminations where verticals operate as separate entities or profit centres.
- Prepare the financial data pack for board reporting and investor updates.
Own statutory reporting and compliance
- Prepare annual financial statements.
- Coordinate the statutory audit end-to-end: audit planning, schedules preparation, auditor query resolution, and timely sign-off.
- Own GST compliance across multiple states as BSS expands geographically — registration, monthly returns, reconciliations, and input credit optimisation.
- Manage TDS, advance tax, professional tax.
- Ensure the company is audit-ready at all times, not just during audit season.
Manage working capital
- Build and maintain a weekly consolidated cash position across all business lines.
- Manage payment cycles to vendors and ensure the company optimises its payables without straining supplier relationships.
- Manage banking relationships: account structures, signatory matrices, facility utilisation, and renewals.
Oversee inventory accounting
- Establish inventory valuation.
- Define and enforce write-off policies for expired, near-expiry, and damaged stock.
- Reconcile physical inventory counts (conducted by the Cost Control function) with book inventory; investigate and close variances.
- Ensure inventory provisions are current and reflect actual risk of obsolescence.
Build and lead the accounts team
- Manage a team of 10+ accounts executives and managers across transaction processing, reporting, and compliance.
- Structure the team so that transaction processing and review/analysis are clearly separated.
- Hire, train, and build bench strength — particularly in areas where the company is adding complexity (new states, new channels, new entities).
- Establish clear SLAs for the team: invoice processing time, reconciliation completion, query response times.

WHO YOU WILL REPORT TO

You will report to the Director of Finance.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Qualified Chartered Accountant with 10 –15 years of post-qualification experience.
At least 3–4 years in a controllership or head-of-accounts role, not just audit or advisory.
Experience in a multi-format business: some combination of manufacturing, FMCG, retail, e-commerce, food service, or hospitality.
Demonstrated ownership of a monthly close process — ideally with evidence of having shortened close timelines.
Hands-on experience with statutory audits, compliance, and multi-state GST.
Experience managing a team of 8+ in an accounts function.
Strong ERP orientation — experience with accounting configuration, not just transaction entry.
Familiarity with and strong interest in AI-based automation of accounting processes (invoice OCR, automated reconciliation, intelligent data extraction).
Ability to hold operations and business teams accountable for data quality and compliance without creating friction.

WHAT YOU’LL GET

Career Growth: Be part of one of India’s most ambitious food companies, operating across categories and channels that most businesses never attempt under one roof. This is a role where you build the financial backbone for sharply growing entity.
Impactful Role: Every number the business relies on — for decisions, for investors, for compliance — flows through you. This is not a back-office function. It is the infrastructure that makes everything else possible.
Supportive Team: Work alongside a finance leadership team that values precision, clear thinking, and building systems that last.
Competitive Compensation: A package that reflects the complexity and seniority of the role.

If you’re ready to own the numbers for a business that blends heritage with ambition — and bring rigour, accuracy, and a forward-looking mindset to one of India’s most complex food companies — we’d love to hear from you.

Google Software Developer