Job Description
Job Title: Assistant Manager - Finance
Location: Lalru (Chandigarh, Punjab)
Reports to: Manufacturing Controller – Operations Finance
About Danone Group:
Mission: Bringing Health through Food to as Many people as Possible
Danone is a global leader in food and beverages, focusing on Essential Dairy and Plant-based products, Waters, and Specialized Nutrition. Our mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible by creating nutritious products, raising awareness about healthy eating and drinking habits, and conducting our business sustainably.
Danone’s dual focus on commercial performance and societal responsibility, combined with an ongoing commitment to innovation and the strengthening of its health-oriented brands, has resulted in strong performance worldwide. With nearly 90,000 employees and products sold in over 120 markets, Danone has generated more than €27 billion in sales annually.
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About Danone India:
India is among the countries in the Asia Pacific zone wherein Danone has its presence. Danone operates in India as Nutricia International Pvt. Ltd, focusing on nutrition with a range of products catering to pregnant mothers, infants, young children as well as adults. These products are manufactured in India and sold nationally under recognized brands such as Aptamil, Dexolac, Nusobee, and Protinex. Danone employs over 1,000 individuals across India and generates a turnover exceeding €150 million. The company's head office is in Mumbai, Maharashtra, with a manufacturing facility situated in Lalru, Punjab.
More information can be found at
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- Roles and Responsibilities:
Lead end-to-end CAPEX financial controlling for India CBU and Lalru manufacturing site. Partner with Operations, Engineering, Projects, C&P, Tax, Legal and business functions to shape investment choices, maintain reliable forecasts and cash phasing, strengthen investment governance, and maximize return from assets throughout the project lifecycle.
- Own the CAPEX cycle covering strategic plan, Pre-AOP/AOP, rolling forecasts, monthly actuals, commitments, cash-out phasing and depreciation visibility for Lalru and CBU projects.
- Coordinate functional CAPEX submissions; challenge assumptions, scope, timing, resource requirements and affordability. Consolidate a single CBU view aligned with approved guidance.
- Lead financial review of e-CAR/CAR and supplementary requests, including business case, NPV/IRR/payback logic, risks and opportunities, cash flow, accounting treatment and availability of approved budget before commitment.
- Prepare C-Flow submissions, maintain project IDs and pipeline hygiene, prevent duplicate or obsolete lines, and reconcile portal data with approved e-CARs, forecasts, actuals and management reporting.
- Monitor project spend from approval to closure through PR/PO commitments, GRNs, invoices, provisions, cash-out and uncommitted balance; highlight deviations early and drive corrective actions with project owners.
- Lead monthly and quarterly CAPEX reviews and provide concise decision support for Operations reviews, QBRs and regional/global stakeholders, including bridges, risks, opportunities, project status and forward outlook.
- Provide finance validation for CAPEX contracts and CCS/CCR packages, focusing on approved scope/value, payment milestones, advances and bank guarantees, retention/PBG, taxes, liquidity impact, change orders and financial risk exposure.
- Partner with C&P to improve payment terms and working-capital outcomes; support resolution of blocked or critical payments only where escalation is required, while maintaining clear process ownership.
- Ensure timely asset capitalization and place-in-service, validate readiness for intended use, monitor open commitments before IO closure, and govern supplementary expenditure after capitalization.
- Maintain fixed-asset governance through asset register reconciliation, physical verification support, idle/under-utilized asset analysis, transfers, impairment and write-off/disposal validation, including book-value and approval checks.
- Ensure compliance with Danone CAPEX policy, accounting rules, delegation of authority, internal controls and audit requirements; maintain complete and traceable documentation for every investment decision.
- Act as the CAPEX finance point of contact for the CBU and site, build financial capability of project teams, standardize tools and trackers, and continuously improve data quality, reporting speed and decision effectiveness.
Key Deliverables / Success Measures
- Accurate and on-time AOP/RF/actuals/C-Flow submissions with transparent cash phasing, commitments and depreciation outlook.
- High-quality e-CAR/CAR business cases and timely approvals, supported by robust financial challenges and documented assumptions.
- No unapproved financial commitments; early visibility and action on overspend, unbudgeted requests, delays and cash risks.
- Timely capitalization and closure of completed projects, with clean fixed-asset records and controlled write-offs/disposals.
- Clear management reporting on CAPEX landing, project returns, risks and opportunities, and allocation choices.
- Strong audit readiness, policy compliance and stakeholder service, with disciplined follow-through on agreed actions.
Key Stakeholder interactions
- Operations Finance
- Factory Director and site leadership
- Engineering and Projects;
- C&P;
- Accounting/DBS;
- Tax and Legal;
- Functional budget owners;
- India Finance leadership;
- Regional/Zone CAPEX and Operations Finance teams;
- External advisors and auditors, where relevant.
Candidate Profile and Attributes
- Education: Chartered Accountant / Cost & Management Accountant / MBA Finance or equivalent professional finance qualification. Engineering plus MBA Finance may be considered for candidates with strong project-finance experience.
- Experience: 5-8 years of finance or controlling experience, including at least 3 years in CAPEX, project finance, manufacturing finance, fixed assets or investment controlling.
- Domain experience: Hands-on experience in business cases, budgeting and forecasting, cash-flow phasing, project cost control, capitalization, fixed assets, contract/commercial review and internal controls.
- Industry preference: FMCG, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, consumer goods or other asset-intensive manufacturing environments preferred.
- Systems and analytics: Advanced Excel and PowerPoint; working knowledge of SAP, Power BI and CAPEX workflow/reporting tools. Experience with C-Flow or equivalent investment-management tools is advantageous.
- Core capabilities: Strong financial analysis, business partnering, project management, resource allocation, strategic planning, accounting judgement, process governance and risk-based decision support.
- Behavioral attributes: High ownership and integrity; detail orientation without losing business perspective; ability to challenge constructively, influence cross-functional stakeholders, manage competing deadlines and communicate complex financial matters concisely.
- Mobility: Role is based at Lalru Factory and requires regular engagement with site and project teams, with travel to the Mumbai corporate office or other locations as business needs require.