Group Chief Financial Officer — Commercial-Vehicle Platform

The mandate

A Chennai commercial-vehicle platform is moving towards central compute, connected services and remotely updateable features. Its financial system still treats software largely as engineering cost within a vehicle programme. Development is shared across models, supplier licences persist after launch, future service revenue is uncertain and cyber support continues beyond conventional warranty. Major architecture and sourcing commitments await approval.

The incoming CFO will steward an annual platform and capital perimeter of approximately ₹6,900 crore and finance operations influencing 1,375 employees and material partners. Scope includes planning, control, product and programme finance, capital allocation, supplier and software economics, revenue policy, warranty provisions, tax and board reporting. Engineering owns architecture; commercial leaders own customer propositions. The CFO makes the lifecycle economics and financial obligations explicit.

Software-defined vehicles change timing as well as value. Development may precede launch by years, features can be enabled later and supplier fees may vary by fleet use. Revenue recognition, development treatment and provisions must follow actual contracts and applicable standards, not the desired investment story. The CFO will build decision views that reconcile to accounts without forcing every capability into a speculative recurring-revenue narrative.

Commercial customers evaluate uptime and total cost. A software feature that improves fleet utilisation may justify value-based pricing, while an update obligation can create long-tail cost and liability. Investment cases must include connectivity, support, data, cyber, rollback and end-of-life requirements across the installed base.

Liquidity and currency exposures also change with the supplier model. Upfront tool and development payments may be denominated differently from vehicle revenue, while cloud and licence commitments behave like long leases even when contracts use service language. The CFO will make cash timing, foreign-exchange sensitivity, termination and supplier-financing consequences visible at architecture approval, and will ensure treasury capacity supports the downside scenario rather than only the approved launch volume.

Why this seat is open

The incumbent will leave on an accelerated timetable for personal reasons. An experienced controller protects close and statutory activity but cannot own portfolio economics and capital choices. The board is pursuing an urgent successor on a six-to-eight-week timetable. The transition is unrelated to an accounting finding, undisclosed recall or conduct concern.

What you will own

• Create vehicle and software lifecycle economics across development, hardware, licences, connectivity, support and retirement.
• Establish financial treatment and controls for shared code, updates, feature activation and service revenue.
• Advise architecture and sourcing decisions through capital, cash, margin, warranty and dependency scenarios.
• Rebuild programme forecasts around software maturity and fleet adoption rather than launch dates alone.
• Govern cyber, update and data obligations in provisions and investment gates.
• Strengthen cost and performance evidence across suppliers, models and installed fleets.
• Protect statutory close, tax and control while transforming management finance.
• Build successors across product finance, controllership, treasury and commercial finance.

The first 12 months

In the first 45 days, the CFO will validate close coverage, software commitments and the financial assumptions in pending architecture decisions. By day 90, the audit committee will receive a reconciled lifecycle model, risk-ranked obligations and decisions that should proceed, pause or be conditionally funded.

By month eight, the model should govern two active vehicle programmes and at least one connected-service proposition. Supplier and internal development costs will be traceable to products and obligations, and finance will test actual feature adoption against the business case. Leadership gaps will be filled.

At year-end, 85% of software-defined programme cost should align to accountable products and lifecycle owners, forecast variance should be within 7% and unsupported benefit claims removed. Warranty and cyber provisions should pass independent review, while at least ₹275 crore of capital or committed spend is redirected from weak assumptions.

What the board will measure

• Accounts and lifecycle economics that reconcile and inform real architecture choices.
• Capital redirected before sunk cost eliminates options.
• Transparent treatment of software revenue, supplier and installed-base obligations.
• Forecast and provision quality under changing product maturity.
• Finance leadership and succession across programme and control roles.

The person

You are a Group CFO, automotive divisional CFO or senior product-finance leader who has governed software-rich vehicles, industrial products or connected platforms. You understand development accounting, warranty and recurring services without treating finance as the architect. The committee seeks evidence that your analysis changed product or sourcing decisions.

You bring 22–28 years of experience and have controlled at least ₹3,950 crore while leading finance for an organisation of 950 employees or more. You should be able to discuss a software benefit you rejected, a provision you increased and a programme you resized after lifecycle costs emerged.

The role is onsite in Chennai with regular plant, supplier and engineering engagement.

Compensation and terms

Fixed compensation is ₹3.2–4.6 crore plus performance variable and long-term incentives. Outcomes include financial integrity, capital choices, forecast, lifecycle obligations and successor depth. Reported software value without adoption will not qualify. Final terms reflect current mix and scope and carry standard vesting and malus protections.

Confidentiality

The vehicle programmes, architecture, suppliers and installed-base assumptions are confidential. Further detail follows qualification and an undertaking. The Chennai location and rounded financial perimeter must not be used to infer the manufacturer.