Senior Manager, Finance

Teach For India is on a journey to reach an India free of poverty and filled with love by ending educational inequity in our country. Fifteen years into our journey we are a movement of ~5000+ Alumni working at all levels of the education system, who are reaching 1 in 10 children across the country. These Alumni have graduated from our two-year Fellowship Program where they taught in under-resourced classrooms to put ~33,500 low-income children on a different life path. Today, we have ~1000 Fellows and are the largest pipeline of driven, skilled talent into the educational ecosystem in India. Over 16,000 Teach For India students have appeared for the 10th grade board examinations till date, with an impressive 95% pass rate across cities as of November 2024.

In 2022, we embarked on Phase 4, our fourth strategic phase. We have a bold and ambitious ten-year journey ahead of us that aims to grow 50,000 leaders, who will work collectively, and with love, to transform the lives of 1 in 10 low-income children in our regions, through an education that unleashes the potential of self, others and India. In this decade, five key priorities will lead us to this vision.

Our work will only be completed when we have built a movement of leaders that is large enough to ensure that every child in India attains an excellent education.

We pride ourselves as being a passionate, idealistic, mission-driven team of individuals. We’re committed to learning and excellence in our roles, and to being deeply rooted in our core values.

The Senior Manager (Finance) works closely with the Director, Finance in managing the trust’s financial operations, with a strong focus on accounting, statutory and regulatory compliance, cash flows, investments and high-quality, regular MIS for leadership. The role emphasises continuous monitoring and guidance of the finance team, regular review of accounting entries and payroll, and support for strengthening systems, processes and documentation, but does not directly own donor reporting.

Accounting, compliance and audits

• Oversee day-to-day accounting, ensuring accurate and complete recording of transactions in line with Indian GAAP/Accounting Standards and internal policies as applicable to NGOs.
• Conduct regular review of accounting entries (including cost centres, projects and funding codes) to ensure accurate mapping of expenses to donors, programmes and organisational cost heads.
• Ensure all allocations, apportionments and reclasses are supported by clear workings and posted in the correct period.
• Ensure compliance with the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, Income Tax Act (including 12A/80G), FCRA and other applicable NGO regulations, including timely filing of returns and maintenance of supporting documents.
• Coordinate statutory, internal and FCRA audits, prepare required schedules, respond to queries and support timely closure of audit observations.

Taxation and regulatory reporting

• Handle tax-related matters including taxation of NPOs, tax audits, TDS, and preparation of income tax return workings and documentation.
• Prepare and organise data and documentation for income tax assessments or scrutiny and respond to queries in coordination with tax advisors.
• Liaise with tax advisors, auditors and regulators to address compliance requirements and minimise exposure to penalties or disputes.

Treasury, cash flows, investments and systems

• Monitor and manage monthly and quarterly cash flows to ensure adequate funds for salaries, programme activities, vendor payments and statutory obligations.
• Prepare rolling cash flow forecasts linked to budgets and expected inflows, highlighting anticipated gaps or surpluses in MIS discussions with the Director – Finance.
• Support the Director, Finance in deploying surplus funds in line with the trust’s investment policy and regulatory requirements (e.g., Section 11(5)–eligible instruments), prioritising safety, liquidity and reasonable returns.
• Track maturity schedules of FDs/other investments, plan renewals/redemptions, and report investment balances and returns as part of regular MIS and Board packs.
• Manage banking operations in coordination with the team, including signatory controls, digital banking safeguards and optimisation of bank charges.
• Oversee ERP/financial systems (NetSuite, Tally or equivalent) and drive process automation to improve accuracy, timeliness and integrity of financial data.

Financial planning, control and MIS

• Support the annual budgeting cycle by preparing the finance function budget, checking accuracy and completeness during consolidation of organisational budgets, and performing regular variance analysis with clear explanations for management.
• Monitor budget vs actuals monthly, analyse key variances, and share insights with the Director, Finance and budget owners for corrective actions.
• Ensure MIS is accurate, consistent and released as per agreed timelines, with clear commentary on trends and risks.

Team monitoring, review and support

• Supervise and guide finance team members on accounting, reconciliations, payments, payroll, filings and documentation.
• Set clear monthly and quarterly deliverables for the team (books closure, reconciliations, MIS, returns) and monitor adherence through structured review meetings.
• Review and sign off on key outputs prepared by the team (JV/ledgers, reconciliations, MIS, audit schedules, tax workings) before submission to the Director, Finance or management.
• Oversee payroll review each month to ensure prompt and accurate salary, reimbursement and statutory payments, and resolve payroll-related queries in coordination with HR.
• Provide on-the-job coaching to build team capability in systems, Excel, analysis and compliance.

Systems, processes and documentation

• Support the Director, Finance in designing and strengthening finance systems, processes and internal controls across accounting, payments, payroll, cash flow and compliance.
• Prepare and periodically update standard operating procedures (SOPs), process notes and checklists for key finance activities to ensure consistency and continuity.
• Champion best practices in documentation, record-keeping and data security within the finance function.

(Note: Donor financial reporting and grant utilisation reporting will be led by another role; this position primarily provides accurate underlying financial data and validations as required.)

• Excellent written and spoken English.
• High attention to detail, ownership and integrity in financial data management and reporting.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to explain financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple deadlines, and thrive in a mission-driven, fast-paced NGO environment.

• Education: Inter CA or Commerce Graduate/Postgraduate (B.Com/M.Com) from a recognised institution.
• Experience: Around 15 years of relevant experience in large NGOs, with some exposure to medium-sized corporates in the service sector considered an advantage.
• Strong understanding of tax audits, income tax filing requirements, taxation for NPOs and NGO regulatory environment.
• Experience with ERP systems such as NetSuite, Tally or equivalent, and strong Excel skills for MIS and analysis.
• Prior work experience or audit exposure with Big 4 or other large audit firms will be an added advantage. 

Note: We want to hear your unique voice and perspectives through the process, hence all applicants are expected to personally author statements of purpose/essays in the application form. Sole use of AI or Chat-GPT based tools may lead to disqualification from the process.