About Magic Bus

Magic Bus India Foundation, founded in 1999 by Matthew Spacie, stands among the top five NGOs in India dedicated to education and skill development. Our organisation equips adolescents and young individuals with essential life skills and knowledge to thrive during the transition from childhood to livelihood.

Our mission is to create a world where young people break free from poverty, leading fulfilling and rewarding lives while making positive contributions to their communities. We achieve this by enabling adolescents to complete their secondary education, providing them with the necessary skills for employment, and connecting them to job market opportunities. Our target age group ranges from 12 to 24 years.

We operate two flagship programs: the Adolescent Programme and the Livelihood Programme.

In our Adolescent Programme, we prioritise the instillation of life skills and the enhancement of education. Through our network of connected schools operating in 234 districts across 24 states, we have positively impacted the lives of over 8 million adolescents, with an impressive 52% participation rate of girls.

The Livelihood Programme focuses on enhancing employability by providing specialised skills training and connecting young individuals to sustainable livelihood opportunities. Through our 115 Livelihood Centres and 1250 Colleges, we offer sector-specific training, job placements, and post-placement support. This programme, operational in 19 states, has achieved an impressive 60% participation rate among girls and has a cumulative outreach of 6,00,000 youth

: Finance Controller

Location: Airoli, Navi Mumbai (with oversight across regions)

Reporting To: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

- Role Overview The Finance Controller will act as the second-in-command to the CFO , responsible for end-to-end financial management, governance, compliance, and operational efficiency of the finance function across the organization.

This is a strategic and operational leadership role , overseeing finance, procurement, and administrative functions while ensuring strong financial controls, donor compliance, and process excellence aligned with the organization’s scale and growth trajectory.

- Key Responsibilities

A.

Finance

Operations & Control

Provide overall direction and control over:

Accounts Payable (AP)

Accounts Receivable (AR)

General Accounting

Ensure timely and accurate accounting closure (monthly, quarterly, annual).

Maintain strong financial discipline and governance across all transactions.

Act as final approval authority for financial transactions as per delegation matrix.

Drive cash flow management, treasury planning, and fund utilization.

B.

Donor

Reporting & Fund Management

Oversee donor reporting, utilization certificates, and compliance reporting.

Ensure alignment of budget vs actuals (BVA) across all projects.

Support donor audits, due diligence, and financial reviews.

Ensure compliance with donor-specific requirements including FCRA and domestic funding norms.

C. Compliance, Audit & Internal Controls

Ensure adherence to all statutory requirements including:





FCRA

Income Tax Act

GST and other applicable laws

Lead and manage

Internal audits

Statutory audits

Donor audits

Design and implement robust internal financial controls (IFC).

Monitor compliance calendar and risk areas proactively.

D. MIS, Reporting & Decision Support

Own the Monthly MIS process :

Preparation, validation, and analysis

Presentation to CFO and CEO

Build data-driven dashboards and insights for leadership decision-making.

Ensure real-time visibility of financial performance across projects and functions.

Drive continuous improvement in quality, accuracy, and timeliness of reporting.

E. Leadership & Team Management

Lead and manage multi-layered finance teams , including:

Accounts Payable Team

MIS-Compliance-Audit Team

Donor Support Group

Manage both direct and indirect reporting teams across HO and regions.

Build high-performance culture , accountability, and capability development.

Ensure transparent role definitions, KPIs, and performance tracking.

F. Procurement & Commercial Governance

Oversee and strengthen the Central Procurement Function :

Vendor identification and management

Rate contracts and negotiations

Procurement governance frameworks

Implement robust procurement policies and approval matrices.

Ensure cost optimization, transparency, and fraud prevention mechanisms.

Improve procurement turnaround time and efficiency.

G.

Administration

Oversight

Set up and manage Admin function across Head Office and Regions.

Ensure effective control over

Facilities management

Travel and logistics

Infrastructure and asset management

Implement systems for cost control and operational efficiency.

H. Systems & Process Transformation

Lead implementation and optimization of finance IT systems , including:

ERP (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics 365)

Expense and payment systems

Drive automation and digitization initiatives across finance processes.

Improve data integration, workflow automation, and approval systems.

Collaborate with IT teams for system enhancements and scalability.

I.

Process

Excellence & Business Support

Design and implement efficient business processes across finance and support functions.

Enable finance to act as a business partner to program and operations teams.

Improve turnaround time (TAT) and service delivery standards.

Ensure alignment with organization-wide growth and scalability goals.

J.

Strategic

Execution

Drive execution of strategic initiatives defined by CFO.

Support long-term initiatives such as:

Financial planning & forecasting

Process transformation

AI/automation in finance

Act as a change leader for organization-wide initiatives.

K.

Digital

Transformation & AI Enablement





Drive adoption of AI-enabled finance systems and tools across the organization

Identify opportunities for automation and intelligent decision support systems

Work closely with CFO to conceptualize and implement AI-driven finance initiatives

Enable transition from transaction-based finance to insight-driven finance function

- Key Deliverables / KPIs

Timely and accurate monthly financial closure

High-quality MIS reporting and insights

Zero major audit qualifications

Strong internal controls and compliance adherence

Improved procurement efficiency and cost savings

Effective team performance and retention

Successful implementation of systems and automation initiatives

4.

Qualifications & Experience

Educational Qualification

Chartered Accountant (CA) / CPA / MBA Finance (preferred)

Experience

12–18 years of experience in:

Finance controllership

Accounting and compliance

Audit and governance

Experience in non-profit/NGO sector or donor-funded organizations preferred

Solid exposure to FCRA and donor compliance frameworks

Experience in ERP implementation and process transformation

5.

Key Skills & Competencies

Functional & Technology Skills

Strong knowledge of

Accounting standards

Financial controls

Compliance frameworks

Expertise in

MIS and financial analytics

Budgeting and forecasting

Procurement and commercial negotiations

Robust understanding of finance technology ecosystems, including:

ERP systems (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics 365)

Workflow automation tools

Data analytics and reporting systems

Demonstrated capability in leading software system implementations, including:

Requirement definition

Vendor coordination

UAT and rollout

Post-implementation stabilization

Understanding of AI-enabled finance applications such as:

AI-driven MIS and reporting

Automated data extraction and reconciliation

Intelligent workflow and approval systems

Experience with or exposure to AI-led software systems will be a robust advantage, including:

NLP-based data querying

AI-assisted analytics and insights generation

Process automation using AI tools

Strong knowledge of

Accounting standards

Financial controls

Compliance frameworks

Expertise in

MIS and financial analytics

Budgeting and forecasting

Procurement and commercial negotiations

Leadership Skills

Strong team leadership and stakeholder management

Ability to manage large, distributed teams

Decision-making and problem-solving capability

Strategic & Digital Mindset

Experience in process re-engineering and automation

Understanding of AI/technology in finance (preferred)

Ability to drive data-led decision-making

6.

Personal

Attributes

High level of integrity and accountability

Strong ownership mindset

Ability to work in a fast-growing, dynamic environment

Strong communication and presentation skills

- Role Significance

This role is critical in ensuring that finance operates as a strategic enabler , supporting Magic Bus in scaling operations while maintaining strong governance, transparency, and compliance across all programs and geographies.

📌 Finance Controller (Navi Mumbai)
🏢 Magic Bus India Foundation
📍 Navi Mumbai