Start with what the centre will do
Finance work in a GCC usually falls into three groups. Which groups move to India decides the team you need.
- Transactions: payables, receivables and the accounting behind payroll.
- Reporting and control: month-end close, statutory reporting, audit support and tax.
- Planning and analysis: budgets, forecasts and business partnering.
The main functions, and when to hire them
| Function | What it does | Usually hired |
|---|---|---|
| Finance lead or controller | Owns the centre's finance and links to headquarters. | First |
| Accounting and close | Books, month-end close and reconciliations. | Early |
| Payables and receivables | Invoices, payments and collections. | As each process moves to India |
| Tax and compliance | Direct and indirect tax and statutory filings. | Early, often with outside advisers |
| FP&A | Budgets, forecasts and analysis. | Once reporting is stable |
| Treasury | Cash, banking and foreign exchange. | When the centre handles cash |
| Finance systems and analytics | ERP, reporting tools and dashboards. | As the team grows |
A simple hiring order
- Phase 1: the finance lead and a small core. The lead helps shape everything that follows.
- Phase 2: close, payables and receivables. Add people as each process moves over from headquarters.
- Phase 3: FP&A, treasury and analytics. These work best once the books are stable.
Qualifications that matter
Many finance professionals in India are chartered accountants (CA). Others hold CMA, CPA, ACCA or an MBA. Match the qualification to the work: audit and statutory work lean toward CAs, cost and management accounting toward CMAs, and US or UK reporting toward CPA or ACCA holders.
Experience with your parent's systems and processes often matters more than the letters after a name. Our finance recruitment screening tests the actual work, such as close, forecasting or filings.
Reporting lines
Decide who the finance lead reports to at headquarters, and who they work with day to day. Dual reporting is common in GCCs, so write down who decides what. Unclear lines are one of the most common reasons good finance leaders leave a new centre.
Common mistakes
- Hiring the team before the lead. Nobody can make local decisions.
- Hiring every function at once. People wait for work that has not moved yet.
- Copying headquarters' structure. A centre in India often needs a different shape.
- Ignoring pay by city. Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai each have their own norms.
- A narrow shortlist. Include qualified women finance professionals at every level.
Finance team planning checklist
Frequently asked questions
How big should a new GCC finance team be?
It depends on what moves to India. Start with a small core and add people as processes transfer.
Should we hire the finance lead first?
Yes, in most cases. The lead can then help shape the structure and take part in hiring the rest of the team.
Do we need chartered accountants for every role?
No. CAs suit audit, tax and statutory work, but analysts, accounts staff and FP&A roles often come from other backgrounds, such as CMA, ACCA, CPA or an MBA.
Can you hire the whole finance team for a new centre?
Yes. We use dedicated hiring for several roles at once, with a shared plan for the order of hires.
Planning a finance team for a new India centre? Tell us what is moving over, and we will suggest the order to hire in.
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