Chief Operating Officer - Mumbai

Job Description:

The opportunity Our client is a mid-size, multi-disciplinary audit and assurance firm (audit, tax, transaction advisory, investment banking) with offices across India and an ambition to become a large, institutionally run firm. The COO will own all non-revenue functions, building the operating backbone that lets Partners focus on clients while the firm scales. Key responsibilities Area What the COO will own Operations & strategy Annual operating plan and budgets; firm-wide SOPs and delegation of authority; monthly MIS to Partners (utilisation, realisation, billing, collections); integration of new offices or acquired practices. Human resources Full employee lifecycle from hiring to exit; career and grade framework; CA articleship programme; compensation, retention and partner-track design; labour-law and POSH compliance. Finance & accounts Books, monthly close, budgets and cash flow; billing, WIP and debtor management; firm tax, GST and statutory filings; partner capital accounts and profit-sharing workings; cost control. Learning & development Annual technical and leadership learning calendar; ICAI CPE tracking; firm academy and knowledge management. Technology IT strategy, cybersecurity and DPDP compliance; practice-management, billing, HRMS and DMS systems; audit analytics, automation and AI adoption. Risk & compliance Process support for SQC 1 / SQM, peer review and NFRA / ICAI inspections; independence and conflict checks; PI insurance, contracts and the firm's own regulatory filings. Admin & brand Offices, facilities, travel and procurement; new office set-ups; marketing operations and proposal support; Partners' Board secretariat. Success will be measured on support cost as % of revenue, debtor days and realisation, attrition and time-to-hire, CPE compliance, system adoption, clean inspection outcomes, and Partner feedback. Candidate profile • CA, CMA or MBA (Finance / Operations / HR); 15–20 years' experience, with 5+ years as COO, CFO, Head of Operations or Shared Services. • Background in a Big Four, mid-tier audit / consulting firm, law firm or other people-intensive professional services business. • Has led at least three of HR, finance, IT, L&D and admin, and scaled an organisation through rapid growth. • Working knowledge of ICAI regulations, LLP / partnership structures, and Indian tax and labour laws. • Preferred: ERP / HRMS implementation, firm mergers or integration, and moving a founder-led firm to institutional governance. • Attributes: Builder mindset, strong financial acumen, credibility with senior Partners, people leadership, technology orientation and absolute discretion. Why this role A seat at the leadership table with a mandate to shape the firm's operating model, competitive pay with bonus, and a path to an operations / non-practising Partner or equivalent role.