Head of Finance

Karya’s mission is to leverage the AI revolution to create dignified earning and learning opportunities for low-income communities across the world. In India, our smartphone-based digital work platform has enabled over 120,000 people to build language datasets and evaluate AI models while earning fair wages. With pilots in Kenya and Ethiopia and partnerships with leading AI labs, we are advancing language technologies for underrepresented communities. By combining dignified digital work with frontier AI innovation, Karya hopes to build a new AI economy that is equitable, inclusive, and community driven.

We are seeking a Head of Finance to lead all aspects of financial management at Karya. This role is pivotal in ensuring financial sustainability, operational excellence, and trust in our systems—especially as it relates to ensuring fair and timely compensation to the thousands of rural workers we serve.

The ideal candidate will bring strong expertise in financial operations, compliance, and revenue management, with a deep appreciation for the social impact space. This is a hands-on leadership role that combines strategic thinking with execution and ownership.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Financial Strategy & Budgeting

- Lead annual budgeting and financial planning processes aligned with Karya’s mission.

- Provide leadership with visibility into cash flow needs, project burn rate, and funding gaps to support timely decision-making.

- Drive cost efficiency and strict budget adherence across departments.

- Provide financial insight and analysis to support strategic decision-making.

- Ensure transparency and accountability in use of funds.

2. Worker Payments Management

- Own the end-to-end process of disbursing timely and accurate payments to thousands of Karya’s field workers.

- Build scalable, tech-enabled payment systems that are auditable and transparent.

- Work closely with the Operations and Tech teams to ensure seamless financial integration with worker data.

3. Revenue & Client Payments

- Ensure timely invoicing and revenue collection from Karya’s clients and partners.

- Track receivables, forecast cash flows, and maintain healthy working capital.

- Liaise with the Partnerships/BD team to ensure contractual financial terms are executed effectively.

4. Compliance & Controls

- Ensure full compliance with Indian accounting standards, regulatory requirements (including FCRA), and statutory filings (TDS, GST, PF, etc.).

- Work with legal and external advisors to maintain financial and legal hygiene.

- Establish and enforce internal controls to minimize financial risk.

5. Financial Operations & Reporting

- Oversee all day-to-day financial operations including bookkeeping, vendor payments, payroll, and audits.

- Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting for internal and external stakeholders.

- Coordinate with external auditors and ensure timely completion of audits.

6. Team Leadership

- Lead a small but high-performing Finance team.

- Mentor junior finance staff and build capacity within the team and the organization.

- Foster a culture of ownership, integrity, and mission-alignment.

Ideal Candidate:

- 10+ years of progressive finance experience, preferably in a fast-growing organization.

- CA or equivalent education background. 

- Proven experience with budgeting, revenue collection, payment systems, and compliance in the Indian context.

- Prior exposure to social impact, non-profits, or mission-driven organizations is a strong plus.

- Deep understanding of statutory compliance including income tax, GST, PF/ESI, labor laws, etc.

- Strong knowledge of accounting systems and tools (e.g., Tally, Zoho, QuickBooks, Excel).

- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

- Strategic thinker who can also get hands dirty in execution.

- Demonstrated commitment to equity, transparency, and service.