Vice President Finance

Company Description Carbelim® is a climate-tech company focused on nature-based carbon capture, clean air, and environmental intelligence solutions. The organization develops microalgae-powered carbon capture and air purification infrastructure that transforms buildings and public spaces into active climate assets. By integrating biotechnology, photobioreactor engineering, IoT monitoring, and real-time environmental data, Carbelim delivers measurable improvements in air quality, carbon capture, and oxygen generation aligned with ESG objectives. Its portfolio includes AirForest™ systems, PureAir Towers™, smart benches, indoor purification units, and environmental intelligence platforms designed for scalable, visible, and integrated urban sustainability. Carbelim’s vision is to build breathable, resilient, carbon-neutral cities through living climate infrastructure and nature-inspired engineering.

Role Description

Location: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Experience: 5–10 years in finance

Employment Type: Full-time

Function: Finance & Strategy

01 | Who We Are

Carbelim is an IIT Madras Research Park-incubated climate technology company developing biological carbon capture systems powered by microalgae. We bring together biotechnology, mechanical engineering, environmental science and intelligent monitoring to create practical climate infrastructure for buildings, industries, public spaces and smart cities.

02 | What We Do

We design and engineer photobioreactor-based products that capture carbon dioxide, improve air quality and convert captured carbon into useful resources. Our portfolio includes Carbon Bio-Facade systems, Carbelim Tree, AirForest indoor solutions, BioDivider panels, PureAir Tower and custom photobioreactors, supported by IoT-enabled monitoring and environmental analytics.

03 | The Opportunity

Lead Carbelim’s finance function as a hands-on partner to the CEO and leadership team. You will translate business priorities into financial plans, strengthen cash discipline and build the systems, controls and investor readiness needed to scale a climate technology business from product development to commercial deployment.

The role combines strategic leadership with direct ownership of financial operations, fundraising support, commercial decision-making and governance. You will work closely with founders, the Board, investors, auditors, banking partners and operating teams.

04 | Role Responsibilities

• Financial strategy: Own annual budgets, rolling forecasts, scenario models and capital allocation plans aligned with product development, manufacturing and commercial milestones.
• Cash and treasury: Maintain a 13-week cash-flow forecast; manage runway, burn rate, banking relationships, working capital, collections and payment priorities.
• Fundraising: Lead financial preparation for equity, debt and grant funding, including financial models, valuation scenarios, investor materials and funding-use plans; support negotiations with the founders and advisers.
• Investor readiness: Maintain the financial data room, coordinate due diligence, track cap-table changes with legal advisers, and deliver accurate investor and Board reporting.
• Accounting and reporting: Own timely monthly, quarterly and annual closing, financial statements, management reporting, reconciliations and budget-versus-actual analysis.
• Product and project economics: Build visibility into BOM costs, manufacturing overheads, inventory, installation, maintenance and warranty provisions; track product, project and customer profitability.
• Commercial finance: Review pricing, quotations, payment milestones, credit terms and contract economics across equipment sales, pilots, service agreements and partnership models.
• Controls and risk: Implement proportionate approval limits, procurement and payment controls, asset registers, inventory checks and fraud-prevention measures.
• Compliance and audit: Coordinate applicable tax, corporate and financial reporting obligations with auditors, company secretaries and advisers; maintain an audit-ready documentation trail.
• Grants and international operations: Track restricted funding, eligible expenditure and utilisation reporting; coordinate cross-border accounting, currency exposure and related-party matters with local advisers where relevant.
• Team and systems: Develop the finance team, manage external service providers and implement scalable accounting, reporting and ERP processes.

What success looks like

Leadership has a reliable view of cash, runway and margins. Funding discussions are supported by credible numbers, reporting is timely, and financial controls enable disciplined growth without slowing day-to-day execution.

05 | Functional Expertise

Financial planning

Integrated profit-and-loss, balance-sheet and cash-flow models; budgeting, forecasting and sensitivity analysis.

Fundraising and investor relations

Investor due diligence, valuation scenarios, dilution modelling, cap-table oversight and Board reporting.

Manufacturing and project finance

BOM and standard costing, overhead allocation, inventory controls, project margins and working-capital cycles.

Accounting and assurance

Financial closing, revenue recognition, provisions, applicable accounting standards and audit coordination.

Treasury and financial risk

Runway planning, collections, cash controls, banking, financing arrangements and currency exposure.

Governance and compliance

Internal controls, delegated authority, tax coordination, corporate filings and documented approvals.

Grants and international finance

Grant budgets and utilisation, multi-entity reporting, intercompany reconciliation and cross-border coordination.

Software and systems

• Essential: Advanced Microsoft Excel, financial modelling and strong working knowledge of accounting or ERP systems such as Tally, Zoho Books or equivalent.
• Preferred: Power BI or similar dashboards, ERP implementation, and automated reporting and approval workflows.

Business understanding

• Ability to connect R&D expenditure, manufacturing capacity and deployment plans to cash requirements and commercial returns.
• Understanding of long enterprise sales cycles, customer advances, supplier credit, milestone billing and recurring service revenue.

Additional strengths

Exposure to climate technology, industrial products, hardware or deep-tech startups; India-UAE operations; sustainability-linked funding; and financial evaluation of new business models will be an advantage.

06 | Candidate Profile

Education and experience

• Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification; an MBA in Finance or additional relevant qualification is an advantage.
• 5–10 years of progressive finance experience, including experience leading or managing key finance responsibilities in a CFO, Finance Head, Financial Controller or equivalent capacity.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or leading a fundraising or lender due-diligence process, with clear ownership of financial models and supporting documentation.
• Experience in a startup, growth-stage business, manufacturing, industrial technology or project-based environment.
• Proven ownership of cash-flow management, financial closing, audits, internal controls and management reporting.

Core competencies

• High integrity, sound judgement and discretion with sensitive financial and investor information.
• Hands-on approach suited to a lean team, with the ability to move between strategy and detailed execution.
• Clear communication with founders, investors, lenders and non-finance teams.
• Commercial judgement and the confidence to challenge assumptions with evidence.
• Strong prioritisation, ownership and ability to build practical, scalable processes.

07 | Performance Measures

• Timely and accurate financial closing, management accounts and Board reporting.
• Improved forecast accuracy and visibility into runway, cash requirements and funding milestones.
• Disciplined receivables, payables and inventory management against agreed working-capital targets.
• Reliable product and project margin reporting, with measurable cost and profitability improvements.
• Due-diligence readiness, timely funding submissions and clear tracking of proceeds and grant utilisation.
• Completion of applicable filings and audits on schedule, with prompt closure of control gaps.

08 | Join Carbelim

Build the financial foundation of a company bringing biotechnology and engineering into climate infrastructure. This is an opportunity to work directly with the leadership team, shape growth decisions and create the financial discipline required to turn innovation into sustainable commercial scale.

Learn more: www.carbelim.io