Lead: Tax Operations Support

SAICA has embarked on an exciting transformation to become an insights-driven, technology-enabled, and AIpowered organisation. As part of our journey, we are streamlining processes, enhancing our digital capabilities, and strengthening our focus on sustainability in the accounting profession. This transformation presents an opportunity for you to grow and contribute to SAICAs vision in a redefined, future-fit role. We are looking for passionate, skilled professionals who are eager to innovate, embrace data-driven decision-making, and help shape the future of the profession. If you are ready to be part of this next chapter, make a meaningful impact, and you are a suitably qualified and experienced Difference Maker wanting to go further on this exciting journey, you are encouraged to apply. Purpose of the job In support of the Head of Tax and in collaboration with the relevant Prescribed Committee (and the relevant subcommittees), support them in exercising the Board delegated authority for the final tax operational positions of the Institute. Engage and influence local and international regulators and standard setters on these tax operational positions, both in South Africa and internationally and where subdelegated to do so, engage in public media statements and discussions on matters directed. Provide support to members in resolving challenges with tax procedural, system or process matters and also act as facilitator in escalating unresolved matters to SARS management and the management of the Tax Ombud. Develop, implement, facilitate and maintain collaborative relationships and alliances with local and international alliance partners and represent SAICA on any joint tax specific structures with alliance partners. Implement, facilitate and maintain appropriate reporting and feedback on required activities to the Head of: Tax, Committees and members. Support the Head of: Tax in the execution of the departmental business plan. Key/main outputs Output 1: Manage the Tax Advocacy Strategies & Processes Implement the tax advocacy strategy and implement through the Tax Advocacy Selection Criteria SOPS, National Tax Committee Terms of Reference, Media Spokesperson Policy and the Advocacy Policy for the formulation of local and international SAICA tax advocacy positions and its public dissemination to members and the public, where applicable in respect of tax operational or process matters. Manage a screening process to ensure that requests for comments from stakeholders on tax operational matters identified by the tax department or requests from members and committees (proactive submissions) are documented for consideration in relevant structures. Manage and implement a risk mitigation plan, capture on the risk register and implement a submissions quality control and review process to ensure that submissions to local and international stakeholders and regulators are factually based, represent the relevant member proxy view and make conclusions and recommendations that address the member concern but still remains in the public interest, that conflicting member positions are resolved and that stakeholder objectives are not undermined. Where required, perform initial quality review of key submissions together with the Chairperson of the relevant tax subcommittee or where conflicting positions exist, to escalate the latter to the Head of: Tax in the process of obtaining a single Institute view. Manage a submissions reporting process to the Head of: Tax, committees and members. Implement and manage a submissions tracking process to ensure that submissions are submitted on time and that follow up engagements (e.g. public hearings, SARS workgroups, Tax Ombud workgroups etc) are confirmed and diarised and required supporting presentations are notified to the Head of: Tax and relevant committees. Output 2: Manage the Tax Stakeholders Strategy and Relationships Manage and implement the departmental tax stakeholders strategy and implementation plan (for Regulators & Standard Setters and Alliance Partners) with control and procedures in line with the Stakeholders Management Policy to manage local and internal executive tax stakeholder relations effectively and efficiently Ensure familiarity with the content of the Stakeholders Management Policy Document and evaluate engagements with stakeholders and determine or advise to Head of: Tax interventions to make relationships more effective and efficient Provide reports and analysis to Head of: Tax and Committees on outcomes of stakeholder engagements Directly engage executive stakeholders who are regulators, legislators or standard setters (e.g. Executives in Government, OECD Specialists, Ministers, Commissioners, Chairs of Parliamentary Committees) to build relationships and initiate collaboration opportunities Evaluate which stakeholder engagements require escalation to Head of: Tax and engage the relevant person to participate in the process Identify and after consultation with Head of: Tax, engage Alliance Partners both locally and internationally to collaborate with on shared objectives (e.g. Ministerial Workgroups, Global Accounting Alliance Tax, CFO Forum Tax, RCB Forum, CEOs of member firms, executives of other organisations etc.) and manage the relationship and representation of SAICA to achieve the planned objectives. Implement and manage internal processes to ensure deployed members properly represent the views and interests of the Institute and report back on the outcomes of stakeholder or alliance partner engagements Output 3 Manage the Tax Committee Strategy and Processes Manage and support the National Tax Committee as Board created Prescribed Committee and any assigned subcommittees (i.e. National Tax Operations Committee) or engagement structures (i.e. up to 9 SAICA Regional SARS Engagement representatives) in the execution of its mandate to formulate a final position on tax technical matters within its Board approved Terms of Reference. Provide oversight of assigned committees or SAICA deployed SARS regional engagement members to ensure that positions taken abide by SAICAs public interest mandate and remain within the Constitutional mandate of promoting the common interest of members of the Institute and escalate to Head of: Tax where concerns exist. Provide input to the development of a SAICA Tax departmental position on tax operational matters for consideration by committees in the formulation of a final position Implement and manage processes and procure relevant service providers to ensure that relevant committee meetings are minuted and action items lists are compiled and distributed within agreed timelines and with appropriate quality Provide appropriate feedback on activities, progress on action items and status of stakeholder engagements to enable the National Tax Committee to execute its mandate Manage committee members to ensure action items of committees delegated to individual committee members are executed within the agreed time frames and with sufficient quality Implement and manage a risk management process for committees for matters that impact the execution of the committees objectives and SAICA Strategy e.g. document retention, quality management, 4 eyes review, confidentiality procedures, conflict of interest, ethics disclosures etc. Implement and manage the recognition and reward strategy, plan and process for committee members to ensure that they remain motivated and effective in the execution of their mandate Plan and facilitate stakeholder engagement meetings between the Committees and Regulators & Standard Setters or Alliance Partners Plan and facilitate required research in consultation with Head of: Tax and in collaboration with Leads: Tax Thought Leadership from service providers or in collaboration with alliance partners in support of the objectives of the committees. Output 4: Provide support services for members on tax matters Implement and manage a member tax operational support service product offering of appropriate scope across various tax types and which specifically includes SARS eFiling or other SARS tax system support . Assist members in escalating and resolving challenges with stakeholders (e.g. SARS, Tax Ombud etc) that impact them and their business Manage and implement appropriate member engagement processes to ensure that SAICA has sufficient coverage to detect systemic matters impacting members and access to sufficient volunteer specialists to provide workarounds and solutions. In collaboration with the Lead: Tax Guidance, prepare and issue guidance on tax procedure or process where it is unclear or uncertain Support structures or members to engage government, regulators and standard setters to seek clarification on matters that required systemic matters identified such as the SARS regional RCB quarterly tax operational engagement workgroups (currently 9). Plan and initiate appropriate collaboration structures with alliance partners or industry bodies (e.g. RCB Form, CFO Forum etc) to enable broader identification of challenges and resolution or solutioning in collaboration with stakeholders. Plan and initiate appropriate management relationships with SARS and the Tax Ombud to agree escalation and engagement channels for various tax operational processes Procure or collaborate with service providers, committees, members and alliance partners in formulating an administrative law or operational support position and support product offering Design and implement quality management and risk controls for operational support products (e.g. D365 terms and conditions of use, disclaimers, POPIA protections, review functions, SLA time periods, quality feedback measures) Design and implement reporting measures for scope, efficiency and effectiveness of an administrative law or operational support Output 5: Communication and engagement Implement the member communication strategy and plan in collaboration with the SAICA Brand Division and Lead: Tax Thought Leadership to ensure that members are appropriately and timeously communicated with as relates relevant tax matters that impact them Implement the member engagement strategy and plan in collaboration with SAICA Member Engagement Department and Head of: Tax to ensure that members are appropriately and timeously engaged on their needs and challenges as well as the their inputs as relates relevant tax matters that impact them and appropriate coverage of constituencies (MiB, SMP, Large firm etc), geographical (SA regions and international) and industry (Tax practitioners, auditors, financial services etc) and also ensuring that the technical nature of the communication is appropriate for the 3 levels of expertise or interest, (e.g. Tax Practitioners lvl 1, Tax Interested member Lvl 2 and Other members lvl3, general public lvl 4). Assist where required to give input into appropriate member structures (e.g. 4 regional tax subcommittees, NSMP, MiB committee, regional councils etc) to ensure member representatives are appropriately engaged on tax matters Assist where required with content for the implementation of communication products and services for members (e.g. Integritax Mailer, Integritax Facebook and LinkedIn page etc) Where required and subdelegated to do so, engage external media partners relating to tax matters Apply quality management and risk controls for public speaking and media and communications including the management and the implementation of Public Speaking Policy after completing the appropriate public speaking media training, POPIA controls implementation etc. Output 6: Brand building & Publications Provide input as required for the Integritax Journal on tax operational developments Output 7: Staff development & management Participate in and complete the biannual staff performance reviews and other informal performance feedbacks per the relevant HC policy Implement the development areas, creating a personal development plan and ensuring completion of interventions identified Ensure awareness of and responsibilities under any current and new SAICA policies and procedures including ensuring they attend relevant training interventions Output 8: Budgets, procurement and risk controls Provide input into the annual itemised cost and revenue budgets for the tax department and 5 year forecasts Accountable for procurement approval of goods and services to enable the business plan execution per DoA limits Prepare request for tender and evaluation of tender bids for tax departmental procurement Implement procurement policies and risk controls and ensure compliance Document and capture identified risks on the ISOMETRIX risk register Implement mitigating steps Report periodically to the Risk Department and Head of: Tax on risks identified Implement and manage privacy controls applicable to member structures and services & products as per the POPIA and GDPR Policy Implement and manage intellectual property produced in the Tax Dept through appropriate data management procedures and protect such IP through relevant copyright marks & disclaimers and appropriate archiving Output 9: Internal Support & Administration Provide support to the Head of: Tax in respective and relevant administrative and strategic matters that further the activities of SAICA or required reporting. In consultation with the Executive, act, present or partake in activities with the Head or on behalf of the Head. Serve on relevant internal structures to support the overall efficient and effectiveness of SAICA (e.g. The SAICA Policy Committee) Accountable to ensure that quarterly reports are provided for submission to the Head of: Tax on activities and performance Provides design input into relevant digitisation projects and feedback on implementation challenge Manage data produced or recorded in your portfolio to ensure integrity, security and retention of relevant data and deletion of irrelevant or unnecessary data Output 10: Embrace and Drive Organisational Transformation Actively contribute to cost containment efforts by identifying opportunities for operational efficiencies, optimising resources, and ensuring value-driven decision-making in daily activities. Support SAICAs transformation into an insights-driven organisation by leveraging data and analytics to enhance decision-making, improve processes, and drive continuous improvement in your area of work Effectively utilise digital tools and technology to enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and improve service delivery. Stay informed about new and emerging technologies relevant to your role Adopt and embrace AI-driven tools and automation to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and effectiveness injob-related tasks, while continuously seeking opportunities to improve processes through innovative technology solutions Identify and support SAICAs management of risks related to sustainability, including environmental risks, regulatory changes and social risks and integrating them into business continuity and risk management plans Formal Education Relevant bachelors degree Post graduate qualification in taxation Technical/ Legal Certification Registration with an industry/professional body associated in tax, accounting, business or law is advantageous Registration as Tax Practitioner is advantageous Experience At least ten (10) years` experience as a tax specialist in a tax specific role At least five (5) years managerial experience in a tax specific role Media & public speaking experience Executive level stakeholder engagement experience Extensive experience in using and setting up SARS eFiling and other SARS software (e.g. SARS E@syfile) Tax Technical opinion writing Conflict management and dispute resolution Managing large remote groups experience advantageous Legislative analysis experience advantageous Knowledge and Skills Business Acumen - Knowledge and understanding of the principles of business, the application thereof, the opportunities within business and the seizure of such opportunities Financial Knowledge - Knowledge and understanding of financial practices and standards prescribed by regulation authorities Performance management - Understanding performance management policies and procedures HR policy and procedures - Understanding HR policies and procedures to support people management processes Information Technology - Understanding of ICT prescribed practices and legislative requirements for data security and information management Legislative process - Knowledge of the legislative process and the procedures on how legislation is passed Intellectual Property - Basic knowledge and understanding of creating and protecting intellectual property. Governance and Compliance - Ability to implement and follow governance and compliance procedures Accounting and Tax software data platforms Knowledge and understanding of both accounting and tax software in use by taxpayers and tax software platforms issued by SARS and how its used in reporting frameworks Privacy & confidentiality - Knowledge and understanding of implementing confidentiality arrangements in contracts and structures and legislative requirements and implantation of privacy protection mechanism e.g. POPIA & GDPR

Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng, ZA

Posted Date: 10/9/2025