Job Description

Position Reports to: Lead: Taxpayer ServicesDivision: Taxpayer EngagementLocation: UpingtonAdvert Closing Date: 02 September 2024About the PositionWe are on an exciting journey to build a smart modern SARS with unquestionable integrity, trusted and admired by all. Our mandate is to ensure optimal compliance with Tax and Customs legislation. We do this through fostering a culture of Voluntary Compliance and by making it easy for taxpayers and traders to comply with their legal obligations. Our Higher Purpose, the reason that SARS exists, is to provide resources that help to build a capable state, that nurtures sustainable economic growth, social development and that serves the well-being of all South Africans. We are Nation Builders.In an era characterised by rapidly evolving technological innovation, SARS is preparing for a world where increasingly our work is informed by data driven insights, machine learning, algorithms, artificial intelligence and interconnectivity of people and devices.This dynamic world of work calls for pioneers imbued by a sense of serving the SARS Higher Purpose and service to our people. The successful Nation Builders will work with the entire team in support of our Strategic Intent and the nine Strategic Objectives, namely:

• Provide Clarity & Certainty of tax obligations.
• Make it Easy for Taxpayers and Traders to Comply & fulfil their obligations.
• Detect Taxpayers and Traders who do not comply and make noncompliance hard and costly.
• Develop a high performing, diverse, agile and engaged workforce towards higher value knowledge and service work.
• Expand and increase the use of data to improve integrity, derive insights & improve outcomes.
• Modernise our systems to provide digital & streamlined services.
• Drive greater resources stewardship to ensure the efficient use of resources and deliver quality outcomes & performance excellence.
• Work with and through Stakeholders to improve the tax system.
• Build public trust and confidence in the tax administration system.

SARS is looking for a dynamic, highly skilled and experienced individual, with a high level of enthusiasm, strong planning skills in a fast-paced environment, service obsession, integrity and confidentiality. We need someone who is passionate about service delivery to manage and ensure effectiveness and efficiency in the operations of the Upington Service Centre.The Manager: Taxpayer Service will report directly to the Lead Taxpayer Service: Free State & Northern Cape, and will be based in Upington, and will manage the smooth day to day operation of the Upington Service Centre. He/she should have strong people skills, be able to manage a wide variety of customers (internal and external), projects, finance, HR and oversee administrative tasks. The Manager: Taxpayer Service must have a high level of proficiency in computers and in the use of Microsoft Office products and other SARS systems and tools.Do you have a great personality, with a strong orientation to detail, excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills? Are you able to deal with all customers (internally and externally) and can you work well under pressure? Having a solid background to the SARS business areas in the region and their functions will be a significant advantage. If you have these skills, we encourage you to apply and join the exciting Taxpayer Engagement Free State & Northern Cape Team.Job PurposeEnsure smooth day to day operation of the Service Centre and maximise service delivery. Develop new areas of focus in order to expand the tax base, such as Taxpayer education and Taxbase broadening.Education and ExperienceRelevant Bachelor's degree/Advanced Diploma [NQF 7] AND 8 to 10 years' experience in a Tax environment, of which 3-4 years at junior management level.ALTERNATE:Senior Certificate [NQF 4] and 15 years Tax related experience of which 3 - 4years at junior management level.Job Outputs:Process

• Link and communicate unit's objectives back to mandate, schedule and prioritise activities and allocate work to meet identified work outputs.
• Deploy resources appropriately and anticipate and resolve problems to ensure that tactical targets are achieved within agreed deadlines & standards.
• Manage a work function or unit by focusing on the delivery and achievement of set objectives within specified time frames, costs, and standards.
• Apply the necessary discretion and judgement in making decisions and overcoming obstacles to attain set goals and objectives.
• Build strong relationships through providing direction and leadership to others and expressing positive expectations.
• Implement risk management, governance and compliance policy and processes to identify and manage governance and risk exposure.
• Act as the bottom-line drivers of tactical implementation within the context of business unit excellence and performance improvement.
• Direct, control, coordinate and optimise budgeted resources to meet specific objectives and deliver agreed results and productivity requirements.
• Ensure the development and implementation of a practice in alignment with operational policy and procedural frameworks.
• Implement tactical strategy and delivery plans through the development of operational activities, ensuring the achievement of operational targets.
• Proactively identify interconnected problems, determine its impact, and use to develop best fit alternatives, implementing best practice solutions.
• Provide periodic reports on performance against plan & progress on short-term initiatives & use to realign tactical plan and objectives appropriately.
• Use the insights gained through integrated business reports to measure success & realign tactical strategy implementation objectives appropriately.
• Plan for handling work outputs, pull together interdependent activities & specify priorities, standards & procedures to ensure tactical implementation.
• Recommend changes to optimise processes, systems, policies, and procedures, and execute the implementation of change and innovation initiated by the organisation.
• Timeously communicate top-down policy and associated single practice are modification, objective achievement progress and critical success factors to impacted stakeholders.

Governance

• Implement governance, risk, and compliance policy in own practice area to identify and manager governance and risk exposure liability.
• Manage and or advice on the translation and application of policy in a specific functional area.

People

• Encourage and enable teamwork, by enabling collaboration with others and commitment to pursuing set goals.
• Develop and maintain a team that is capable for operating to their full capacity and provide appropriate skills, knowledge, and experience.
• Create a positive work climate & culture to energise employees & give meaning to work, minimise work disruption and maximise employee productivity.
• Translate performance expectations into specific metrics and goals to identify and provide effective services, solve problems, and achieve objectives.
• Plan & implement enhanced organisational efficiency by identifying and addressing development requirements & providing tools for people resources.
• Develop & implement appropriate people capacity plans in line with delivery & efficiency targets, on budget & in partnership with specialist area.

Finance

• Contribute to the development of divisional budgets to minimise expenditure aligned with divisional plans.
• Implement and monitor financial support, management of costs and corporate governance in area of accountability.
• Draw up a budget aligned to tactical delivery plans, monitor planned vs actual, minimise expenditure and report on cost efficiency.

Client

• Increase SARS awareness and number of new registrations by implementing tax education and tax base broadening initiatives.
• Build strong relationships and implement service level agreements that promote SARS with internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage an integrated service excellence culture, which builds rewarding relationships and provides opportunity for feedback and exceptional service.
• Develop and ensure implementation of practices which builds service delivery, excellence and encourages others to provide exceptional client service.

Behavioural competencies

• Stakeholder engagement and management
• Fairness and Transparency
• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Honesty and Integrity
• Teamwork
• Conceptual thinking
• Championing the mandate
• Influencing others
• Mobilising teams
• Driving for excellence
• Accurate understanding
• Developing others
• Trust
• Respect
• Problem solving and analysis.
• Building sustainability

Technical competencies

• Functional Policies and Procedures
• Tax Knowledge
• Managerial budgeting
• Customer relationship management
• Effective Business communication
• Problem analysis and judgement
• Planning, management and measurement
• Decisiveness
• Business acumen
• Building customer loyalty

Compliance Competency

• GOC: Confidentiality

Employment EquityThe Employment Equity policy of SARS will be considered as part of the recruitment and selection process and Persons with Disabilities are encouraged to apply. Successful candidates will be required to undertake an oath of secrecy, pre-employment screening, case study, pre-assessment, psychometric assessment and or vetting, and a declaration of private interest. The appointment is also subject to appropriate reference(s) and security clearance where applicable.

South African Revenue Service