Job Description

Position Reports to: Deputy Commissioner: Taxpayer Engagement Operations
Division: Taxpayer Engagement Operations
Location: Head Office, Pretoria
Advert Closing Date: 08 August 2025
About the Position
SARS is on the look-out for an experienced and visionary leader to guide the future of service delivery for South Africa's high-net-worth individual taxpayers. The Director: Individual - Wealthy & Complex Taxpayers will be responsible for developing and implementing innovative strategies to enhance compliance, foster trust, and deliver customised solutions for individuals with complex tax profiles. The successful candidate will possess substantial expertise in executive business leadership, tax administration, demonstrate strong strategic thinking skills, and exhibit a commitment to integrity, excellence, and public service.
Job Purpose
To formulate the Individual Segment: Wealthy & Complex Taxpayers, business model and its alignment with the overall SARS business model and strategy; contributing to strategy formulation and enabling the SARS mandate. This includes providing the overall leadership to translate SARS Vision and Strategic Intent into effective and efficient delivery of a Voluntary Compliance Programme to ensure the collection of all tax revenues due, enhanced taxpayer experience and appropriate enforcement when non-compliance is detected.
Education and Experience
Minimum Qualification & Experience Required
Master's degree (NQF 9) in Legal, Commercial, Financial and Tax with 15-18 years' experience in Tax, financial services (Banking & Insurance) or Legal of which 6-8 years is at a Senior Management level.
#ALTERNATIVE
Honours Degree / Postgraduate Diploma (NQF 8) in Legal, Commercial, Financial and Tax with 18+ years' experience in Tax, financial services (Banking & Insurance) or Legal, of which 6-8 years is at a Senior Management level.
Minimum Functional Requirements
Senior level experience in Tax administration, Banking, Insurance, Legal, Finance or related fields with profit and loss accountabilities. Experience in dealing with high complex financial environments will be an added advantage
Demonstrated expertise in tax structuring is essential.
Job Outputs:
Process

• Be responsive to change in order to influence and effectively manage associated functional acceptance.
• Champion policy framework and objectives with internal partners to ensure organisation wide integration.
• Champion policy frameworks and objectives with internal partners to ensure integration between functions in pursuit of strategic goals.
• Communicate a meaningful strategic context that articulates functional purpose in relation to the organisational vision, purpose and philosophy.
• Create the context to continuously improve all major organisational functions and systems in line with national, regional and international changes.
• Develop annual and longer-term resource plan and secure capacity to achieve divisional objectives consistent with long term strategic plan.
• Develop annual and long-term functional plans, set clear priorities and measurable milestones in line with divisional objectives.
• Develop functional operating model and align value chain to organisational objectives in partnership with relevant stakeholders.
• Interpret internal and external organisational changes, model change impact scenarios and introduce or adapt systems in alignment with strategic intent.
• Proactively identify interconnected problems, model alternative solutions, develop and establish contingency plans aligned to the divisional direction.
• Provide authoritative advice and guidance that supports the realisation of major organisational objectives in line with the SARS mandate.
• Provide periodic reports on performance against plan and progress on long-term initiatives and use to realign operating plan and objectives appropriately.
• Scan external environment, identify benchmarks and influence alternative operating plans or model to deliver on the SARS objectives and mandate.
• Use the insights gained through integrated business reports to measure success and realign tactical strategy development objectives appropriately.
• Accountable for effectively implementing the revenue management programme to ensure taxes are collected when due. Account for all taxes due from Intermediaries: Employers, Traders, including Provisional taxes, etc. within the defined geographical region. Collection of additional taxes raised through compliance activities. Specific Revenue Programmes. Dispute Resolution and Debt Settlement within agreed parameters.

• Define and influence relationships and service level agreements entered into with internal and external stakeholders

Governance

• Drive the development and implementation of integrated governance, risk and compliance frameworks.
• Ensure the consolidation of the risk profile for the area of accountability, manage critical risks and ensure feedback integration.

People

• Communicate strategic context that guide best practice, foster an environment of continuous learning and improved employee engagement levels.
• Create a positive organisational climate and culture to energise and focus the function in order to optimise short term and longer-term productivity.
• Influence the development of clear human capability and accountability frameworks within functional area in support of people management strategies
• Provide leadership and direction by articulating and reinforcing the vision or direction for the function.

Finance

• Ensure that the functional strategy is adequately budgeted for through the development and implementation of a requisite budget.
• Implement effective financial control, management of costs and corporate governance in functional area.
• Accountable for the prudent management of all financial and material resources within Wealthy & Complex Segment.

Client

• Define and influence relationships and service level agreements entered into with internal and external stakeholders
• Engagement with and delivery of all taxpayer services within the Wealthy & Complex Segment.

Behavioural competencies

• Accountability
• Respect
• Trust
• Fairness and Transparency
• Honesty and Integrity

Leadership Competencies

• Concern for Impact of own behaviour on others
• Develops teams and nurtures interdependency
• Inspires others to Positive Action
• Nurtures Future Talent
• Stewardship and Service Orientation
• Strong Results Orientation
• Values and Manages Diversity

Technical competencies

• Business Acumen
• Customer Relationship Management
• Decisiveness
• Effective Business Communication
• Functional Policies and Procedures
• Managerial Budgeting
• Planning and Organising
• Planning, Management and Measurement
• Problem Analysis and Judgement
• Tax Knowledge
• Change Management

Compliance Competency
GOC: Top Secret
Employment Equity
The 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.