Job Description

Job Title: Specialists: Customs and Excise Litigation
Position Reports to: Senior Manager: Customs and Excise Litigation
Division: Service & Delivery Centralized
Location: Gauteng (Head Office)
Advert Closing Date: 12 July 2025
About the Position
A driven and dedicated litigator is required in the customs and excise litigation area. As a senior member of the team, you will contribute with minimum supervision to the full scope of pre-litigation and litigation lifespan in your assigned matters, mainly in the Higher Courts, including the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court, where applicable. You are further required to provide contributions to organisational planning and offer technical expertise, mentoring and advice to the team and others.
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Job Purpose
To research and prepare appeals, review applications, declaratory applications and actions, in the courts of South Africa, to assist counsel in the drafting of pleadings, heads of argument and during court appearances, to draft and present matters to the relevant governance committees.
Education and Experience

• Law Degree preferably a LLB AND 8-10 years' experience in a similar environment, of which 3-4 years ideally at operational specialist level.
• Admission as an attorney or advocate is a further requirement.
• Experience in a Customs & Excise/International Trade Litigation environment will further enhance the candidate's application.

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

• Law Degree preferably a LLB AND 8-10 years' experience in a similar environment, of which 3-4 years ideally at operational specialist level.
• Admission as an attorney or advocate will further enhance the candidate's application.
• Experience in a Customs & Excise/International Trade Litigation environment will further enhance the candidate's application

Job Outputs:
Process

• To prepare cases involving intricate interpretive or quantitative issues in the Higher Courts, including the SCA and the Constitutional Court, where applicable;
• To enter into settlement negotiations with taxpayers and their representatives;
• Analyse and make recommendations about improvements to specialist systems, procedures and associated area's practice.
• Contribute to the optimum utilisation of organizational resources, advising on effective planning and development of area of specialisation resource plans.
• Draw on own technical or professional expertise, knowledge & experience to identify & recommend tactical solutions to defined problems in practices.
• Integrate business information, compare, analyse & produce reports to identify trends, discrepancies & inconsistencies for decision-making purposes.
• Optimise goal achievement through tactical strategy implementation and optimisation of practises, processes & systems across an internal value chain.
• Plan for value-added, continuous practice & system improvements to deliver on objectives to enhance tactical implementation and excellence
• Proactively identify interconnected problems, determine its impact and use to develop best-fit alternatives; best practice implementation solutions.
• Translate top down policy in relation to own practice area and communicate impact to relevant stakeholders.
• Recommend changes to optimise processes, systems, practice area and associated procedures and execute the implementation of change and innovation.
• Conduct assessments and use information to advice, make recommendations and facilitate improvement.

Governance

• Develop and/or align governance and compliance policies for own practice area to identify and manage risk exposure liability.

People

• Integrate new knowledge and transfer of skills attained through formal and informal learning opportunities in the execution of your job.
• Provide specialist know-how, support, advice and practice thought leadership in area of expertise.

Finance

• Implement and monitor financial control, management of costs and corporate governance in area of specialisation.

Client

• Develop & ensure implementation of a practice that builds service delivery excellence & encourage others to provide exceptional stakeholder service.
• Participate in the specialist practice community and contribute positively to organisation knowledge management.
• Provide authoritative, specialist expertise and advice to internal and external stakeholders.

Behavioural competencies

• Accountability
• Analytical Thinking
• Attention to Detail
• Building Sustainability
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Conceptual Ability
• Developing Others
• Fairness
• Integrity
• Organisational Awareness
• Problem Solving and Analysis
• Respect

Technical competencies

• Business Knowledge
• Court Processes and Procedures
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Efficiency improvement
• Functional Policies and Procedures
• Legal Advisory and Interpretation
• Legal Compliance
• Legal Knowledge and knowledge of ethics
• Legal Writing Skills
• Reporting

Compliance Competency

• GOC Confidential

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.