Manager: Legal (Centralised Litigation) - Fixed Term Contract (10599) at The South African Revenue Service (SARS)

Job Purpose

• To provide support and input in the management of Legal delivery within the Centralised Litigation function which has a national footprint with respect to revenue litigation matters.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor of Law (NQF7) AND 8-10 years' experience in a litigation environment, including 3-4 years’ experience in managing legal staff

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

• Bachelor of Law (NQF7)
• 8-10 years' experience in a litigation environment
• 3-4 years’ experience in managing legal staff

 Minimum Functional Requirements

• Prior experience working with tax
• Strong litigation experience
• Management of complex litigation projects

Job Outputs:

• Successfully managing litigation staff
• Successfully prosecuting your own litigation caseload

Process

• Act as the driver for the implementation within the context of business unit excellence and performance improvement.
• Conduct assessments and use information to advise, make recommendations and facilitate 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 strategy and delivery plans through the development of operational activities, ensuring the achievement of operational targets.
• Oversee the efficient utilisation of Private counsel for appeals and urgent interdicts, review or declaratory order applications in the High Court.
• Oversee a group of litigators and their litigation case loads.
• Plan for handling work outputs, pull together interdependent activities and specify priorities, standards and procedures to ensure tactical implementation.
• Proactively identify interconnected problems, determine its impact and use to develop best fi t alternatives, implementing best practice solutions.
• Provide periodic reports on performance against plan and progress on short-term initiatives and use to realign tactical plan and objectives appropriately.
• 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 area modification, objective achievement progress and critical success factors to impacted stakeholders.
• Use the insights gained through integrated business reports to measure success and realign tactical strategy implementation objectives appropriately.

Governance

• Implement governance, risk and compliance policy in own practice area to identify and manage governance and risk exposure liability.

People

• Encourage and enable teamwork, by enabling collaboration with others and commitment to pursuing set goals.
• Translate performance expectations into specific metrics and goals to identify and provide effective services, solve problems and achieve objectives.
• Develop & implement appropriate people capacity plans in line with delivery & efficiency targets, on budget & in partnership with specialised area.
• Develop and maintain a team that is capable for operating to their full capability and provide appropriate skills, knowledge and experience

Finance

• Implement and monitor financial control, 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

• Develop and ensure implementation of practices which builds service delivery excellence and encourages others to provide exceptional client service.
• Manage an integrated service excellence culture, which builds rewarding relationships and provides opportunity for feedback and exceptional service.
• Build strong relationships and implement service level agreements that promote SARS with internal and external stakeholders.

Behavioural competencies

• Honesty & Integrity
• Functional Policies and Procedures
• Court Processes and Procedures
• Fairness & Transparency
• Accountability
• Business Acumen
• Decisiveness
• Effective Business Communication
• Legal Advisory and Interpretation
• Legal Compliance
• Planning, Management and Measurement
• Problem Analysis and Judgement
• Ability to translate Strategy into Execution
• Values and Manage Diversity

Technical competencies

• Managerial budgeting
• Tax Knowledge
• Legal Advisory and Interpretation
• Legal knowledge and knowledge of ethics
• Legal compliance
• Planning, management and measurement
• Respect & Trust
• Business Acumen
• Court processes and procedures
• Stewardship and service orientation