Ops Manager: Restricted Taxpayer Unit (RTU) at The South African Revenue Service (SARS)

Job Purpose

• To plan, manage and monitor the implementation of Taxpayer Interface activities and end-to-end processes in order to deliver on approved operational plans and to continuously enhance service delivery

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

• Bachelor's Degree / Advanced Diploma in Tax/Audit/Accounting AND 5-7 years' experience in the tax environment, of which 1 year ideally at supervisory level.

 ALTERNATE

•  Senior Certificate (NQF 4) AND 10 years experience in the tax environment, of which 1 year ideally at the supervisory level.

Minimum Functional Requirements

• Knowledge and experience in at least PIT/PAYE/VAT/Trust/CIT.
• Applicable to a tax audit or taxpayer service environment.

Job Outputs:

Process

• To plan, manage and monitor the implementation of Taxpayer Interface activities and end-to-end processes in order to deliver on approved operational plans and to continuously enhance service delivery.
• Lead and manage the team to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the end-to-end operations within the unit.
• Deliver SARS mandate – RTU deliverables across all business areas.
• Analyse and interpret team results, and make changes in order to continuously improve and optimise
• performance.
• Ensure compliance to applicable legislation and all standard operating procedures and policies applicable to  the business unit.
• Evaluate, collate and analyse information received from various sources to support internal stakeholders with timely and accurate intelligence.
• Guide and manage to resolve complex cases and make recommendations for further actions, when required.
• Frequently report on progress of unit and or team against pre-defined objectives and standards, ensuring accurate representation of facts.
• Accumulate information to report on work progress and use for decision making purposes and the identification of improvement opportunities.
• Apply discretion and judgement to diagnose symptoms, causes and effects and to make decisions to overcome problems and to provide solutions.
• Deploy resources appropriately and anticipate and resolve problems to ensure that tactical targets are achieved within agreed deadlines & standards.
• Ensure procedures, policies and mandates are clearly understood and complied with.
• Ensure the development, alignment and implementation of end-to-end processes within area of accountability for continued process improvement.
• Implement change & provide guidelines to direct reports defining the impact of change, the change itself & new requirements as a result of the change.
• Implement resource plans in line with delivery and performance objectives, on budget and in partnership with specialised areas.
• Link and communicate unit's objectives back to mandate, schedule and prioritise activities and allocate work to meet identified work outputs.
• Manage a work function or unit by focusing on the delivery and achievement of set objectives within specified time frames, costs and standards.
• Plan and organise multiple work outputs by assigning priorities and continuously reviewing objectives and goals.
• Provide input into the development of the tactical strategy as well as develop and implement a supporting operational strategy.
• Apply the necessary discretion and judgment in making decisions and overcoming obstacles in order to attain set goals and objectives for area of accountability.
   

Governance

•  Implement and use governance & compliance procedures & processes effectively to identify and manage risks and expose previously unknown liabilities.
• Understand and implement governance control processes and role segregation requirements in area of accountability.
• Implement risk management, governance and compliance policies and processes to identify and manage risks and expose liabilities. 
   

People

• Coordinating with Facility and Physical Security of SARS and that of Parliament to ensure the office environment is healthy and safe to staff members and approved service provides.
• Continuously assess team performance, provide timely and clear feedback on pre-defined work objectives and provide training where appropriate.
• Drive own performance and development in order to achieve and improve on work outputs in line with required response time, quality and service delivery standards.
• Communicate strategic context that guide best practice, foster an environment of continuous learning & lead to improved employee engagement levels.
• Participate and contribute to a culture of work centric thinking, productivity, service delivery and quality management.
• Monitor and actively manage team performance to meet specified objectives against required targets, deadlines and quality standards.
• Build strong relationships through providing direction and leadership to own team and expressing positive expectations.
• Encourage and enable teamwork, by enabling collaboration with others and commitment to pursuing set goals.
• Implement appropriate people capacity plans in line with delivery and efficiency targets, on budget and in partnership with specialised areas.
   

Finance

• Ensure the recording and safe keeping of all functional assets in accordance with set policy and process.
• Ensure team's adherence to specified policies, standards & procedures to prevent & reduce wastage on financial resources & escalate associated risk.
• Draw up a budget aligned to operational delivery plans, monitor and report on variances.
• Implement, manage and report on cost improvement objectives and communicate or escalate any shortfalls.
   

Client

• To ensure the confidentiality and security of restricted taxpayers’ information in order to maintain the integrity of SARS.
•  Implement continuous improvements and shorter turnaround times in line with Service Level Agreements with stakeholders.
• Manage interdependencies to ensure input and output flow between all teams and divisions and external stakeholders.
• Provide technical support to staff in the execution of their tasks.
• Develop and implement processes which builds client service delivery excellence and encourages others to provide exceptional service.
• Contribute to a culture of customer service excellence, which builds positive relationships & provides opportunity for feedback & exceptional service.
   

Behavioural competencies

• Honesty and Integrity 
• Trust
• Respect
• Honesty and Integrity
• Stakeholder Engagement and Management
• Fairness and Transparency
• Accountability
• Developing Others
• Adaptability
• Conceptual Thinking
• Championing the Mandate
• Service Delivery Innovation
• Creativity
• Influencing Others
• Mobilising Teams
• Driving for Excellence
• Leveraging Divest
• Accurate Understanding
• Resilience
• Problem Solving Analysis
• Attention to Detail
• Building Sustainability
   

Technical competencies

• Functional Policies and Procedures
• Tax Knowledge
• Managerial Budgeting
• Customer Relationship Management
• Reporting
• Operational Audit
• Tax Compliance Auditing
• Effective Business Communication
• Problem Analysis and Judgement
• Planning and Organising
• Decisiveness
• Business Acumen
• SARS Systems Products
   

Compliance Competency

• GOC    Confidential