Ops Manager: Taxpayer Interface at The South African Revenue Service (SARS)

Job Purpose

• To plan, manage and monitor the implementation of Taxpayer Engagement activities and end-to-end processes in the Retail Sector for Large Business & International 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 (NQF 7) in Audit/Accounting/Law/Finance AND 5-7 years' experience in a Taxpayer service environment, of which 1 year at supervisory level.

#Alternative

• Senior Certificate (NQF 4) AND 10 years Taxpayer service environment or similar service environment of which 1 year at supervisory level.

Job Outputs:

Process

• Participate and provide inputs in adhoc projects.
• Engage with relevant stakeholders to facilitate resolution of taxpayer cases.
• Quality assure work done by team members and ensure approvals are done timeously in the system.
• Manage end-to-end query resolution process.
• As an Ops Manager, use judgment to arrive at systematic proficiency where solutions are within precedent and procedures.
• Be observant and engage on possible violations of procedures and standards of conduct and escalate where necessary.
• Conduct root cause analysis of all complaints, make recommendations & identify repeated queries to ensure that the cause of complaints are dealt with.
• Manage team activities to ensure achievement of production targets within the identified quality and turnaround time and standards.
• 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.
• Apply the necessary discretion and judgment in making decisions and overcoming obstacles in order to attain set goals and objectives for area of accountability.
• 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.
• Frequently report on progress of unit and or team against pre-defined objectives and standards, ensuring accurate representation of facts.
• 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.

Governance

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

People

• Allocate cases to team members and ensure resolution within set time frame.
• 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.
• Monitor and actively manage team performance to meet specified objectives against required targets, deadlines and quality standards.

Finance

• Draw up a budget aligned to operational delivery plans, monitor and report on variances.
• Ensure team's adherence to specified policies, standards & procedures to prevent & reduce wastage on financial resources & escalate associated risk.
• Implement, manage and report on cost improvement objectives and communicate or escalate any shortfalls.

Client

• Ensure client satisfaction by engaging and delivering a service that is consistent, seamless, quick and error free.
• Facilitate meetings with taxpayers where necessary.
• Contribute to a culture of customer service excellence, which builds positive relationships & provides opportunity for feedback & exceptional service.
• Develop and implement processes which builds client service delivery excellence and encourages others to provide exceptional service.

Behavioural competencies

• Adaptability  
• Fairness and Transparency
• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Honesty and Integrity
• Conceptual Thinking
• Championing the Mandate
• Influencing Others
• Mobilizing Teams
• Driving for Excellence
• Leveraging Diversity
• 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 and Organizing
• Decisiveness
• Business Acumen
• Customer Understanding
• SARS System Products

Deadline:9th October,2026