Regional Lead, Employment Taxes, AME at Standard Chartered Bank

The Role Responsibilities
Summary

• Manage & govern employment tax risk across Africa & Middle East ("the Region"), through advice, compliance, risk management and process design.
• Ensure excellence in design and implementation of employment tax related products, policies and processes in the Region.
• Advise various process owners in the Region on employment tax compliance requirements.
• Partner with Employment Tax Regional Leads to develop & implement a global set of tax risk and governance strategies for the Region.

Governance and Strategy

• Drive and deliver the Group's employment taxes strategy and agenda across the Region.
• Support and input in relation to best practice, risk management and process improvements for the use and delivery of employment tax products in the Region.
• Partnering with Service Delivery to:
  • Ensure appropriate technology is in place to support the Group's financial and regulatory reporting processes and the employee experience.
  • Ensure effective and timely communication to stakeholders, including work knowledge management and provide training and product support / expertise where required.
  • Improve the employee experience.
  • Ensure effective vendor selection and performance and support vendor governance.
• Ensure that all processes that contain inherent employment tax risks are implemented in an effective way and are technically sound from an employment tax perspective (including compliance with UK Senior Accounting Officer requirements).
• Sign off on advice relating to employment tax matters across the Region including the approach, strategy, risks and deliverables to ensure consistency and risk management (required based on risk and materiality).
• Evaluate the competitiveness and effectiveness of the firm's employment tax processes and advice on improvements.

Risk Management

• Actively identify employment tax risks in the Region and work closely with stakeholders to assess and mitigate these risks both operationally and reputationally.
• Advise process owners by designing and implementing effective controls for employment tax compliance within the Region.
• Managing the Bank's employment tax risk rating with tax authorities in the Region (as applicable).
• Educate and provide training to stakeholders on employment taxes risk and awareness.

Customer, stakeholder & business relationships

• Work with International Mobility, Service Delivery, Performance Reward & Benefits, Group Finance, Tax, Treasury and Corporate Secretariat teams to ensure that the employment tax processes in the Region are effective, compliant with external reporting regulations and demonstrate best practice in terms of corporate governance.
• Proactively work with various stakeholders in the Region to ensure that employment tax risks are appropriately considered where required.
• Assist to maintain positive relationships with external stakeholders (e.g. auditors, regulators, tax authorities etc) in relation to employment tax matters.
• Engage and support internal stakeholders across the Region to help drive the implementation of business initiatives in compliance with employment taxes rules.
• Manage relationship with CFOs and Country Tax Managers in the Region.
• Manage relationships with tax vendors and other relevant external parties to ensure the effective delivery of employment tax risk management across the Region.
• Responsible for managing escalations on employment tax matters across the Region.
• Assist the Group Employment Taxes Specialist in all aspects of employment taxes as required, including preparing papers and advice and contributing to the Group PRB agenda.

Leadership and teamwork

• Build and maintain a partnership with Employment Tax Regional Leads to ensure a consistent and effective approach to employment tax risk management across to the Bank's footprint.
• Develop and manage the Employment Tax team for the Region.

Regulatory specific

• Not responsible for the execution of day to day process of employment tax reporting and compliance (carried out by Service Delivery and a number of third-party providers) however works closely with Service Delivery and PRB Specialists to ensure Group requirements are delivered in the Region.

Tax authority relationships

• Manage employment tax relationship with tax regulatory bodies (incl. South African Revenue Service [SARS] in the South Africa and Kenya Revenue Authority [KRA] in Kenya, plus other tax authorities/professional bodies) across the Region.
• Primary point of contact for SARS, KRA etc in terms of all employment taxes matters including tax audits, business risk reviews, discoveries and disclosures.
• Technical sign off on employment tax related correspondence with tax authorities in the Region.

Regulatory & Business Conduct

• Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group's Values and Code of Conduct.
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.
• Proactively identify risks in processes including any horizon risks and ensure these are escalated to the Group Employment Tax Specialist and raised in the HR NFRC / TRC meetings.
• Ensure that operational processes have the appropriate controls in place to satisfy external regulation and internal policy requirements.
• Take proactive steps to enhance technical knowledge and remain up to date with tax legislation, guidance and market best practice across the Region (this includes attending employment tax related seminars, webinars, workshops etc as appropriate).
• Registered as a Tax Practitioner with SARS

Our Ideal Candidate

• Registered as a Tax Practitioner with SARS
• Demonstrable knowledge of Employment Taxes in South Africa is essential
• Demonstrable knowledge of Employment Taxes in the Rest of Africa & the Middle East
• Previous dealings with SARS and other tax authorities in technical negotiations
• Exposure to Tax Authority audits
• Understanding of complex Employment Tax cross-border issues (Expenses/benefits/termination payments/travel and subsistence/employment status, deferred compensation etc.)
• Strong Stakeholder Management