Specialist: Engineering: Fore sighting and Innovation (x2) at The South African Revenue Service (SARS)

Job Purpose

• To facilitate the adoption of new leading edge ‘Game Changer’ concepts in support of the SARS Vision 2024 enterprise strategy. This is achieved through research and benchmarking, participating in open collaboration networks, crafting and socialisation the ‘SARS of the Future’ or ‘Tax, Customs and Excise 3.0’ concepts, identifying and conceptualising organisational innovation focus areas, and incubation of these concepts through prototyping/piloting. These concepts are informed by predicting, creating and leading the future SARS by applying the Fore-sighting skills of Anticipation, Innovation and Strategy, to propose, influence or alter product, process, segment and service strategies, goals, plans and actions in support of the SARS Vision.
• The outcomes are utilised to define product features and develop their implementation roadmaps in the SARS business architecture and business solutions landscape, and ensure that the designs support the achievement of sustainable business results, including the provision of design and implementation support and conducting stakeholder engagement.

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant Bachelor's Degree / Advanced Diploma (NQF 7): Industrial Engineering, preferably augmented by a qualification or further studies in Future Studies, Fore-sighting or Innovation Research AND 8-10 years' experience in a similar environment, of which 3-4 years must be at operational specialist level

OR

• Senior Certificate (NQF 4) preferably augmented by a qualification or further studies in Future Studies, Fore-sighting or Innovation Research AND 15 year’s related experience, of which 3-4 years must be at operational specialist level

Job Outputs

• Ability
• The ability to identify patterns or connections between situations that are not obviously related and to identify key or underlying issues
• The ability to anticipate scenarios
• This is the ability to formulate new concepts based on information gathered
• Ability to determine trends from raw data to assist decision-making in various aspects of work at SARS
• The ability to take all relevant details into account to ensure that a task is completed to required standards
   

Knowledge

• Knowledge of innovation, industry and technology trends
• Understand a situation or problem by breaking it into smaller pieces/tracing the implications of situation in a step-by-step way
• Knowledge of own organisations, policies, procedures, services, products and business operating models
• The knowledge and interpretation of the functional policies and procedures, including monitoring their consistent application internally within SARS.
   

Process

• Conduct innovation research and benchmarking
• Conduct fore-sighting i.e. anticipate plausible futures
• Manage the business ideation process
• Conduct and/or facilitate innovation prototypes, simulations and pilots of emerging business trends
• Craft innovation conceptual designs
• Design and maintain the ‘SARS of the Future’ model
• Ensure that business requirements are clearly identified, prioritized and satisfied by appropriate technical and or business process solutions.
• Accumulate information to review work progress that provides input to reporting, decision making and the identification of improvement opportunities.
• Apply practical and applied knowledge and act authoritatively on methods, systems and procedures to identify trends and potential risks.
• Communicate situational interpretation and judgement of work outputs and queries in area of specialisation.
• Correctly apply policies, practices, standards, procedures and legislation in the delivery of work outputs.
• Draw on own knowledge and experience to diagnose symptoms, causes and possible effects in order to solve emerging problems.
• Initiate process and procedural change, implement the change and provide guidelines and support related to new requirements as a result of the change.
• Plan for value-added process improvements, initiatives and services to deliver on operational strategy and objectives.
• Execute specialist input through investigation &opportunities within the product process including risk concern.
• Analyse and review legislative changes and practically translate these pieces of legislation for scoping consumption.
• Provide business design and engineering support to institutionalise process initiatives.
• Design, model and document business design specifications.
• Apply and utilise systems in a manner that ensures efficient and effective service delivery, optimised quality, financial accuracy and calculation.
• Contribute to the successful implementation of change initiatives by providing support in area of work.
• Apply processes to improve data validation across service delivery systems in line with operational targets.
   

Governance

• Implement and provide input into the development of governance, compliance, integrity and ethics processes within area of specialisation.
• Ensure that completed work adhere to relevant policies, procedures, governance and legislative requirements and report on deviations & discrepancies. 
   

People

• Develop and maintain productive working relationships with peers and team members to achieve predefined objectives.
• Search for, integrate and share new knowledge attained through formal and informal learning opportunities in the execution of your job.
• Enable a culture where information regarding successes, issues, trends and ideas are actively shared between team members.
   

Finance

• Adhere to organisational policies and procedures to ensure cost effectiveness and reduction of financial costs.
   

Client

• Contribute to a culture of service excellence, which builds positive relationships and provides opportunity for feedback and exceptional service.
• Provide authoritative, specialist services, expertise and advice to internal and external stakeholders. 
   

Behavioural Competencies:

• Accountability
• Analytical Thinking
• Attention to Detail
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Conceptual Ability & Competence
• Inquisitive
• Problem Solving & Analysis
   

Technical Competencies:

• Innovation driven research & benchmarking
• Anticipation
• Idea incubation
• Innovation concept development
• Business Knowledge
• Capacity Planning
• Institutional Process Analysis & Redesign
• Process Auditing
• Reporting