Senior Manager: Tax Strategy Planning and Transfer Pricing at MTN

Mission/ Core purpose of the Job
The Senior Manager: Tax Strategy Planning & Transfer Pricing is responsible to ensure optimal tax benefits for the Finco Group by applying sound tax management planning and principles within global and national legislative guidelines.

Key Responsibilities of the role include:

• Support the development of Group Corporate Tax Strategy
• Responsible to manage Tax Planning and Effective Tax Rate Management
• Responsible to maintain, cascade and monitor the Group Tax Strategy and Policy in conjunction with Group/Manco Tax and Opco Tax teams
• Accountable for Corporate Tax Planning for HQ entities, related tax resident entities and special registered entities
• Responsible to manage Transfer Pricing for the Group

Key Performance Areas: Core, essential responsibilities / outputs of the position (KPA's) (1/2)
Strategy Development and Implementation

• Lead the creation of the sub-functional strategy in line with the overarching business goals
• Ensure effective implementation of the strategy by means of providing direction, structure, frameworks, models, plans and roadmaps
• Oversee regular review of the functional strategy and roadmap to ensure its alignment with the changing dynamics of the internal and external ecosystem

Operational Delivery

Tax Strategy and Policy

• Support the GM: Tax to formulate, refine and manage Tax Strategy and plan for Group Finco entities, resident entities and other specialized business entities to ensure compliance, prudence and to improve group tax position and rates
• Support effective cascading, articulation and implementation of the tax strategy through business plans, operations and structure for Group Finco entities, resident entity and other specialized business entities
• Manage tax strategies and monitor tax applications for Cash Upstreaming activities.
• Advising on upstreaming tax accounting and managing related remittances
• Identification of opportunities for benefits and savings realizations emanating from cash upstreaming activities
• Execute on policy governance requirements for consensus and approval of Exco, Group Audit Committee & Board of Directors, as required.
• Maintain appropriate governance/oversight and cascade, to ensure alignment of Group Tax strategy and policy with the respective Opcos/Entities
• Develop and periodically refresh the tax strategy and plan
• Support Opcos with localization of in-country tax policies within the guardrails of the Group Finco Tax policy and MTN Group
• Review and provide input for successful implementation of tax strategies, policies and frameworks, in conjunction with specialized Tax CoEs in Manco
• Keep updated with respective tax laws and best practices to periodically advice and recommend revisions to the tax strategy and policy
• Support definition, measurement and evaluation of Group Tax KPIs for the respective Opco/Entity CFOs

Group Finco Tax Budgeting & Forecasting

• Prepare and monitor consolidated Group tax budget and forecasts based on local inputs on tax budgets & forecasts from the Opcos
• Review and provide input to Opco tax budgets and forecasts and in-line with the local taxation regulations, Group taxation policies and other statutory requirements
• Conduct periodic reviews, analyze variations and recommend measures, with respect to Group tax forecasts, budgets an actual
• Compute and monitor Group Management Services (GMS) effective tax rate (ETR). Provide advice and recommend measures to Executive Leaders, as required, to manage desired Group Effective Tax rate
• Monitor local Opco submission of tax computations (current tax computation, deferred tax computation and effective tax rate reconciliation) by the Opcos
• Review income tax assessments performed for the Group entities
• Provide inputs for finance structuring and financial planning with respect to corporate tax payments
• Collaborate with the Group Treasury team to effectively manage cash flows for tax payments
• Provide inputs to effectively manage the cash losses with respect to any tax assessment and recommend appropriate mitigating strategies.

Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies)
Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance and / or equivalent Post graduate degree in Finance and/or equivalent professional qualification (preferred)
• Chartered Accountant (SA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants or equivalent

Experience:

• 8 – 10 years of relevant experience in finance or senior business management roles
• 3 – 5 years of relevant working managerial experience in tax domain
• Technical Experience in Corporate Taxation, Litigations, Disputes and Negotiations
• Experience in leading change / transformation (Tax)
• Experience in continuous improvement through the implementation of best practices (Tax)
• Worked across diverse cultures and geographies
• Pan Africa multi-cultural experience is advantageous

Competencies:

Functional Knowledge:

• Tax risk management
• Stakeholder management
• Tax Operations, Audit and Compliance
• Tax Strategy, Planning and Forecasting
• Withholding Taxes
• Tax Disputes, Litigations, Controversy and Negotiations
• Tax leading practices and trends
• Project management
• GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles)
• IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards)

Skills

• Business Acumen
• Analytics and Interpretation
• Strategic Thinking
• Organizational Agility
• Digital mind-set
• Dealing with ambiguity and complexity
• Decision Making
• Conflict Management
• Negotiation
• Financial and Numerical
• Project Management
• People Management
• Executive Presentation

Behavioural Qualities

• Adaptable
• Complete candour