Senior Specialist: Engineering (Innovation and Solutioning x 5) 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, identifying and conceptualising innovation solution designs, the incubation of concepts (e.g., prototyping, piloting, etc.) and implementation of solution designs.

The outcomes are utilised to define product features, 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.

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

Honours  / Postgraduate Diploma (NQF 8) in Industrial Engineering; Computer Science and Min. 10-12 years' experience in an innovation, design, and technology environment, of which 3-4 years at a specialist level.

Alternative#

Relevant bachelor’s degree / Advanced Diploma (NQF 7) in Industrial Engineering or Computer Science and 15 years’ experience in an innovation, design, and technology environment, of which 3-4 years at a specialist level.

Job Outputs:

Process

Innovation

• Collaborate with local and international owners, partners and stakeholders
• Conduct local and international research and benchmarking
• Develop, socialise and publish fore-sighting reports
• Draft idea elevator pitches
• Understand business problem using data driven approach
• Design Innovation Solutions
• Draft Innovation Business Cases
• Build, test and demonstrate prototype
• Manage prototype governance
• Track solution benefits

Solutioning

• Build relationships with Business, Product and Segment Owners
• Build stakeholder and partner networks
• Assess the strategic landscape
• Draft or facilitate the drafting of modernisation and solution strategies
• (5-10-year horizon)
• Socialise modernisation and solution strategies
• Analyse and understand problems
• Collaborate on the detailed designs
• Draft Business Cases
• Participate in the development and testing cycle
• Track solution benefits

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.

Finance

• Implement and monitor financial control, management of costs and corporate governance in area of accountability
• Adhere to organisational policies and procedures to ensure cost effectiveness and reduction of financial costs.

Client

• Build strong relationships and develop service level agreements that promote SARS with internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage an integrated service excellence culture, which builds rewarding relationships and provides opportunity for feedback and exceptional service.
• 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

• Honesty and Integrity
• Fairness and Transparency
• Accountability
• Problem Solving and Analysis
• Conceptual thinking
• Influencing others
• Driving Excellence
• Leveraging diversity
• Accurate understanding
• Building sustainability

Technical competencies

• Strategic Planning
• Tax Knowledge
• Effective Business Communication
• Problem analysis and judgement
• Planning management and measurement
• Decisiveness
• Business acumen
• Functional Policies and Procedures

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.

Compliance Competency

• GOC Secret