A leading financial services firm is seeking a highly analytical and detail-oriented Client Investment Tax Lead to drive data integrity, tax reporting accuracy, and compliance across multiple investment platforms. This role plays a key part in designing and executing data quality controls and ensuring timely and accurate tax submissions across both in-house and outsourced platforms.
Key Responsibilities:
Client and Product Tax Oversight:
- Support the Operations and Tax teams in ensuring accurate client tax reporting, including IT3 reporting, withholding tax, PAYE, and life company five-fund tax.
- Develop and execute comprehensive test plans for tax reports such as:
- IT3(b), IT3(c)
- IRP5 and IT3(a) (payroll-related)
- Conduct continuous monitoring of data for quality issues, escalating and driving remediation within operational teams.
- Review business rules, forms, and system inputs to ensure alignment with tax reporting requirements.
- Oversee and test PAYE calculations and payroll submissions for Living Annuity income.
- Validate SARS directive deductions and ensure proper payroll reporting.
- Review and test:
- Capital gains/losses calculations
- Complex corporate actions
- False disposal cases (e.g., fund class switches, transfers)
- Fund income distributions and dividends
Endowment and Sinking Fund Tax Reviews:
- Oversee tax deduction calculations for share portfolios (PSPs) in endowment structures.
- Review and test capital gains tax calculations and end-of-year adjustments.
- Assist in testing system changes impacting client and five-fund tax.
Offshore Platform Tax Compliance (PWP):
- Manage IRS Qualified Intermediary (QI) compliance including:
- 1042, 1042-S, and 1099 filings
- Withholding tax testing and validation
- Data collation and submissions (in collaboration with Guernsey)
FATCA & CRS Compliance:
- Develop and implement a FATCA/CRS data testing programme.
- Identify and remediate data issues with operations teams.
- Submit accurate FATCA/CRS reports to SARS and Guernsey (via IGOR system).
Requirements:
Qualifications:
- BCom Accounting or equivalent.
- HDip Tax or Postgraduate Tax qualification.
Experience & Competencies:
- Solid understanding of financial products, including:
- LISP products: discretionary investments, RAs, living annuities, preservation funds, TFSA, endowment policies
- Financial instruments: unit trusts, ETFs, direct shares
- Strong knowledge of tax regulations and accounting principles
- Experience in tax reporting (IT3, PAYE, FATCA, CRS, IRS QI)
- Proficient in data analysis and testing:
- SQL and advanced Excel
- Able to design test scenarios, identify anomalies, and resolve data issues
- Experience with outsourced platforms (e.g., Peresec) and international filings is a plus
Personal Attributes:
- Highly analytical and numerate
- Structured and logical thinker
- Proactive and self-motivated with a strong sense of ownership
- Comfortable working across tax, operations, and technology teams