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The Tax Director is a member of the tax leadership team responsible for all tax matters in the Southern Africa, East West Africa, NALI, Israel, Arabia and TUI regions. Tax matters include meeting all statutory obligations for all taxes in all countries, meeting all local and global reporting obligations and implementing local, regional and global tax planning initiatives in line with Unilever’s tax principles in order to realise a Competitive Effective Tax Rate (ETR), optimise Unilever’s indirect tax position and optimise the tax contribution to Unilever’s free cash flow. The Tax Director partners One Unilever and Business Group Led operations in the geography, and reports to the VP, Tax Markets and Expertise. This role requires a strategic thinker with deep expertise in tax planning, compliance, risk management and being capable of navigating complex regulatory environments and driving finance performance. The successful candidate will work closely with senior leadership to align tax strategies with Unilever’s overall business objectives.
Job Responsibility:
Management of the tax function and relationships
Identify and execute local tax planning opportunities, regarding both direct and indirect taxes
Business partners the National Finance leads and General Managers in the relevant countries
Compliance with all tax obligations in the countries including but not limited to corporate income tax, transfer pricing, indirect tax, and withholding taxes
Risk management, controls and reporting
Organises the tax function of the countries with internal, BPO and external resources
Addresses training / education needs of local resources, implementing the tax development and training agenda
Ensures adequate external resources are available in all countries
Develops the peer network in the countries
Managing relationships with the tax authorities in the countries
Represents Unilever tax advocacy interests through active engagement with the relevant tax authority and industry organisations
Supports the planning and execution of business restructures and entity rationalisation
Executes projects concerning tax planning, optimisation of capital, reserves and debt structuring
Takes initiatives for projects concerning local tax planning in the countries
Implements global and regional projects in the countries
Monitors tax efficiency of the capital structure in the countries
Manages the continuous improvement of the quality and efficiency of compliance processes in the countries
Manages ETR and cash tax in the countries through initiatives that reduce withholding taxes and non-deductibles
Provides strategic tax advice to senior leadership and the board of directors for companies in the geography on the tax impact of business strategy and decisions as well as day to day operations
Monitors and advises on changes in tax legislation in the geography and the impact on the company
Supports regional projects (SC, treasury, global contracts etc) by advising on the tax aspects thereof relevant to the countries
Monitors, supports and advises on transfer pricing issues in countries
Advises on cross-border tax issues (transfer pricing, withholding taxes, tax deductibility etc) relevant to the countries
Contributes actively to the global tax agenda and supports the implementation of the Global Tax Strategy in the countries
Supports the M&A teams in due diligence and executing in country M&A projects
Is responsible for the delivery of tax compliance for all taxes in the geography
Monitors level of compliance and adequacy of tax controls in the countries
Understands implications of changes in tax laws on business operations in order to ensure accurate and timely tax compliance
Ensures that adequate documentation / data is created and maintained for tax planning and audit purposes
Negotiates audit settlements consistent with Unilever’s overall tax strategy
Is responsible for tax litigation, including pro-active assessment of financial costs vs benefits of tax litigation
Monitors and manages significant contingent tax issues and reports to senior management in country and in group tax
Provides information to the centre, supports development of annual and quarterly forecasts for ETR and cash tax
Monitors and supports countries with significant audit issues
Provides technical expertise to ensure accurate tax booking/accounting
Ensures that tax reporting under IFRS is well understood in the relevant countries
Responsible for tax reserves/provisions
Coordinates support documentation for tax audits
Interacts with tax authorities
Interacts with Internal Audit teams
Ensures compliance with global controls framework related to tax processes
Conducts regular tax risk assessments and implements corrective actions as needed
Requirements:
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field
a Master's degree or professional certification (e.g., CPA, CFA) is preferred
Relevant experience in tax management, with a proven track record of leadership in a multinational corporation
Strong knowledge of international tax laws, regulations, and best practices
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with senior management and external stakeholders
Ability to ensure Tax remains connected to business operations to manage tax risks and take advantage of tax opportunities
High level of integrity, professionalism, and ethical standards