Senior Manager - Accounting and Complex Tax Solutions

Role Overview

Lead complex accounting assignments, support tax-dispute and tax-debt-resolution matters, and build a scalable accounting practice. This is a technically demanding role involving incomplete records, disputed assessments, complex group structures, multinational transactions, financial distress and significant revenue-authority exposure.

Duties and Responsibilities

Complex Accounting and Financial Analysis

• Reconstruct accounting records where source information is incomplete, inconsistent or unreliable.
• Analyse general ledgers, trial balances, bank statements, tax returns, contracts, intercompany accounts and supporting documentation.
• Resolve difficult reconciliations and identify unexplained balances, duplicate entries, unsupported transactions and incorrect tax treatment.
• Prepare or review annual financial statements, management accounts, cash-flow forecasts, solvency assessments and financial models.
• Analyse related-party transactions, shareholder loans, group-company balances, cross-border flows and complex revenue or expense classifications.
• Identify accounting, tax, governance and commercial risks before work is submitted.
• Translate technical findings into clear recommendations for clients, attorneys and senior decision-makers.

Tax Disputes and Complex Case Preparation

• Lead accounting and evidentiary analysis for objections, appeals, audits, verifications, requests for reasons and other SARS disputes.
• Build complete matter files containing indexed evidence, reconciliations, transaction schedules, source-document references, chronologies and quantified findings.
• Test whether explanations are supported by accounting records and underlying evidence.
• Identify weaknesses, inconsistencies and missing information and recommend a defensible corrective strategy.
• Prepare schedules and financial analyses that can withstand review by SARS, counsel, external experts or a court.
• Work with tax attorneys on dispute strategy and ensure the financial evidence supports the legal position.

Tax Debt Resolution

• Prepare the financial workstream for section 200 tax debt-compromise applications and related SARS debt engagements.
• Analyse assets, liabilities, income, expenditure, cash flow, future earning capacity and connected-person transactions.
• Prepare affordability models, recovery comparisons and settlement scenarios.
• Assemble supporting documentation and resolve discrepancies before submission.
• Assess whether a compromise, deferred payment arrangement, dispute, remission request or another mechanism is supported by the facts.
• Monitor compliance requirements and information requests throughout the SARS process.

Practice Building and Leadership

• Design a scalable accounting service offering for complex businesses, professionals and high-value clients.
• Establish standard operating procedures, review controls, templates, matter-planning methods and file-quality standards.
• Develop pricing, resourcing and delivery models that produce sustainable revenue and acceptable margins.
• Build a pipeline through client relationships, referral networks and cross-service collaboration.
• Recruit, train and supervise accounting personnel.
• Review team output and remain accountable for technical quality, deadlines, budgets and client communication.
• Contribute to growth strategy and identify new accounting, tax and advisory opportunities.

Experience and Qualifications

• Relevant accounting qualification and recognised professional designation such as CA(SA), AGA(SA), PA(SA), ACCA or comparable qualification.
• At least eight years' accounting, tax, audit, financial-reporting or advisory experience, including meaningful responsibility for complex engagements.
• Proven record of resolving technically difficult accounting or tax matters.
• Strong knowledge of South African accounting, tax administration and financial-reporting requirements.
• Practical experience with SARS audits, verifications, disputes or tax-debt matters.
• Experience preparing complex reconciliations, financial models, evidentiary schedules and decision-ready reports.
• Experience dealing with senior clients, legal advisers, revenue authorities, auditors or other professional stakeholders.
• Ability to manage high-stakes matters against deadlines without compromising accuracy.
• Strong written communication and ability to explain complex findings clearly.
• Advanced working knowledge of accounting systems, Excel and financial-data analysis.
• Registration as a SARS tax practitioner, or eligibility and willingness to register where required.
• Experience with multinational groups, cross-border transactions, restructuring, distressed businesses, forensic accounting or complex shareholder arrangements is advantageous.