Group Head of Tax at Diageo

Job Purpose

The purpose of this the role is to partner with the business to drive the execution of the tax strategies, policies and governance framework across Diageo.  Proactively engage with business partners with a commercial mind-set to generate opportunities and to deliver robust tax risk management and mitigation plans.  Support the tax compliance agenda. Support the business strategy and operational activity. Lead the EABL tax team.

Job dimensions: The areas of the business you will support and who you will work with.

EABL is a leading drinks company in Eastern Africa with a wide portfolio of products in various categories of beer, spirits, malt, glass and other non-alcoholic drinks. EABL is quoted in all the 3 East African stock exchanges and has operations in Eastern Africa with a turnover of over £553m. It is the largest business unit in Diageo Africa, and directly operates 5 breweries, 2 spirits plants as well as a barley & malting facility. EABL operates within a multicultural, multinational, and multicurrency environment.

You will lead a team of about 4 full time employees across the East Africa region. Together with your team, your key interactions will be:

1. Finance Business partners and operational teams (including Finance Directors and Financial Controllers) together with Legal Directors, Corporate Relation Directors and Managing Directors: You will be required to develop and maintain a strong working relationship keeping up to date with business priorities and developments and acting as a trusted business advisor in order to challenge and support the markets in improving overall tax management. In addition, you will be required to keep the business up to date with the implications of any tax/regulatory changes and advises in a timely manner on best course of action by the business to ensure compliance with tax laws and regulations while also factoring the business strategies.
2. Tax Compliance, Reporting teams: Collaborate with the relevant tax Centre of Excellence team to provide high quality, timely tax activities and outcomes to the business
3. All East Africa tax authorities, departments and other relevant public institutions: Hold strong relationships with all tax bodies and proactively engage them on speedy resolution of any tax audits or tax enquiries
4. Payroll taxes and Customs & Excise Duty teams: Liaise as appropriate with the teams responsible for payroll taxes and for customs & excise taxes in resolution of any audits/assessments relating to these taxes.
5. Governance & Change: Support delivery of changes/improvements relating to tax.
6. External Advisors: Support the relationship with external tax advisors and hold them to account for the delivery of timely, cost effective and value adding tax advice.

Job accountabilities: What you will be responsible for.

1. Tax Compliance and Reporting: Support your team to work with the tax compliance, financial and reporting obligations of the markets. Collaborate with tax compliance teams and advisors to provide high quality, accurate, timely computation, payment and accounting for various taxes and application agreed global standard processes/governance framework. Support your team to execute specific tax related processes/activities following agreed global standard processes and governance framework and identify opportunities for standardisation and simplification. Support the EABL business with their tax reporting obligations including ETR management.
2. External Relationships: Leadership and ownership of key relationships with all East African tax authorities in order to implement strategy and address tax audits/queries. Where necessary, this will involve liaison with the separate payroll teams. Own the relationship with external tax advisors and hold them to account for the delivery of timely, cost effective and value add tax advice.
3. Finance Business partnership: Develop and maintain a strong working relationship and keeping up to date with business priorities and developments, act as a trusted business advisor in order to challenge and support the markets in improving overall tax management. Advise, guide and educate market stakeholders on key tax issues to enable the business to adopt and adhere to relevant tax policies and standards, and mitigate tax risk.
4. Value Creation and Risk Management: Advise, guide and educate stakeholders on key tax issues to enable the business to adopt and adhere to relevant tax policies and standards, and mitigate tax risk.
5. Seek opportunities for standardisation and simplification. Thorough risk assessment of the East African entities’ tax positions and development of optimal strategy and communication of key issues to key stakeholders. Identify tax risks and opportunities and recommend actions. Active engagement in the management and monitoring of market tax risks.
6. Governance & Change:  Support delivery of internal or external changes. Provide tax support to market-initiated projects e.g., innovation to ensure tax strategies and policies are adhered to and opportunities to deliver tax efficiencies are identified and fully evaluated.
7. Training/Capability building: Keep up to date with tax law changes and best practice and provide legislative update to tax compliance/reporting teams.

Qualifications and Experience

• 1st degree in business related studies
• Professional membership of relevant tax bodies (legal/chartered accountancy)
• Experience within a tax function in a global multinational or a tax advisory firm preferred
• Extensive experience of managing tax audits
• Broad understanding of key domestic and international tax issues
• At least 10 years post qualification experience of leadership within a tax function in a multinational (preferred) or a tax advisory firm
• Wide experience in taxation within East Africa, Africa and Global.
• Application of tax knowledge to commercial agenda
• Sound judgement regarding acceptable levels of tax risks

Skills

• Excellent technical tax skills across both direct and indirect taxes (particularly customs and excise)
• Effective project management and implementation skills
• Excellent tax reporting and accounting skills
• Excellent stakeholder management skills
• Good team working and communication skills across diverse cultures
• Able to manage risk
• Able to embed compliance and ethics