Senior Tax Manager at Diageo

Tax

The Tax job family encompasses global roles accountable for the design and implementation of tax strategies, policies and the tax governance framework.  It also includes the provision of tax support to Diageo’s business units, delivery of projects to create shareholder value, and proactive management and mitigation of key tax risks.

About the Role

The Senior Tax Manager – Africa will 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 business strategy and operational activity

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

Reporting to the Europe and Africa Tax Director you will be part of business partnering team for the Africa markets and 17+ entities throughout Africa.  The role is part of Diageo’s response to tax digitization challenges across all regions and tax types (direct and indirect) and part of delivering the step change required to ensure Diageo’s tax function remains in line with its peer group.

As Senior Tax Manager Africa you will manage the direct and indirect tax affairs of your assigned markets, but you will also be the single point of contact for those areas that are not directly handled by a market specific tax business partner, where you will engage with and a guide network of tax professionals and third parties who are involved in tax compliance and/or advisory activities for these markets.

Key Interactions:

• Finance Business partners and operational teams – 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
• Specialist finance functions – Collaborate with finance functions as required to deliver end to end finance services to markets
• Tax Compliance, Reporting teams – Collaborate to provide high quality, timely tax activities and outcomes to the business
• Governance & Change – Support delivery of changes / improvements
• Tax Authorities – Contribute to, and in some cases lead, the management of the relationship and discussions with authorities on tax audits or tax enquiries
• External Advisors – Support, and in some cases lead, the relationship with external tax advisors and hold them to account for the delivery of timely, cost effective and value add tax advice

What you will be responsible for: 

• Active leadership of the management and monitoring of market tax risks, including taking action to detect and solve issues and deal with implementing and where necessary mitigating the impact of legislative changes.
• 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.
• Execute specific tax related processes/activities following agreed global standard processes and governance framework and identify opportunities for standardization and simplification.
• Support the tax compliance, financial and reporting obligations of the markets.
• Provide tax support to market-initiated projects to ensure tax strategies and policies are adhered to and opportunities to deliver tax efficiencies are identified and fully evaluated.
• Participate in tax projects to deliver shareholder value/mitigate tax risks.
• Provide support to the market, and in some cases lead, tax audits and tax enquiries including working with legal to resolve any tax related disputes.
• Perform administrative procedures as required before the Tax Authorities in time and proper legal form, maintaining an excellent relationship with the authorities.

The qualifications and experience you will bring:

• Tax or accounting qualification
• Experience within a tax function in a global multinational or a tax advisory firm preferred
• Experience of managing tax audits
• Broad understanding of key domestic and international tax issues
• At least 8 years tax experience
• Excellent English spoken and written (French also helpful but not essential)

The skills you will need: 

• Effective project management and implementation skills
• Good team working and communication skills across diverse cultures
• Capable of adapting policies across several territories
• Able to manage risk
• Able to embed compliance and ethics
• Tax Governance and Reporting