Team Lead, taxEmerson Electric Asia Ltd. ROHQ

The position exists for the purpose of managing the regulatory compliance on Withholding and Value-Added Tax within Middle East and Africa, improve team productivity, efficiency by influencing, motivating and guiding direct reports to their optimum performance; and develop process improvements and innovation to increase efficiency and provide avenue for tax savings. Applies appropriate internal controls, related Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) policy and Emerson Company Policy & Procedure.
Responsibilities:
Functional Expertise
Acts as back-up if volume is high
Disseminates product/process updates to staff
Responds timely and accurately to the escalations of the Level 1 support
Anticipates and foresees the requirements of customers based on previous data and precedents
Takes pro-active responsibilities in dealing with customers
Trains new hires and ensures that they have sufficient knowledge and skills before going live or performing their work alone/independently
Withholding Tax (WHT) and VAT Compliance
1st level of review on the draft return prior submission to Site Controllers for filing and payment
Monitor and follow through Site Finance compliance on deadlines to avoid incurrence of penalties and audit exposure
Identify and devise measures and improvements to ease up submission of Tax data packs to the gov't regulatory body
Analyse data trends of VAT and WHT submission through comparison of categories, understand drivers of fluctuation and propose recommendation for improvement on transaction treatment and routing to reduce Tax costs (Tax Avoidance).
Collection of WHT Tax Certificate
2nd level of escalation on collection of Tax Certificates
Performs analysis and review of uncollected certificates in comparison to Customer credit standing to determine possible risk and Financial exposure
Propose provisions on possible Financial losses
Devise measures to mitigate risk of non-collection through collaboration with the Local Site Finance, Collection and Order admin group
Tax Refund and Disputes
Act as a reviewer on the documentation for Tax refunds prior submission to the gov't for filing
Provides clarification on audit questions and feedback
Follow-through status of disputes and refund until local revenue decision are released
Reconciliation and Reporting
Review and certify details of schedules in Blackline
Approve tax entries affecting Financials to correct tax account schedules and balance
Customer Satisfaction
Generates reports based on team deliverables and present to management and counterparts
Escalates specific issues and provides recommendation to customers to address them
Assists direct reports in resolution of escalations on the area of specific support
Identifies problems, analyzes trends and implements corrective and preventive actions using quality tools
Schedules, coordinates and facilitates customer communication
Works closely with counterparts/POCs to identify loopholes and process gaps
Support projects related to quality improvement (such as Think Customer, QMS, etc.) and handles ad hoc tasks to support the objectives of the management
Participates in business conference calls
Internal Operations Management
Ensures the Service Level Agreements are on target.
Participates in goal-setting review to ensure challenging and stretched goals and assignments for the team in support of the overall business
Accountable for the on-time and proper recruitment to fill job vacancies to ensure service levels and appropriate staffing are carried on (business continuity)
Submits period reports on metrics/KPIs/Dashboards to determine performance against the SLAs of the team.
Performs staffing projection complementing work volume growth and forecast and make necessary proposals to business unit.
Monitors schedules of employees to ensure proper shift coverage
Plans, assigns and directs work to the employees in cooperation with the supervisor or manager to manage workload and projects
Analyzes, explains and addresses variances between current and target performance
Implements policies on the filing, documenting and approval of time and attendance administration
Identifies and documents changes in the roles, responsibilities, accountabilities and work load of employees to properly determine volume headcount ratio, work scope
Staff Management and Development
Evaluates individual performance and conducts performance discussions to keep everyone on track
Performs regular coaching to enhance the performance of staff and encourage participation in decision making.
Adheres to the regularization, performance appraisal, quarterly performance appraisal, rewards and recognition and other people related policies and guidelines.
Determines employee's capabilities and improvement areas
Identifies functional /behavioral training & development needs of employees to support team goals and objectives
Completes individual development plans of employees based on the company guidelines and implements agreed training/ development activities
Monitors effectiveness of the development plan and supports employees in the application of learning to the job
Plans, organizes and coordinates team activities to enhance team camaraderie and employee engagement
Monitors adherence to the ethics and code of conduct and implements disciplinary action in compliance with the requirement for due process
Internal Communication
Understands and seeks critical information and data needed by the team
Communicates policies, programs and decisions that affect employees
Uses effective communication tools like flow charts, process flows, diagrams, etc. to effectively communicate products, processes, business and team performance, and others
Conducts team meetings to address issues and concerns, escalations, improve processes and others
Collaborates and networks with other leads to complete assigned projects and programs
Keeps management informed and updated on matters affecting their team morale and performance
Requirements:
Bachelor's Degree in Accountancy or any Accounting related degree
At least 6 years work experience tax accounting, reporting, statutory and regulatory compliance, Value-Added Tax (VAT), general and intercompany accounting, fixed assets, Financial Statement preparation, internal control and audit preferably in a shared service, business process outsourcing environment or auditing firm.
General knowledge on Internal Control and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
High competence in usage of MS Outlook and MS Office applications
Demonstrated process knowledge on VAT and WHT Tax Compliance/ requirements on Middle East and Africa
Knowledge in various software applications such as PowerPoint, Excel, Oracle and Power BI
Strong knowledge of Payables, Receivables and General Ledger
Above average communication skills (oral & written) and excellent telephone skills
People and results-oriented
Experience working with several levels within an organization, from frontline up to senior management
Detail-oriented
A team player, with a positive attitude
Excellent time management and problem-solving skills
A strong desire to lead and a generally positive outlook in life