General Manager – Tax Finance at MTN Nigeria

MTN Nigeria is part of the MTN Group, Africa\'s leading cellular telecommunications company. On May 16, 2001, MTN became the first GSM network to make a call following the globally lauded Nigerian GSM auction conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission earlier in the year. Thereafter the company launched full commercial operations beginning with Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. MTN paid $285m for one of four GSM licenses in Nigeria in January 2001. To date, in excess of US$1.8 billion has been invested building mobile telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria. Since launch in August 2001, MTN has steadily deployed its services across Nigeria. It now provides services in 223 cities and towns, more than 10,000 villages and communities and a growing number of highways across the country, spanning the 36 states of the Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Many of these villages and communities are being connected to the world of telecommunications for the first time ever. The company\'s digital microwave transmission backbone, the 3,400 Kilometre Y\'elloBahn was commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo in January 2003 and is reputed to be the most extensive digital microwave transmission infrastructure in all of Africa. The Y\'elloBahn has significantly helped to enhance call quality on MTN network.
Mission:

Lead the Tax function across MTN Nigeria, its subsidiaries and the MTN Nigeria Foundation, with accountability for tax strategy, governance, compliance, reporting, risk management and sustainable tax efficiency, in accordance with applicable laws and MTN Group policy. 
Provide strategic tax advice on business decisions, oversee engagement with tax authorities and the resolution of tax disputes, and build team capabilities, systems and processes to support the evolving business.

Description:

Tax strategy, policy and governance: Lead the development and execution of the MTN Nigeria Tax Policy, Tax Strategy and Tax Risk Management framework across MTNN and its subsidiaries, aligned with the MTN Group Tax Policy and applicable laws, and embed a culture of tax awareness across the business. 
Tax risk management and controls: Maintain the tax risk register and tax control framework, ensure key tax controls are designed and operating effectively, and escalate and report material tax exposures to the CFO, relevant Board committees and MTN Group Tax in line with the MTN Group risk management framework. 
Tax compliance: Oversee the timely and accurate preparation, review, filing and payment of all applicable taxes and levies for MTNN and its subsidiaries, including companies income tax, VAT, withholding tax, stamp duties and other federal and state taxes, and obtain tax clearance certificates on time. 
Tax accounting and reporting: Own the tax accounting policies and technical tax positions of MTNN and its subsidiaries, working with Financial Reporting to ensure appropriate recognition and disclosure. Oversee current and deferred tax accounting under IAS 12 (including uncertain tax treatments), tax account reconciliations, effective tax rate analysis, tax forecasts and the tax disclosures in the financial statements and MTN Group reporting. 
Tax advisory: Provide strategic tax advice to the Board, ExCom and business units on business decisions, new products and services, investments, restructurings and subsidiary tax structures, directing effective short- and long-term tax planning. Expected outcome: Tax implications identified early and reflected in business decisions, with avoidable unplanned tax costs minimised and material exposures escalated promptly.
Employee taxes: Provide tax advice to HR and Payroll on employee remuneration, benefits and expatriate arrangements, with operational ownership of payroll processes and remuneration policies remaining with HR and Payroll. 
Legislative and business change: Monitor changes in tax legislation, business models and technology, assess their implications, and implement the necessary tax and process changes across affected business processes, systems and contracts, working with the functions concerned. 
Tax technology and data: Lead the tax technology roadmap, including automation of tax processes, tax data quality and integration of MTNN systems with tax authority platforms (including e-filing and e-invoicing), working with IT and Finance systems teams. 
Tax authorities and disputes: Represent MTNN before the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), State Internal Revenue Services and other relevant authorities in audits, investigations, objections, appeals and advocacy; negotiate settlements within the approved delegation of authority; and maintain constructive senior-level relationships with the authorities. 
MTN Group Tax interface: Work with MTN Group Tax on tax planning opportunities and efficiencies, Group tax policy and governance requirements, and Group tax reporting, including submission of the tax risk register. 
Transfer pricing and cross-border tax governance: Ensure that related-party and cross-border transactions are priced, documented and reported in line with Nigerian transfer pricing regulations and the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines, including transfer pricing documentation and returns, Country-by-Country Reporting, tax treaty positions and withholding tax on payments to non-residents. 
External tax advisers: Manage the selection, scope, quality and cost of external tax advisers, and ensure knowledge is transferred to the internal team. 

Education:

Mandatory: First degree in Accounting or a related discipline.
Mandatory: Full professional membership (completed qualification) of at least one of the following: ICAN, CITN, ACCA
Mandatory: Fluency in written and spoken English.
Desirable: An advanced diploma or postgraduate qualification in transfer pricing or international tax (for example, the CIOT Advanced Diploma in International Taxation).

Experience:

Mandatory: minimum of 12 years’ experience in tax, gained in-house and/or in professional tax advisory practice, including:
At least 3 years at senior management level and at least 3 years in a relevant sector, meaning telecommunications, ICT/digital services, or another large, regulated sector such as financial services and payments.
Experience across tax strategy, compliance, tax accounting and reporting, controversy, risk governance, business advisory, transfer pricing or international tax, and transformation.
Demonstrable experience of leading change or transformation in a tax function.