Career Opportunities: Compliance Risk Specialist (Ext) (11808)

Career Opportunities: Compliance Risk Specialist (Ext) (11808)

Requisition ID 11808 – Posted 21/10/2026 – Region (1) – Location (1)

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Job Title: Compliance Risk Specialist
Position Reports to: Business Area Head: Enterprise Compliance
Division: Taxpayer Engagement Operations
Location: Pretoria (Brooklyn)
Advert Closing Date: 29 October 2026

About the Position

Use data. Understand behaviour. Shape compliance. SARS is seeking an accomplished Compliance Risk Specialist to help identify emerging compliance risks, understand shifts in taxpayer and trader behaviour, and translate data, research and analytics into actionable compliance intelligence.

Job Purpose

To provide technical specialist expertise in the implementation of the taxpayer and trader compliance risk management framework, including the Compliance Programme, to promote voluntary compliance with Tax, Customs and Excise legislative obligations such as registration, filing, declaration and payment.

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

Bachelor’s Degree / Advanced Diploma (NQF 7) in Economics, Commerce and Management Studies, Taxation or Risk Management and 8–10 years’ experience in a Customs, Audit, or Risk environment, of which 3–4 years at junior specialist level.

Alternative #

Senior Certificate (NQF 4) and 15 experience in a Customs, Audit, or Risk environment, of which 3–4 years at junior specialist level.

Minimum Functional Requirements

Compliance risk management: Identify, assess, prioritise and monitor taxpayer and trader risks; maintain risk registers; and apply industry indicators, financial ratios and environmental intelligence.
Compliance measurement: Measure and report voluntary compliance, including the VCI, filing, payment, Customs and Excise indicators, and behavioural shifts across major tax types.
Data analytics and intelligence: Integrate and analyse governed data, apply advanced analytics, maintain CEMIS, and translate findings into actionable insights and recommendations.
Research and behavioural insight: Research compliance trends and measurement methods, conduct diagnostic studies, and apply behavioural economics and psychology to shape compliance.
Compliance programme development: Develop and refresh the SARS Compliance Programme to support voluntary compliance and revenue mobilisation.
Stakeholder engagement and capability building: Provide specialist advice, build external knowledge networks, contribute thought leadership and support compliance risk-management training.
Analysis and interpretation of data; tax administration across the compliance value chain; SARS operations; auditing; major tax types including PIT, CIT, VAT and PAYE; use of SARS core systems; and the use of analytical tools, including Excel and basic SQL.

Job Outputs:

Process

Produce research reports and discussion papers on research findings to contribute to SARS’s knowledge on compliance and compliance strategy development and refinement.
Seek to establish coordination, collaboration, leverage of the SARS compliance approach across the compliance value chain to ensure achievement of strategic outcomes.
Develop, review and update the SARS Compliance Programme according to the compliance risk management process.
Plan for value-added, continuous practice and system improvements to deliver on objectives to enhance tactical implementation and excellence.
Recommend changes to optimise processes, systems, practice areas and associated procedures and execute the implementation of change and innovation.
Translate top-down policy, apply modification in relation to own practice area and communicate impact to relevant stakeholders.
Integrate business information, compare, analyse and produce reports to identify trends, discrepancies and inconsistencies for decision making purposes.
Analyse and make recommendations about improvements to specialist systems, procedures, policies and practices.
Contribute to the optimum utilisation of org. resources, advising effective planning and development of area of specialisation resource plans.
Develop a single practice area in alignment with operational activity and procedural frameworks and ensure tactical implementation.
Draw on own technical or professional expertise, knowledge and experience to identify and recommend tactical solutions to defined problems in practices.
Optimise goal achievement through tactical strategy implementation and optimisation of practises, processes and systems across an internal value chain.
Proactively identify interconnected problems, determine its impact and use to develop best fit alternatives; best practice implementation solutions.
Conduct diagnosis studies to identify areas within business’s process, people, systems, policy, procedures that might be hampering the enhancement of compliance.
Research methods of compliance measurement and application.
Conduct research and analysis of compliance levels across major areas in the taxpayers and trader life cycles in order to provide insight into taxpayer and trader behaviour.
Contribute to the implementation of a comprehensive compliance framework aimed at targeted responses in education, service and enforcement.
Network with government departments, foreign tax administrations and academics for exchanging compliance information and improving compliance monitoring and measurement.
Use behavioural economics and Psychology concepts to assist SARS to shape, influence and drive compliance behaviour, nudging, cooperative compliance, etc.

Governance

Develop and /or align governance and compliance policies for own practice area to identify and manage risk exposure liability.

People

Integrate new knowledge and transfer skills attained through formal and informal learning opportunities in the execution of your job.
Provide specialist know-how, support, advice and practice thought leadership in area of expertise.

Finance

Implement and monitor financial control, management of costs and corporate governance in area of specialisation.

Client

Develop and ensure implementation of a practice that builds service delivery excellence and encourages others to provide exceptional stakeholder service.
Participate in the specialist practice community and contribute positively to organisation knowledge management.
Provide authoritative, specialist expertise and advice to internal and external stakeholders.

Behavioural Competencies

Accountability
Analytical Thinking
Attention to Detail
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Conceptual Ability
Expertise in Context
Fairness and Transparency
Honesty and Integrity
Organisational Awareness
Problem Solving and Analysis
Respect
Trust

Technical Competencies

Business Knowledge
Data Collection and Analysis
Economic Research
Efficiency improvement
Functional Policies and Procedures
Reporting
Reporting and Interpretation
Risk and Compliance
Risk Awareness
Risk Identification
Risk Knowledge

Compliance Competency

The position involves access to confidential and sensitive information, including taxpayer information. The successful candidate will therefore be required to demonstrate appropriate judgement, integrity and respect for the confidentiality of information.

Employment Equity

The Employment Equity policy of SARS will be considered as part of the recruitment and selection process and Persons with Disabilities are encouraged to apply. Successful candidates will be required to undertake an oath of secrecy, pre-employment screening, case study, pre-assessment, psychometric assessment and or vetting, and a declaration of private interest. The appointment is also subject to appropriate reference(s) and security clearance where applicable.

Protect yourself. Never pay for a job.
Recruitment Fraud Alert: SARS never asks for payment for vacancies, interviews, or appointments. Any such request is a scam.
SARS official reporting channels: SpeakOut@sars.gov.za; Anti-Corruption@sars.gov.za; ReportingUnprofessionalConduct@sars.gov.za; SARS Hotline number (0800 00 28 70).

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