Senior Specialist: Systems - Support & Maintenance x2 (Fixed Term Contract)

Position Reports to:    Area Head: Tax Products & Processes           

Division:                        Technology & Solutions Delivery – Business Relations

Location:                       Head Office Pretoria

Advert Closing Date:  08 February 2026

About the Position

Are you passionate about innovation, driven by curiosity, and thrive on solving complex challenges? Do you have an eye for detail and a hunger to make a meaningful impact? This is more than a job. It’s a chance to do purposeful work that leaves a lasting footprint. Ready to disrupt the status quo? If that sounds like you, keep on reading.

SARS is on the lookout for a forward-thinking Senior Specialist ready to shape the future of business technology. We're searching for someone with sharp analytical instincts, natural influence, and a proven track record of bringing bold ideas to life, from concept through to execution.

In this role, you won’t just keep up with change, you'll lead it. You’ll collaborate across the organisation to craft tailored, cutting-edge solutions that are robust, scalable, and future-ready. Whether working independently or as part of a high-powered team, your ability to design, build, and implement transformative technology will be key.

You'll join a vibrant, multidisciplinary team of experts who think big and move fast. You’ll interact with senior leaders, contribute to strategic conversations, and deliver meaningful results using agile principles and innovative thinking.

Job Purpose

To champion impactful, future-ready technology solutions by delivering sharp analytical insights, strategic design thinking, and expert guidance that drive innovation. You’ll play a key role in shaping and aligning new and existing systems and related processes with evolving best practices, governance standards, and modernisation goals. By advocating thoughtful, scalable design, you’ll ensure every solution is fit-for-purpose and built to enable lasting transformation across the enterprise

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

Relevant bachelor’s degree / Advanced Diploma (NQF 7) Taxation, Commerce, Business, or ICT/IT AND 8-10 years' experience in business technology or operations environment, of which 3-4 years’ ideally at operational specialist level.

ALTERNATIVE #

Senior Certificate (NQF 4) AND 15 years’ experience in Business Systems or Operational Environment.

Minimum Functional Requirements

• IT Certification/s 

Job Outputs:

Process

• Apply processes to improve data validation across service delivery systems in line with operational targets


• Communicate a meaningful operational context that promotes the implementation of best practice, operational efficiency and client service delivery.


• Design data extracts for use by the organisation or business units for the purpose of providing information customized to meet specific needs.


• Check completeness, validity, relevance, and corrective actions where necessary, in order to maintain set standards and achieve set objectives.


• Communicate a meaningful operational context that promotes the implementation of best practice, operational efficiency, and client service delivery.


• Apply and utilise systems in a manner that ensures accurate processing of information that contributes to efficient and effective completion of tasks.


• Analyse and make recommendations about improvements to specialist systems, procedures, and associated area's practice.


• Contribute to the optimum utilisation of org. resources, advising on 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 & experience to identify & recommend tactical solutions to defined problems in practices.


• Integrate business information, compare, analyse & produce reports to identify trends, discrepancies & inconsistencies for decision making purposes.


• Optimise goal achievement through tactical strategy implementation and optimisation of practises, processes & systems across an internal value chain.


• Plan for value-added, continuous practice & system improvements to deliver on objectives to enhance tactical implementation and excellence.


• Proactively identify interconnected problems, determine its impact, and use to develop best fit alternatives, best practice implementation solutions.


• Translate top-down policy in relation to own practice area and communicate impact to relevant stakeholders.


• Recommend changes to optimise processes, systems, practice area and associated procedures and execute the implementation of change and innovation.

Governance

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

People

• Provide specialist know-how, support, advice, and practice thought leadership in area of expertise.


• Integrate new knowledge and transfer skills attained through formal and informal learning opportunities in the execution of your job.

Finance

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

Client

• Provide authoritative, specialist expertise and advice to internal and external stakeholders.


• Participate in the specialist practice community and contribute positively to organisation knowledge management.


• Develop & ensure implementation of a practice that builds service delivery excellence & encourage others to provide exceptional stakeholder service.

Behavioural competencies

• Honesty and Integrity 


• Attention to Detail


• Commitment to Continuous Learning


• Organisational Awareness


• Building Sustainability


• Fairness and Transparency


• Analytical Thinking


• Accountability


• Conceptual Ability


• Trust


• Respect


• Problem Solving and Analysis

Technical competencies

• Reporting and Interpretation


• System Thinking


• Application Development and Maintenance


• Database Design and Management


• IT Knowledge


• Business Knowledge


• Efficiency improvement

Compliance Competency

• Enterprise Architecture (IT) - Familiar with


•  ICT Audit (IT) - Familiar with


• Database Architecture (IT) Familiar with


• Application & Exploitation (IT) Expert in


• Networking & Comm (IT) Prof in


• Structured Reviews (IT) Proficient in


• GOC Confidential

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.