Senior Manager – Indirect Tax

Senior Manager – Indirect Tax

Requirements

• University degree or equivalent experience in business, accounting, or a related field
• Professional accounting designation: CA/CPA
• Completion of the CICA In-depth Tax Courses
• Minimum of 10 years experience in specialized corporate tax experience in a company and/or accounting or other professional services firm in a management position
• A strong understanding of the GST Special Attribution Method for Selected Listed Financial Institutions, taxable and tax exempt services and their interaction with the Excise Tax Act section 150, 225 elections.
• An understanding of insurance premium taxes or willingness to research and learn the nuances of the provincial premium taxes
• Expert in financial accounting/reporting of all tax matters
• Depth of experience dealing with external auditors, professional advisors, and government tax auditors
• Experience in dealing with sophisticated tax planning issues spanning a wide range of business, financial, and commercial transactions
• Developed skills in change management, training and personnel learning and development
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required in order to deal with internal partners and external auditors and government representatives
• Ability to solve sophisticated problems over wide range of areas
• Strong analytical skills, able to break down complexity in a clear, simple and logical way.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for all tax compliance, financial reporting, and planning for these taxes.
• Stay current on any changes in the business or the tax system that could financial or operationally affect the companies in the Aviva Canada group.
• Any legislative or administrative government developments must be identified in a timely manner and analyzed in terms of potential impact on our business, our customers, or broker partners.
• Proactively seek solutions for any issues arising from existing or future indirect tax rules, government administrative practice, or the internal reporting of indirect taxes.
• Effectively engage with government officials to protect our finances and reputation.
• Use in-depth knowledge of our existing and proposed products and services to ensure that premium tax (if any) and all sales taxes are accurately considered for collection, remittance, and reporting to government authorities, as well as financial reporting.
• Provide clear direction on all indirect tax implications arising from any transactions (including M&A,) products, and business arrangements (e.g. vendor contracts, broker contracts) finding creative solutions and suggest contract wording or invoice requirements that accommodate tax requirements while satisfying business needs.
• Periodically review and audit the Claims and Financial systems to ensure that taxes are paid, collected, computed, and recorded accurately.
• Maintain cordial and professional relationships with government tax officials while ably representing the interests of Aviva in discussions with those authorities in order to minimize any disputes and resolve disagreements in the most cost efficient, but effective manner.
• Maintain awareness of indirect tax legislative amendments and court cases and determining the impact of any new proposals or rules that may impact any aspect of Aviva’s operations. Effective dissemination of information across various areas of our business in regards to any changes of laws or administrative practices. This requires a solid understanding of Aviva’s products, business, and processes in order to correctly identifies what areas are potentially impacted by a particular change in the tax environment.
• Have constant awareness of business operations, identifying any areas that may present any indirect tax risk to the organization. Collaborate with all lines of business to find solutions to any potential risks.
• Supporting the EPMO or other projects to embed system changes affecting tax, working closely and cooperatively with multi-functional team members, providing accurate guidance on the application of tax rules and administrative practices and good insight into the workable, practical approaches for the organization to take to complete the project. Respond on a timely basis to any requests for information or clarification of business requirements, be prepared to approve requirements, and be mindful of any budgetary limitations of the project.
• Providing support, mentorship, and development opportunities of other tax team members in the areas of taxation, accounting, business processes, and financial systems.
• Demonstrating teamwork by assisting in the analysis of tax issues, resolving areas of uncertainty, sharing business and tax knowledge, including the preparation of any tax returns, reports, journals, or documentation related to any tax or financial matter.
• Supporting the development of others’ awareness, understanding, and efficacy in indirect tax rules and administration, and their application to the business.
• Showing strong leadership in representing the interests of the tax department in any internal multi-disciplinary meetings or groups, as well as in dealings with external parties.
• Overcoming challenges posed by budgets, system limitations, and personnel issues in order to implement change processes or systems that impact the tax or finance areas.
• Influencing internal and external collaborators to ensure Aviva’s tax needs are well understood and supported.

Preferred Qualifications

No preferred qualifications provided.