Tax Manager

About the Department

The department provides a wide range of learning and development support and services.

The department provides policy leadership, plans for the future of education in Victoria and leads key cross-sector collaboration. The department plays an important system steward role by providing support, guidance, oversight and assurance across early childhood and school education systems, as well as directly providing school education and 50 new early learning centres.

About the Division

The Financial Services Division is responsible for designing and implementing financial management principles, processes and systems to ensure that managers have the necessary support to execute their financial management responsibilities. The Division is responsible for establishing the appropriate financial management and assurance environment within schools, groups, regions and the statutory authorities.

The Division also administers programs supporting students to access education provision including student transport assistance programs and the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund.

The Division operates on three levels to fulfil its responsibilities:

• strategic to support decision making
• control, assurance and governance to ensure compliance with legislation and standards; and
• operational to provide functional support and service delivery.

The Division has a key role in supporting the second line of defence through its oversight functions.

About the Finance and Compliance Branch

The Finance and Compliance Branch is responsible for ensuring that the financial records of the department are maintained in an accurate manner that enables the timely extraction and reporting of financial data across the department.

In addition, the Branch is responsible for the compilation of the department's financial and taxation reporting requirements to its various stakeholders, ensuring the department's compliance with the Department of Treasury and Finance's (DTF) Financial Management requirements, Taxation Compliance Frameworks, financial policies and providing of departmental accounting, tax and insurance services for both corporate and schools. 

The branch is also responsible for monitoring financial risks and controls, delivering a second line of defence function for the department through effective risk management and business monitoring for both corporate and schools.

About the Role

This role will lead a small tax team (comprising of one VPS5 Tax Compliance officer and 2 external tax consultants), to ensure that both the department (corporate) and government schools meet legislative, financial and reporting requirements for the following:

• Australian and Victorian tax legislation
• AASB and government accounting standards
• Financial Management Act 1994
• Standing Directions 2018 under the Financial Management Act 1994
• DTF's Financial Reporting Directions

The role will support the development, implementation and maintenance of tax and finance compliance policies and practices, input into financial system implementations, lead the provision of advice for the department's corporate tax and take a leadership role in the analysis, preparation and reporting of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT), Business Activity Statements (BAS), Taxable payments annual report (TPAR) and other indirect taxes.

It will undertake assurance activities over tax transactions, develop solutions for taxation issues relating to government schools, early learning centres and the department, formulate policy options, financial system options and provide advice in this field as required. It will also be responsible for procurement activities and contract management.

The role will maintain key linkages with relevant central agencies, other State department's and within the portfolio and assist with team management to support the delivery of outcomes.

Attributes

The ideal candidate will possess a high-level of tax expertise regarding GST, FBT, BAS, TPAR and other indirect taxes, as well as PAYG. They will have strong analytical capability, experience and expertise in managing taxation compliance requirements and have capability to conduct assurance processes and ensure financial policies, procedures and activities reflect and comply with legislative and departmental requirements.

They will also:

• have experience in providing specialist advice (including undertaking research on ad hoc issues, as required)
• possess highly developed written and verbal communication skills across a wide range of mediums (e.g., reporting and brief writing, dealing with ad hoc stakeholder queries)
• be able to problem solve by being able to consider issues from different perspectives, draw sound inferences from information available, and identify and propose workable solutions for implementation
• be able to prepare, manage and lodge FBT, GST, BAS returns and TPAR reports in a timely and accurate manner
• be able to identify and highlight tax-related issues, risks and provide sound advice on GST, FBT and other indirect taxes to government schools and the department
• be highly organised and able to work within tight deadlines, adaptable to change, able to prioritise, multi-task and display a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• be a collaborative team player, who can support and motivate those around them
• possess excellent stakeholder engagement and relationship building skills, to provide excellent customer and team support
• possess financial systems/applications capability (e.g. Oracle), including the ability to identify and resolve financial application performance problems through investigation, troubleshooting, testing and error resolution
• be able to develop tools, guidelines and processes to support adherence to policies, processes and systems (including implementing and conducting assurance processes)
• be responsible for procurement activities and contract management
• be able to assist with team management to support the delivery of outcomes.

Government experience or business knowledge of the department is desirable.

Essential Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting or equivalent (taxation)

• Membership with CPA, CA or equivalent

Desirable Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an analytical field, Mathematics, IT, Engineering or Science

How to apply

Applicants are required to submit a CV and cover letter summarising their skills, relevant experience and suitability to the role in line with the duties, required capabilities and the Key Selection Criteria.

Further Information

For more details regarding this position please see attached position description for the capabilities to address in application.

The department values diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about our work, working for the Department, diversity and inclusion, and our employment conditions visit the Department website and our Diversity and Inclusion page

Applicants requiring adjustments can contact the nominated contact person.

Information about the Department of Education's operations and employment conditions can be located at www.education.vic.gov.au.

For further information pertaining to the role, please contact Melissa Male – Manager, Financial Compliance Unit via (03) 7022 2293 or Melissa.Male@education.vic.gov.au.

Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and may be subject to other pre-employment checks. Information provided to the Department of Education will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please let us know via phone or email if you require any adjustments to ensure your full participation in the recruitment process or if you need the ad or any attachments in an accessible format (e.g large print) due to any viewing difficulties or other accessibility requirements.

Applications close 11:59pm on Sunday 13 March 2025.