Tax | Senior Manager - Kurdistan
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Our region encompasses diverse tax laws and is part of what makes a career in tax with Deloitte & Touche Middle East a truly stimulating experience. With many corporations operating across several borders, your knowledge of tax will be key to making sure our clients stay on the right side of tax laws and minimize their tax costs. Your people skills will also be engaged as you form a close working relationship with clients, while your technical knowledge will be stretched as you develop expertise across the board in consulting, business, finance and law to craft commercially sound solutions. As you gain experience, you will do so with the full support of a firm that believes in helping you grow and providing you with the skills to succeed.
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- Lead the way
- Serve with integrity
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Summary:
The Senior Manager, Tax role is responsible for leading client delivery, managing tax compliance and advisory engagements, developing client relationships, and driving business growth across the Tax practice in Kurdistan, Iraq. The role requires strong technical tax capability, commercial judgment, team leadership, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-evolving regulatory environment.
The individual will serve as a trusted advisor to clients on corporate tax, compliance, tax risk, tax structuring, and related regulatory matters, while ensuring high-quality delivery in line with firm standards and professional obligations.
Key Responsibilities:
- Client Service and Engagement Delivery
- Lead and oversee tax compliance and tax advisory engagements for local and multinational clients.
- Provide technical guidance on corporate income tax, withholding tax, payroll tax, indirect taxes, and other applicable Iraqi and Kurdistan Region tax matters.
- Interpret complex tax laws in all facets (such as direct and indirect taxes, duties and levies) and engage in discussions with the tax authority.
- Review tax returns, tax computations, advisory reports, and client deliverables for technical accuracy and quality.
- Advise clients on tax implications of business transactions, restructurings, investments, and cross-border arrangements.
- Support clients during tax audits, assessments, disputes, and correspondence with tax authorities.
- Identify tax risks, exposures, and planning opportunities and communicate practical recommendations to clients.
- Relationship Management
- Build and maintain strong relationships with CFOs, finance leaders, tax managers, legal teams, and business owners.
- Act as a primary point of contact for key tax clients and ensure timely, high-quality service delivery.
- Understand client business models, industry issues, and strategic priorities to identify opportunities for broader support.
- Work collaboratively with Audit, Consulting, Risk Advisory, Legal, and Deals teams on cross-functional opportunities.
- Build a professional relationship with stakeholders at the tax authority within the permissible limits.
- Business Development
- Contribute to the growth of the Tax practice by identifying leads, preparing proposals, and supporting pitch meetings.
- Develop market-facing insights and thought leadership relevant to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
- Expand the client portfolio through strong relationship networks and delivery excellence.
- Support pricing, engagement economics, and commercial negotiations in line with firm policies.
- Quality, Risk, and Compliance
- Ensure all engagements are delivered in accordance with firm quality standards, independence requirements, and risk management procedures.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of applicable tax laws, regulations, and administrative practices in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
- Escalate technical, commercial, or reputational risks appropriately.
- Support internal quality reviews, documentation standards, and engagement file completeness
Leadership Capabilities:
· Acts as a role model, embracing and living our purpose and values, and recognizing others for the impact they make
· Develops high-performing people and teams through challenging and meaningful opportunities
· Delivers exceptional client service; maximizes results and drives high performance from people while fostering collaboration across businesses and borders
· Influences clients, teams, and individuals positively, leading by example and establishing confident relationships with increasingly senior people
· Understands key objectives for clients and Deloitte, aligns people to objectives and sets priorities and direction
· Work closely with the management to enhance and implements the strategy of the practice.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field; CPA, ACCA, or equivalent professional certification is a plus.
- 8–12 years of relevant tax experience, with a significant portion in a Big4 or leading professional services firm.
- Strong experience in tax compliance and tax advisory work.
- Lead discussions with various levels of inspectors at the tax authorities.
- Ability to interpret tax laws and prepare the case in front of the tax authorities from a tax audit and dispute resolution perspective.
- Demonstrated experience managing teams and leading client relationships.
- Strong understanding of the tax and regulatory environment in the Kurdistan Region.
- Proven ability to manage multiple engagements and deadlines in a client-service environment.
- Excellent client relationship management and communication skills.
- Proven leadership and team management abilities.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills to address complex tax issues.
- Professional proficiency in English is required.
- Arabic is strongly preferred.
- Kurdish is highly desirable, particularly for client and government-facing interactions in the Kurdistan Region.