Accounting & Tax Specialist

Position: Accounting & Tax Specialist

Location: Rosebank, Johannesburg (In-Office, Full-Time)

Department: Accounting / Tax Advisory

Read this before you apply

This role is not for someone who needs hand-holding, waits to be told what to do, or disappears when things get busy.

We are looking for someone who:

• Takes ownership without being chased
• Does their own research before escalating
• Can handle pressure and deadlines
• Wants to build and grow a department, not just "do a job"

If that's not you, this is the wrong role
.

About Latita Africa

Latita Africa is a specialist tax, legal and advisory firm focused on solving hard SARS and regulatory problems for real businesses, not case studies.

We work with entrepreneurs, growing companies and high net worth individuals across South Africa and the continent on:

• Accounting and tax compliance
• SARS disputes and tax debt management
• Corporate and commercial advisory
• Cross-border and regulatory structuring

The Role

Title:
Accounting & Tax Specialist

Department:
Accounting / Tax Advisory

Reports to:
Senior Management

You will manage a portfolio of clients across accounting and tax, clean up backlogs, deal with SARS, and help us build a scalable accounting & tax function. You'll also contribute to new service ideas and ways to generate additional billable work that links into our legal and advisory offering.

Tax debt experience is a strong advantage, but attitude, ownership and thinking ability matter more than having "seen everything" already.

What You'll Be Doing

1. Accounting & Tax Compliance

• Manage the full accounting function for a range of clients (individuals, SMEs, trusts), including:
• Processing, reconciliations and journals
• Trial balance and monthly management accounts
• Year-end files and annual financial statements (using relevant frameworks)
• Prepare and/or review tax computations and returns for:
• Companies (ITR14), individuals (ITR12), trusts
• Provisional tax (IRP6)
• VAT (VAT201) and PAYE/EMP (EMP201, EMP501)
• Reconcile SARS accounts across tax types (VAT, PAYE, Income Tax, penalties) and sort out differences between accounting records and SARS statements.
• Work comfortably in cloud and desktop accounting tools (e.g. Xero, Sage, QuickBooks online, Pastel, Draftworx, CaseWare).

2. SARS Engagement & Tax Debt (Bonus Area)

• Handle SARS notices, letters of demand, penalties and other enforcement actions.
• Support and/or lead SARS audits, verifications and risk reviews:
• Collate and present supporting documentation
• Draft explanations, reconciliations and responses
• Engage with SARS officials professionally and consistently
• Where experienced, assist with:
• Payment arrangements and suspension of payment requests
• Remission of penalties and interest
• Compromise / write-off applications and disputes (objections, appeals, ADR)

3. Building & Improving the Department

• Help design and improve workflows, templates and internal controls in the accounting, tax and tax-debt space.
• Bring structure where there currently isn't enough: processes, checklists, file discipline, standard ways of doing recurring work.
• Contribute to internal technical discussions (tax updates, case law, dispute approaches, SARS trends).
• Over time, help onboard and guide juniors as the team grows.

4. Business Growth & Client Relationships

• Take ownership of a portfolio: know your clients, their risks, deadlines and opportunities.
• Identify additional billable work (e.g. clean-ups, restructuring, dispute opportunities, advisory add-ons) and discuss them with management.
• Provide clear, practical communication to clients who are often under pressure from SARS.
• Represent the firm professionally and build trust-based relationships.

Minimum Requirements (Non-Negotiables)

If you don't meet these, please don't apply.

Education:

• BCom in Accounting / Financial Accounting / Taxation (or equivalent).

Experience:

• At least
  3 years
  recent, hands-on experience in an accounting/tax practice or similar environment where you handled multiple clients, not just one internal company.

Technical:

• Solid working knowledge of South African tax (Income Tax Act, VAT Act, Tax Administration Act).
• Proven experience with SARS eFiling across multiple tax types.
• Strong Excel skills.
• Comfortable on at least
  two
  of: Xero, Sage, QuickBooks, Pastel, Draftworx, CaseWare.

Way of Working:

• You can manage a portfolio independently and prioritise under pressure.
• You don't wait for instructions on obvious next steps.
• You try to solve and research first, then escalate with a clear, thought-through question.

Language:

• Excellent written and spoken English and Afrikaans (Any additional South African language is a plus.)

Preferred (Strong Advantages, Not Dealbreakers)

• Professional registration or eligibility with SAIPA, SAICA, SAIT or CIBA (completed or in progress).
• Experience with SARS disputes and tax debt processes (objections, appeals, suspensions, payment arrangements, compromises, ADR).
• Experience in a professional services environment (tax/legal/accounting) serving multiple external clients at once.
• Evidence of taking the lead on projects, backlogs or process fixes, not just following a checklist.

Who This Role Is For

You will fit this role if:

• You want responsibility and are comfortable being rewarded on outcomes.
• You're willing to fix messy histories and backlogs, not just maintain clean books.
• You like building: processes, templates, ways of working and eventually a team.
• You're ambitious and want a path into a leadership role, not to sit in the same seat for five years.
• You understand that this work has real pressure and timeframes, and "getting the job done" sometimes means going beyond basic hours.

If you're looking for a large corporate with strict hierarchy, narrow job descriptions and constant supervision, you will be frustrated here.

Package:

360k to 420k per annum CTC experiences dependent.

What You Can Expect From Us

• Direct access to leadership and exposure to complex tax and legal work.
• A chance to shape and grow the accounting & tax function instead of inheriting a rigid system.
• The opportunity to grow into a leadership/manager role if you perform.

How to Apply

Email your CV to

In the body of your email, include
one short paragraph
answering:

What is the most complex SARS or accounting problem you've personally taken from "messy" to "resolved", and what did you do?

• If you have not heard back within two weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful.