Senior Specialist: Engineering

Position Reports to:     Senior Manager: Engineering

Division: Strategy Enab & Modernisation - CTIO

Location: Head Office

Advert Closing Date:   16 January 2026

About the Position

The SARS Innovation Incubator (II) located within the Strategy, Enablement and Modernisation (SEM) unit is looking for highly skilled and results driven innovation and solutioning professionals with relevant academic competence, experience and a solid work ethics to join a dynamic team of seasoned innovation and solutioning professionals.

The Senior Specialist: Engineering (Innovation) job is at a senior level in the organisation and will require individuals to work on strategic enterprise solutions and modernisation initiatives. These individuals will be required to analyse complex business problems, conceptualise or design innovative 'game changer 'solutions for these problems, develop solution or modernisation roadmaps, work with a diverse range of stakeholders and partners to prototype and conceptualise these strategic solutions.

Job Purpose

To facilitate the adoption of new leading edge 'Game Changer' concepts in support of the SARS enterprise strategy. This is achieved through research and benchmarking, participating in open collaboration networks, identifying and conceptualising innovation solution designs, the incubation of concepts (e.g., prototyping, piloting, etc.) and implementation of solution designs.

The outcomes are utilised to define product features, develop their implementation roadmaps in the SARS business architecture and business solutions landscape, and ensure that the designs support the achievement of sustainable business results, including the provision of design and implementation support and conducting stakeholder engagement

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

Honours / Postgraduate Diploma (NQF 8) in Industrial Engineering; Computer Science and Min years' experience in an innovation, design, and technology environment, of which 3-4 years at a specialist level.

Alternative#

Relevant bachelor's degree / Advanced Diploma (NQF 7) in Industrial Engineering or Computer Science and 15 years' experience in an innovation, design, and technology environment, of which 3-4 years at a specialist level.

Job Outputs:

Process

• Innovation
• Collaborate with local and international owners, partners and stakeholders
• Conduct local and international research and benchmarking
• Develop, socialise and publish fore-sighting reports
• Draft idea elevator pitches
• Understand business problem using data driven approach
• Design Innovation Solutions
• Draft Innovation Business Cases
• Build, test and demonstrate prototypes
• Manage prototype governance
• Track solution benefits
• Solutioning
• Build relationships with Business, Product and Segment Owners
• Build stakeholder and partner networks
• Assess the strategic landscape
• Draft or facilitate the drafting of modernisation and solution strategies (5-10-year horizon)
• Socialise modernisation and solution strategies
• Analyse and understand problems
• Collaborate on the detailed designs
• Draft Business Cases
• Participate in the development and testing cycle
• Track solution benefits

Governance

• Implement and provide input into the development of governance, compliance, integrity and ethics processes within area of specialisation.
• Ensure that completed work adhere to relevant policies, procedures, governance and legislative requirements and report on deviations &discrepancies.

People

• Develop and maintain productive working relationships with peers and team members to achieve predefined objectives.
• Search for, integrate and share new knowledge attained through formal and informal learning opportunities in the execution of your job

Finance

• Implement and monitor financial control, management of costs and corporate governance in area of accountability
• Adhere to organisational policies and procedures to ensure cost effectiveness and reduction of financial.

Client

• Build strong relationships and develop service level agreements that promote SARS with internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage an integrated service excellence culture, which builds rewarding relationships and provides opportunity for feedback and exceptional service.
• Contribute to a culture of service excellence, which builds positive relationships and provides opportunity for feedback and exceptional service.
• Provide authoritative, specialist services, expertise and advice to internal and external stakeholders.

Behavioural competencies

• Honesty and Integrity
• Fairness and Transparency
• Accountability
• Problem Solving and Analysis
• Conceptual thinking
• Influencing others
• Driving Excellence
• Leveraging diversity
• Accurate understanding
• Building sustainability

Technical competencies

• Strategic Planning
• Tax Knowledge
• Effective Business Communication
• Problem analysis and judgement
• Planning management and measurement
• Decisiveness
• Business acumen
• Functional Policies and Procedures

Knowledge Compliance Competency

• Knowledge of innovation, industry and technology trends
• Understand a situation or problem by breaking it into smaller pieces/tracing the implications of situation in a step-by-step way
• Knowledge of own organisations, policies, procedures, services, products and business operating models
• The knowledge and interpretation of the functional policies and procedures, including monitoring their consistent application internally within SARS

Compliance Competency

• GOC Secret

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.