Assistant Manager - Indirect Tax

Role Overview

KPMG Middle East is actively seeking an experienced and driven Assistant Manager specializing in Indirect Tax to join their Jeddah office. The role involves assisting clients from diverse industries with indirect tax advisory, compliance, and transactional services covering Value Added Tax (VAT), Real Estate Transaction Tax (RETT), Customs, and Excise Tax. Candidates will deliver high-caliber solutions in a challenging and ever-evolving tax environment.

Responsibilities

• Support end-to-end delivery of indirect tax projects including VAT, RETT, customs, excise, and associated tax matters.
• Oversee daily client assignments, coordinating multiple workstreams to ensure adherence to scope, timelines, and quality benchmarks.
• Take full accountability for assigned engagements encompassing planning, delegation, reviewing outputs, and maintaining proactive client communication with guidance from management.
• Examine VAT and other indirect tax calculations, returns, reconciliations, and documentation for accuracy and compliance.
• Provide expert advice on indirect tax effects related to business transactions, supply chain structures, contracts, corporate restructurings, and operational frameworks.
• Assist with RETT advisory services including transaction evaluations, exemptions, and real estate structuring considerations.
• Conduct VAT health checks, diagnostic and compliance reviews, and risk assessments to support clients’ tax posture.
• Facilitate responses to tax authority inquiries such as audits, assessments, objections, and related communications.
• Prepare technical advice documents, reports, presentations, proposals, and other client-facing communications.
• Formulate technical positions and recommendations on complex indirect tax topics, substantiated by up-to-date legislation and regulations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams spanning corporate tax, transfer pricing, legal, finance, technology, and advisory services.
• Review and mentor junior team members to ensure quality deliverables and foster their technical growth.
• Engage in business development by crafting proposals, nurturing client relationships, and identifying new service opportunities.
• Serve as a primary client contact, establishing strong rapport and managing client expectations proactively.
• Support financial management of engagements including budget tracking, work-in-progress, billing, recoverability, and scope amendments.
• Stay informed on recent developments in Saudi indirect tax legislation and relevant regional and international trends.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Tax, Law, Economics, or related fields.
• Preferred professional certifications include ACCA, CPA, ACA, CTA, SOCPA, or equivalents.
• Relevant background in indirect tax roles within professional services, tax authorities, multinational firms, or large corporate tax functions.
• Typically 5 to 7 years’ experience in indirect tax with proven capability in managing client engagements and supervising junior personnel.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Saudi VAT laws with hands-on experience in VAT compliance and consultancy.
• Practical expertise in RETT advisory is highly valued; experience in Customs and Excise Tax is advantageous.
• Strong analytical and technical drafting skills with an aptitude for delivering pragmatic advice on complex tax issues.
• Proven track record managing client relationships, juggling multiple assignments, and consistently meeting deadlines.
• Commercial insight with the ability to pinpoint and act on opportunities for expanding client services.
• Effective oral and written communication skills in English; proficiency in Arabic is an asset.

What We Offer

• Engagement with a wide range of clients across various industries.
• Experience dealing with intricate Saudi and regional indirect tax matters.
• A collaborative workplace featuring interdisciplinary expertise.
• Possibility to contribute directly to the expansion of KPMG’s indirect tax practice in the Western Region.
• Opportunities for greater responsibility, leadership development, and progression towards managerial roles.