About the South African Revenue Service (SARS)

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is the nation’s tax collecting authority. Established under the South African Revenue Service Act 34 of 1997 as an autonomous agency, SARS administers the South African tax system and customs service. Its main functions include collecting and administering all national taxes, duties, and levies.

Job Title: Specialist: Data Analytics (Data Engineer) – Fixed Term Contract

Job Type: Contract

Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree, Advanced Diploma (NQF 7), or Senior Certificate (NQF 4)

Experience: 8-15 years

Location: Gauteng

Job Field: Data, Business Analysis and AI, ICT/Computer

Job Purpose

To analyze data and provide expert advice on data analytics to help achieve business goals.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

Preferred: Relevant Bachelor’s Degree or Advanced Diploma (NQF 7) in Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field, plus 8-10 years’ experience in a data analytics environment, including 3-4 years at a junior specialist level.

Alternative: Senior Certificate (NQF 4) with 15 years’ related experience in a data analytics environment, including 3-4 years at a junior specialist level.

Minimum Functional Requirements

• Advanced experience in Data Engineering or Business Data Intelligence.
• Expert knowledge of the full machine learning lifecycle, including creating data pipelines or datasets for ML models.
• Advanced skills in data tools and platforms (e.g., SQL with SSIS and SSAS or equivalents).
• Expert knowledge of Data Engineering and Data Lineage.
• Advanced knowledge and experience in Mathematics and/or Statistics.

Key Responsibilities

Process

• Analyze specialist systems, procedures, and practices; recommend improvements.
• Conduct assessments and advise on enhancements.
• Monitor data integrity and quality to identify and fix issues.
• Contribute to resource planning and optimization in your area of expertise.
• Develop and implement practices aligned with operational frameworks.
• Recommend tactical solutions based on your expertise.
• Integrate business information, analyze data, and produce reports for decision-making.
• Identify potential problems and take preventive actions.
• Optimize processes and systems across the internal value chain.
• Plan for continuous improvements in practices and systems.
• Proactively solve interconnected problems with best-fit solutions.
• Recommend and implement changes for process optimization.
• Research and provide workable solutions through data analysis.
• Review methodologies and conduct benchmarking for best practices.
• Translate policies into actionable steps and communicate impacts.
• Gather and analyze data to create plans and recommendations.
• Acquire, maintain, and model data from various sources.
• Perform advanced business analysis using statistical methods, modeling, and data mining.
• Design, develop, and test data analytics solutions like reports, dashboards, models, and extracts.
• Identify trends and patterns in complex datasets.
• Maintain and improve existing data analytics solutions.
• Analyze data and create summary reports to support decision-making.
• Filter and clean imported data to ensure accuracy.
• Build and manage databases for collected data.
• Conduct analysis, summarize findings, and create visuals like graphs and presentations.
• Communicate analysis results using visualization techniques to stakeholders.
• Gather data from multiple sources and integrate it into databases.

Governance

Develop or align governance and compliance policies for your practice area to manage risks.

People

Integrate new knowledge and share skills gained through learning. Provide expert advice and thought leadership in your field.

Finance

Implement and monitor financial controls, cost management, and corporate governance in your specialization.

Client

Build practices that deliver excellent service to stakeholders. Contribute to the organization’s knowledge management and provide specialist expertise to internal and external parties.

Behavioural Competencies

• Accountability
• Analytical Thinking
• Attention to Detail
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Conceptual Ability
• Expertise in Context
• Organisational Awareness
• Problem Solving and Analysis
• Respect
• Trust
• Fairness and Transparency
• Honesty and Integrity

Technical Competencies

• Business Knowledge
• Data Analytics
• Creative and Innovative Thinking
• Efficiency Improvement
• Functional Policies and Procedures
• Knowledge Management
• Statistical and Mathematical Analysis
• Systems Thinking
• Policy Development
• Reporting
• Computer Literacy

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should apply through the SARS careers portal.