Tax & Legal Services - MERC R&Q - Director

Job description / Role

Line of Service
Tax

Specialism
IFS - Risk & Quality (R&Q)

Management Level
Director

Job Description & Summary
A career in Risk Management, within internal firm services, will provide you with the opportunity to advance and foster integrity-based decision making and conduct by PwC professionals throughout our organisation. You'll focus on promoting and monitoring compliance with applicable external laws and regulations as well as internal policies and procedures to help manage PwC's regulatory, litigation, and reputational risk.

Our Risk and Quality team identifies and assists internal teams to mitigate and control client engagement risks. As part of the team, you'll provide advice to business teams within the firm on sound contract provisions, standards and approaches in accordance with firm policies, principles and standards.

Responsibilities:

This role will provide the successful candidate with the opportunity to:

- Become familiar with the inner workings of the PwC Middle East making a tangible contribution to its success and creating relationships with senior stakeholders and others in cross-functional roles
- Advise and guide PwC Middle East territories as they fulfil local regulatory and Network responsibilities 
- Raise awareness of risk and regulatory changes to the R&Q and business development early on.

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Understanding the business and regional landscape

- Working with the TLS business at a strategic level to understand the LoS strategy and plan, including any new services and innovation
- Monitor and analyse initiatives which could impact PwC Middle East or our business models and ensure the TLS Leader is kept up to date on relevant global and local risk and regulatory developments

Driving the TLS R&Q agenda

- Developing and driving the annual risk agenda in the practice in conjunction with the TLS R&Q Partner and implementing the overall R&Q Plan in partnership with the business
- Monitoring risk objectives and performance; obtaining feedback on experience of R&Q support and ensuring data is reflected in xLoS R&Q Dashboard
- Actively managing and monitoring the QMS / Archer requirements throughout the year, and reporting these to global accordingly.  

Serving the business

- Providing R&Q guidance to the partners and directors; leading the delivery of R&Q services to the business, ensuring high quality service
- Advising on the most complex R&Q issues, drawing on and coordinating specialist support from OGC, Independence, Compliance and other LoS R&Q
- Serving as key escalation point - advising on high risk issues, including taking matters through Client Committee and advising on TPMs in association with other R&Q Director and OGC
- Attend Panels with comments ready for the business to take into consideration from a risk perspective.

Embedding R&Q in the business

- Delivering key risk messages to the partner and business by presenting at partner meetings and other LoS lead events
- Creating and implementing the TLS R&Q Plan in the practice
- Leading the R&Q training and communications plan with the R&Q Partner

Regulation changes and impact

- Identifying any territory or law regulation changes such as DAC6 and Economic Substances and performing an assessment of how this impacts the business and services we perform.
- Risk management process of any newly introduced laws such as the introduction of TP ByLaw in KSA and requirement by the government to certify certain tax processes.

Technology R&Q 

- Ensuring projects have been through the Technology R&Q framework and providing sign-off once the tool has been cleared by the Middle East Technology R&Q team. 
- Actively participate as a member of the TLS Digital Committee and provide guidance and support to the digital on various technology solutions and propositions. 

Leading the TLS R&Q team

- Line management of the TLS R&Q team supporting the business: setting priorities; allocating resource; delegating work; supervising delivery of all work
- On-the-job technical training and coaching and development of team members

Reporting to R&Q leadership

- Regular reporting to TLS R&Q Partner on the risk profile, priorities and new business developments in the business unit
- Identifying R&Q themes and trends of relevance to other business units; feeding into the Tax Risk Council assessment

Other projects:

- Ensuring projects (e.g, Engagement Compliance Review) assigned to TLS R&Q team members are on schedule and support the team on any issues / challenges faced to ensure timely completion. 
- Support the business in a roll-out Document Management System across the region with clear guidance and material to assist in shifting the mindset.

Overall Experience

- Must have previous risk and quality experience within Big4. 

Requirements

Requirements:

The successful candidate will possess the following attributes:

- A critical thinker who is able to identify wider risk and reputational issues coming from regulatory developments 
- Highly organised with an ability to work independently ("self starter") whilst sharing and collaborating and keeping others abreast of progress, know when to escalate matters, prioritise multiple tasks and work well under pressure and to deadlines
- Creativity in combination with a strategic and commercial mindset and an interest in facilitating and managing projects
- Ability to build relationships across the PwC Network - cross-border, xLoS and x-function - and interact with staff at all levels including senior stakeholders 
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a sensitivity and understanding for different cultures and backgrounds
- A committed team player with a good understanding of the role of R&Q in helping PwC achieve its business goals
- Strong organizational and project manager skills, attention to detail and willingness to gain an excellent knowledge of PwC policy and methodology; 
- For consideration as Director, 12+ years relevant post qualification experience is required.
- The ideal candidate would ideally have a minimum of five years previous experience in a risk role within Big4

Education

- A professional or academic qualification (degree level or equivalent), or extensive relevant and practical experience.

Language

- Fluency in English required, proficiency in Arabic is advantageous.

About the Company

At PwC Middle East, we've set out an ambitious purpose and strive to live it everyday: to solve important problems and build trust in society.

We're a community of solvers that come together in unexpected ways to build trust and create sustained outcomes. We solve important problems, support one another as we grow, develop and build fulfilling careers.

PwC provides industry-focused services for public and private clients across Assurance and Audit, Deals, Consulting, Tax and Legal. We draw on our development legacy that brings together the collective experience of over 7,000 people in our region with offices across 12 countries to solve for tomorrow.

We're striving to consistently deliver innovative work that builds trust and delivers sustained outcomes. And we're proud of the strength that comes from all our different backgrounds and experiences and we value everyone's uniqueness. We thrive in uncertainty, operate with integrity and leverage the diverse perspectives of our teams.

If you're looking for a place that fuels your ambition to make a difference, that matches your curiosity with continuous learning opportunities and reimagines ways of working to enable you to lead a more balanced life, then you're a future PwCer.