INTERNATIONAL TAXATION EXPERT of the INTRA-EUROPEAN ORGANISATION FOR TAX ADMINISTRATIONS (IOTA) (SECONDMENT POST)

Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations (IOTA)

The Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations (IOTA) is a non-profit Organisation that aims to contribute to the progress of member tax administrations by delivering practical solutions, enhancing collaboration and facilitating the sharing of experience. The Secretariat of the Organisation is located in Budapest, Hungary. To date, the Organisation consists of 43 member tax administrations and offers technical events and activities, projects, technical assistance, benchmarking, technical enquiries, knowledge bases, e-learning and publications on a variety of topics related to tax administration operations.

The IOTA Secretariat seeks to recruit one experienced professional to join an open, positive, multicultural, and interdisciplinary team of enthusiastic experts to support the work of IOTA and the execution of its annual work programme activities in the area of digitalisation and digital transformation of tax administrations. We are looking for a candidate from IOTA member tax administration with experience and expertise in working with novel and advancing technologies, for example, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and big data analytics, that enable tax administration to use automated, transparent processes and to improve operational efficiency, increase revenue collections and tax compliance.

Under the responsibility of the IOTA Secretariat and as a member of the international expert team, the successful applicant shall facilitate knowledge sharing and exchange of practice on a range of tax administration issues and ensure the effective delivery of the annual technical activities programme of the Organisation. He/she will report directly to the IOTA Work Programme Manager and the Executive Secretary of IOTA.

Responsibilities

• Ensure effective planning, organisation, management and delivery of the IOTA technical activities programme, including seminars, workshops, forums, and project/workgroup activities of IOTA;
• Facilitate co-operation, exchange of information and experience between the IOTA member tax administrations;
• Liaise on bilateral co-operation initiatives with international (partner) organisations active in the European region in relation to tax administration issues (e.g. European Commission, OECD, IMF, CIAT, etc.);
• Contribute to operational and strategic planning and the formulation of IOTA work programmes, policies and strategies.

Required qualifications

• University degree or equivalent qualification in finance or related area;
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience related to tax administration issues;
• Significant experience in the digitalisation of services and digital transformation strategies, procedures, manuals to the operations and functions of tax administration’s e-services;
• Experience in collection and use of tax-related data from taxpayers and third parties, data sharing arrangements as well as data management;
• A good understanding of the use of innovative technologies supporting interactions with taxpayers (e.g. integrated taxpayer accounts, mobile applications, digital mailboxes, virtual assistants);
• Practical knowledge about capacity building and training of tax officials;
• Excellent command of written and spoken English language;
• Strong IT skills, proficient in all areas of Microsoft Office and other computer program applications necessary for producing reports, questionnaires, survey forms, charts, graphs, presentations and general office correspondence and memos;
• Proven experience in project management, particularly digital change and/or innovation projects;
• Experience in the field of international co-operation regarding tax administration issues is an asset.

Required abilities and skills

• Ability to facilitate discussions with diverse stakeholder groups, to bring clarity and understanding to complex digitalisation topics;
• Strong conceptual, analytical and evaluation skills to conduct independent research and analysis for digitalisation topics;
• Analytical thinking, diplomatic sensitivity, strategic networking and teamwork would be particularly important;
• Strong IT Skills, proficient in all areas of Microsoft Office and other computer program applications necessary for producing reports, questionnaires, survey forms, charts, graphs, presentations and general office correspondence and memos;
• Need to be flexible and have the ability to work on his/her own initiative but within a multicultural team;
• Effectively plan, organise and manage time and activities to provide a high-quality service;
• To work in a professional, high-quality way, taking responsibility for the assigned tasks and for the standard of own work performance;
• Must be skilled in the delivery of presentations, chairing and moderating sessions at technical events and meetings, and official appearances;
• Good interpersonal skills are essential, as are diplomacy, tact, and the ability to work well in a multinational team;
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships, possess strong negotiation skills and develop arguments to persuade;
• Need to be tolerant and able to cope with cultural differences and different approaches to problem-solving and decision-making;
• Besides having a well-balanced personality and good communication skills, the applicant should enjoy cultural diversity. Prior experience in a cross-cultural work environment is an asset.

Work regime

The IOTA Secretariat understands that seconded experts need to work in a way that reconciles their personal and professional life and, therefore, has considered several options of the working regime to facilitate the performance of duties:

• Full-time work (telework/remote working regime is allowed with a maximum of 10 days per month, either scattered or taken in one or two periods in a month)
• Part-time work (remote working regime)

Secondment conditions

During his/her assignment in IOTA, the secondee will remain an employee of the Sending Organisation and will not be considered as an official or employee of IOTA. In particular, he/she will not benefit from the exemption from taxation provided for under the Seat Agreement of IOTA applicable to employees and members of the IOTA on salaries, allowances and indemnities, etc. paid to him/her by the Sending Organisation.

In case of full-time secondment of the expert, IOTA will pay a monthly lump-sum of €1.000 on a quarterly basis to the Sending Organisation to cover the general costs of the secondment. IOTA will also cover the moving costs to and from Budapest up to €4.000, travel costs when taking up duties and when leaving the IOTA, and 3 tourist class return tickets per year (Budapest – City of employment in the Sending Organisation). During his/her secondment, the IOTA will provide medical check-up coverage for the secondee.

Except as otherwise stated in the secondment agreement, the secondee will remain subject to the staff regulations, rules and instructions applicable to officials or employees of IOTA. He/she will carry out his/her daily tasks under the authority of IOTA, while at the same time honouring his/her obligations as a staff member of the Sending Organisation.

All the other conditions will be specified in the secondment agreement agreed and signed between IOTA and the Sending Organisation.

Selection Policy

Secondees are selected solely on merit. While recruiting only the qualified and technically competent candidates from IOTA members, we strive for a balance between those with experience and practical knowledge of tax administration issues and those specialising in tax professional development programmes (workshops, forums, workgroups, projects, etc.) and having an excellent command of English. The pre-selected candidates will be asked to hold the recruitment interviews with an Interview Board, consisting of members of the Executive Council of IOTA and the Executive Secretary of IOTA, which is responsible for the final appointment of the post-holder.

Duration of appointments

IOTA does not offer permanent expert appointments. In order to keep the collective knowledge of our staff current and at the highest levels, and to ensure the regular injection of new ideas from outside, IOTA generally accepts secondment of experts for up to a two-year fixed-term basis. In some cases, an extension of the secondment agreement for up to two years may be considered, if the expert’s performance meets the required standards and if the Sending Organisation agrees to extend such secondment.

Submission of applications

All applications must be submitted on the Application and CV form template attached to this announcement. Together with the Application, the candidate should send a Motivation Letter and a document signed by the Director General of the Sending Organisation supporting his/her candidacy. All applications should be sent to the IOTA Secretariat only by e-mail to [email protected] no later than 14 February 2025 at midnight (Budapest time).

Critical dates

• 18 December 2024 – Opening date for submission of applications;
• 14 February 2025 – Closing date for submission of applications;
• 28 February 2025 – Selection of the shortlisted candidates;
• 19 March 2025 – Interviews with the shortlisted candidates and final selection;
• 24 March 2025 – Announcement of the recruitment results;
• 2 May 2025 – Agreement about the contract details with the selected candidate;
• 1 June 2025 – Taking up the post at the IOTA Secretariat.