De Beers Tax Manager, Upstream and Midstream

About De Beers

Founded in 1888, De Beers is a leading international diamond group whose expertise spans diamond discovery, sourcing, grading and luxury jewellery. With deep roots in southern Africa and a global presence, the group brings together scientific knowledge, technical precision and creative craftsmanship. As an employer, De Beers offers career paths across mining, engineering, gemmology, jewellery design, retail and corporate functions. Its multidisciplinary environment connects the origins of natural diamonds with their transformation into exceptional creations. Professionals join a business where heritage meets innovation, and where provenance, responsible practices and evolving consumer expectations are central to the future of the diamond industry.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead the Africa country tax teams responsible for tax advisory, compliance, business partnering and policy support to local businesses.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, and deliver Group Tax KPIs in the countries of responsibility.
• Help set and deliver Group strategic objectives for De Beers tax affairs, including aligning the tax profile with the business’s global footprint and operations.
• Manage De Beers’ tax risk in line with the Tax Governance Framework and influence the external tax environment in support of the Group’s Tax Strategy.
• Support the Head of Tax, De Beers, in fostering a psychologically safe working environment in which the team can thrive, consistent with the Leadership Framework.
• Lead the Upstream/Midstream tax teams and support team members’ professional growth and progression.
• Support the design and implementation of frameworks that help Group Tax KPIs be understood and delivered in the countries of accountability.
• Support implementation of the Tax Governance Framework, including Global Compliance, to identify and manage tax risks and develop solutions that protect Group value.
• Empower teams to identify, develop and deliver global and local tax projects and initiatives that responsibly add to or protect shareholder value.
• Represent and promote the team and its agenda with key internal stakeholders, including De Beers’ CEO, CFO and Exco members.
• Promote collaboration with other Group Tax teams and the Upstream/Midstream and Element 6 businesses.
• Develop and manage relationships with key business personnel, ensuring they understand and support the tax strategy, governance framework and Group Tax priorities.
• Ensure the local business understands and accommodates Group Tax’s value proposition, objectives, initiatives, delivery and resource requirements.
• Embed Group Tax as a valued local business partner and position it to influence decision-making through relevant committees and forums, demonstrating its contribution to commercial success.
• Represent business interests in domestic and regional consultations with governments, industry and civil society.
• Develop relationships with tax authorities and establish ways of working consistent with the ethos of Co-operative Compliance.
• Lead and manage tax advice on business undertakings.
• Lead responses to external developments in tax policy.
• Implement the Group Tax people strategy and demonstrate behaviour consistent with Group values, standards and a professional workplace.
• Lead and develop team performance in line with Group people policies and systems to achieve business goals, including setting an aligned team work plan, fostering a constructive and psychologically safe environment, monitoring direct reports and giving regular useful feedback, and driving delivery of objectives and KPIs with clear accountability.
• Monitor activities involving other teams and intervene appropriately to resolve cross-team issues.
• Contribute to broader business results through effective collaboration.
• Lead strategy and responses to significant regional tax audits, disputes and litigation.
• Support the Head of Tax, De Beers, in designing and implementing robust, consistent tax compliance preparation and review processes across the De Beers business.
• Be accountable to the Head of Tax, De Beers, for local tax compliance and tax reporting.
• Model behaviour consistent with health, safety and environmental standards and values; set and monitor team expectations; and participate in relevant safety audits, inspections and observations, addressing issues through safety leadership.
• Support the Group’s continued licence to operate in the region through appropriate tax planning and risk mitigation, local engagement and promotion of transparency.
• Implement the Group sustainability strategy from a tax perspective in the region.
• Manage the Upstream/Midstream team budget and consulting spend, delivering sustainable value and efficiencies relative to expenditure.
• Identify opportunities to improve cost management, addressing them or raising them with the Head of Tax, De Beers, and/or the appropriate local or De Beers Group CFO.

Qualifications

• Professional accounting, tax or legal qualification.
• Master’s in Taxation preferred.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in a similar role.
• Prior mining experience is advantageous.
• Strong working experience of domestic and international tax principles, transfer pricing and tax residence.
• Experience interacting with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• High degree of commercial acumen.
• Knowledge of tax issues arising from financing and capital structures.
• Knowledge of tax accounting.
• Ability to influence executives.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and tasks concurrently and work to deadlines.
• Proven track record in a similar tax role in commerce, with a Big Four accounting firm or a law firm.

Skills

Experience

Minimum 10 years’ experience in a similar role; prior mining experience is advantageous.

Education

Professional accounting, tax or legal qualification; a Master’s in Taxation is preferred.

Culture

De Beers’ workplace culture combines the technical expertise of the diamond industry with the craftsmanship and client focus of luxury jewellery, bringing together diverse disciplines across an international business. Its professional environment emphasises collaboration, safety and responsible sourcing, with a shared commitment to protecting the integrity of natural diamonds from origin to finished creation.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.