Role Purpose
Own the Group's Mauritius tax function end to end — structuring, optimisation, compliance and authority relationship management — and act as the single internal point of contact on tax for Telecel Group and all its Mauritius-registered subsidiaries. The role combines hands-on filing and compliance with strategic structuring across a multi-jurisdictional African footprint (DRC, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and other markets).
Core Responsibilities
Structuring & Optimisation
• Maintain the Group's Mauritius holding and management-company structure as agreed by the exco to ensure full compliance with local regulations, flagging of any changes in legislation that could constitute threats or opportunities for the company, including use of the partial exemption regime, foreign tax credit positioning, and substance (“CIGA”) requirements to preserve the effective rate on qualifying foreign-source income.
• Own the transfer-pricing framework for the GHQ / management-fee model — arm’s-length support, benchmarking, and defensible documentation for management, technical and commercial fees charged across group entities.
• Structure intercompany financing (loans, DSRA / cash-pledge arrangements, interest deductibility, thin-cap and TDS considerations) and advise on the tax leg of financing and M&A transactions. Build scenarios where applicable on possible acquisition structures to find optimal solutions.
• Continuously review the structure for optimisation opportunities and for exposure created by regulatory change (BEPS / Pillar Two developments, substance review and testing, DTA renegotiations).
Compliance & Filing — Both Entities
• Own the full compliance calendar for Telecel Global and the Mauritius Group entities: corporate income tax returns, APS instalments, VAT returns, TDS, and CSG / PAYE coordination with payroll.
• Prepare and file all returns with the MRA accurately and on time in close collaboration with the group Finance Controller and ensure that we maintain tax provisions and reconcile the tax line for statutory and consolidation purposes.
• Manage Tax Residence Certificate (TRC) applications and renewals to secure treaty access for the African operations.
MRA Relationship & Dispute Management
• Act as the single point of contact with the MRA for both entities — routine correspondence, information requests, assessments, objections and Alternative Tax Dispute Resolution.
• Lead responses to MRA queries, contemplation letters and assessments (across multiple issues and assessment years), coordinating external counsel where required and driving matters to resolution.
Treaty & Cross-Border
• Manage the DTA network relevant to the Group’s operating markets — withholding tax optimisation on dividends, interest and fees flowing to Mauritius, and treaty-relief documentation.
• Advise operating-company finance teams on the group-level tax consequences of local transactions.
Governance, Risk & Advisory
• Maintain a Group tax risk register, quantify exposures, and brief the CFO / Group CFO on material positions.
• Support statutory audit and buy-side / vendor due diligence on tax; own tax representations and disclosures.
• Manage and control the spend and quality of external tax advisers.
Qualifications & Experience
• 8–10+ years in tax, with a substantial portion in Mauritius international / GBC tax — ideally trained in a Big 4 Mauritius tax practice or an equivalent GBC-facing environment.
• Deep working knowledge of the MRA (filing systems, assessment and objection process), the partial exemption regime, substance rules, VAT, TDS and the Mauritius DTA network.
• Demonstrable transfer-pricing and cross-border structuring experience; multi-jurisdictional (ideally African / frontier-market) and telecoms or holding-company exposure is a strong advantage.
• Comfortable operating as sole owner of the function, using external counsel where applicable — hands-on with filings while also advising at CFO level.
KPIs
• On-time filing of all tax returns to avoid penalties, first time right, with full supporting documentation.
• Monthly report on tax status in each opco to control adequate accruals as part of group month-end review and audit.
• Quarterly review of tax risks (risk register), tax positions, tax law evolutions in each market we are present by quarter-end plus 10 days.
Professional Credentials
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MIPA registration — membership of the Mauritius Institute of Professional Accountants, the statutory body (effectively required to sign off certain work).
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A recognised professional / tax qualification — ACCA (dominant in Mauritius), ACA (ICAEW), or a dedicated tax credential such as the CIOT’s CTA or the ADIT (Advanced Diploma in International Taxation). [Required]
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Demonstrable MRA & GBC-regime track record — evidence of having personally run MRA filings, assessments and objections for GBC / holding structures.
