Revenue Administration Advisor for Bosnia and Herzegovina based in Banja Luka (FADR1)

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seeking to fill a revenue administration advisor position in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to be based in Banja Luka. Reporting to the Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD) headquarters, the advisor will be responsible for managing and delivering FAD revenue administration capacity development (CD) activities to support the BiH revenue administrations, as part of a broader regional CD program supporting six countries in the region (Fiscal Reforms in Southeast Europe (SEE) Phase III). The appointment term will initially be for a period of one year, with an extension option available subject to various conditions, including satisfactory performance.

The revenue administration structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) comprises four administrations. The Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) is a national level agency that administers the collection of the value added tax (VAT), customs duties, and excises in BiH. The Federation of BiH (FBiH), the Republika Srpska (RS), and the Brčko District (BD) each have their own direct tax and social security contribution (SSC) systems managed through separate tax administrations.

FAD is already supporting the BiH revenue administrations with their reform initiatives, as part of this regional program, and the advisor will assist the authorities with the ongoing development and implementation of these reforms. Specifically, the advisor’s responsibilities will be to: (1) provide direct CD advice and support to the BiH authorities; (2) support the management and delivery of the revenue CD workplans for each administration and the training program according to the agreed budget and integrated with FAD’s other revenue CD work in the SEE region; (3) organize and provide support, including quality control, to short-term revenue administration experts working on targeted reform activities; (4) organize and deliver tax administration capacity building events, such as workshops and training programs or community of practice (CoP) initiatives for the revenue administrations in BiH, and for other countries in the region, together with the regional revenue administration advisors assigned to the other countries included in the Fiscal Reforms in the SEE program; (5) support the FAD project manager with reviewing CD needs and developing annual workplans; (6) coordinate with the program donors in-country and with other active development partners on CD support for BiH; and (7) report on progress in delivering the revenue administration workplan and results and on the overall reform environment in BiH at regular intervals.

The technical skills and qualifications required for the position include a high level of knowledge and experience in tax administration, including in the following areas:

• Legislative and regulatory environment for revenue administration (direct and indirect taxation).
• Organization and strategic management of revenue administration, including strategic planning and performance management.
• Revenue administration modernization and reform approaches.
• The use of information technology to support effective and efficient revenue administration operations and management.
• The whole range of revenue administration functional procedures and controls, including compliance risk management, audit and arrears management.

Applicants should have extensive practical experience in the above areas in a senior management position within a tax administration. Preference will be given to applicants who have all-round experience in managing revenue operations; who have knowledge of revenue issues in a regional context; and who are aware of the issues and challenges facing revenue administration reforms in the BiH. Previous experience of international capacity building in tax administration (such as participating in CD activities and organizing and conducting training courses and workshops) would be an advantage. Familiarity with general IMF surveillance and financial support is desirable.

General requirements for candidates include:

• A university degree or equivalent qualification in a field relevant to the position and at least 4 years of relevant professional experience. Preference will be given to candidates with 10 years of professional experience with a tax administration or international organization providing CD on revenue policy and administrative matters.

• Demonstrated organizational, planning, and project management skills to manage multiple priorities and ensure on-time delivery of quality outputs.

• Fluency in English with strong oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team to maintain effective and cooperative relations with authorities, as well as donors, and to handle sensitive issues with discretion in a multicultural environment.

The selected candidate is expected to start the position at the beginning of the second quarter of calendar year 2024.

Qualified applicants who are not selected for a long-term advisor position may be considered for other short-term CD assignments.

This position is not based at the Fund’s Headquarters in Washington, DC; as a result, the vacancy will close at 11:59 PM at the local time of the job location.

All applicants are expected to include a Statement of Interest as an attachment to the application, which may be used in the screening process for this vacancy.

Department:

FADR1 Fiscal Affairs Department Revenue Administration 1Hiring For:

A11, A12, A13, A14The IMF is committed to achieving a diverse staff, including age, creed, culture, disability, educational background, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, nationality, race, religion and beliefs, and sexual orientation. We welcome requests for reasonable accommodations for disabilities during the selection process.