VP, Tax, Private Markets

Investment Services Private Market and Finance

Investment Services Private Markets & Finance (ISPVMF) is responsible for investment services for the private market and financial management across the GIC group. It is responsible for providing operations and reporting support to the private market business of GIC as well as budgeting, accounting, payment processing, cash management, tax and financial & management reporting services to all departments, corporate management companies and the global offices of the GIC group. It is involved in deal structuring and closing, transaction processing, administration and accounting of investment holding companies, review of financial controls for asset operations, cash & securities reconciliation, valuation, and financial reporting for assets under management.

The Tax team guides GIC through the increasingly complex and evolving maze of international tax legislation and issues, to maximize portfolio value by ensuring that investment and business decisions are made on a tax-informed basis. Collectively, the Tax team oversees GIC's international tax-related strategy, tax risk management, investment support, and tax compliance.

We are looking for a suitable candidate to join the Tax team as a Vice President (VP) within the Asia-Pacific Tax function. Reporting to the SVP, Tax Lead - Asia-Pacific, the individual will predominantly provide tax support to the investment departments that invest in the Asia-Pacific region. This will include investment structuring support, managing tax risk, executing on strategic initiatives, and nurturing and growing relationships with local advisors, government officials, and industry peers in the Asia-Pacific region.

Role-Specific Accountabilities

1. Tax Support to Private Investments assets classes in Asia-Pacific:

• Delivers early-stage tax support as investment teams explore the viability of new opportunities. In anticipation of investing into key Asia-Pacific jurisdictions, facilitates preparatory work with external advisors to determine the availability of tax privileges for GIC and preferred tax structuring alternatives.
• Provides more direct support to investment teams in complex situations to ensure tax risks and opportunities are well understood, monitors the quality of final technical advice/opinions and tax ruling submissions.
• Maintains tax knowledge pertinent to assets classes that invest across the Asia-Pacific, particularly private equity (funds, co-investments, and direct equity), real estate, infrastructure, and credit investments, and leverages a network of external advisors to monitor for changes of tax law or administrative practice. Effectively highlights and communicates changes of law to investment departments that could impact current or future investments across the Asia-Pacific.
• Recommends and on-boards tax advisors to provide quality service and advice to meet specific needs of investment teams. In the process, strives to establish good rapport and ensure the quality performance of advisors
• Collaborates with investment teams and other Corporate Services departments to ensure that the on-going tax management of investments across the Asia-Pacific meets GIC's needs. Identifies improvements and recommends pragmatic solutions.
• As necessary, facilitates similar investment and tax support to non-Asia Pacific investments to ensure that the global tax support provided to GIC is balanced against competing priorities.

2. Broader support across tax strategy and tax risk

• Supports the Tax team's work to advance tax strategic initiatives in the Asia-Pacific.
• Maintains constructive relationships with key government authorities and tax departments of peer organizations in the Asia-Pacific.
• Supports the roll out of training for investment professionals and other departments to increase their tax awareness and effectively enable them to understand tax issues to their department.
• Contributes knowledge of GIC's Asia-Pacific tax issues to the delivery of tax risk reporting to key stakeholders.
• Maintains high standards of effective oral and written communications to internal stakeholders to ensure ease of understanding the relevance to the business.
• Assists the tax compliance team in interfacing with the Asia-Pacific investment departments to ensure that GIC's tax compliance obligations are met.
• Actively contributes to the Tax team's knowledge and technology resources, and shares ideas/information with peers.
• Supports the implementation of special projects and initiatives for the Tax team.

3. Build and maintain strong cross-functional relationships

• Works effectively with colleagues across GIC.
• Builds the trust of the investment departments that are directly supported.
• Develops, maintains, and manages relationships with key individuals across all other GIC departments.
• Collaborates with peers in the Tax team to leverage team knowledge and experience.
• Assists with reports to senior management on tax issues, risks, and opportunities across asset classes, product lines, and geographies.
• Promotes collaboration and issue resolution within and across teams.

Position Requirements

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant tax experience, with significant international and/or M&A tax experience.

• Professional accountancy/tax qualifications preferable.
• Experience in the private investment industry is an asset, but not required.
• Knowledge of basic US tax concepts is an advantage, but not required.
• Demonstrates strong writing, analytical, and oral presentation skills, and creativity in written presentation materials.
• Demonstrates an ability to think broadly about tax information, think through problems strategically, assess a variety of factors, and recommend a solution.
• Can adapt to communication styles based upon the audience and has a proven skill to synthesize complex technical concepts into plain language for non-specialist audiences.
• Has strong organizational/project management skills and the ability to efficiently progress multiple assignments.
• Has excellent attention to detail and consistently high levels of accuracy.
• Demonstrates personal initiative and strives to innovate and build best practices but is highly attuned to the need for pragmatic solutions.
• Energized by ideas and experiences and will encourage a learning environment.
• Has strong impact and influencing skills, with the ability to influence people with a personal style and finesse, rather than authority.
• A continuous learner, who stays on top of business trends and technical tax changes.
• Flexible, and able to work autonomously.