Team Lead, Tax

PayNet (Payments Network Malaysia); Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

PayNet (Payments Network Malaysia) seeks a Tax Manager to lead tax planning and structuring across its products and initiatives. The ideal candidate will possess deep technical knowledge in both direct and indirect tax, influencing decisions, and ensuring compliance quality.

The role requires a strong focus on shaping tax positions early, translating complex tax rules into actionable guidance, and serving as the primary interface with external tax advisors. Candidates should have robust communication skills and the ability to navigate commercial decisions amid regulatory scrutiny.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in tax planning and structuring for large organizations.
• Ability to translate complex tax rules into clear business implications.
• Experience liaising with external tax advisors and authorities.

Responsibilities

• Shape tax planning and structuring for new initiatives.
• Own end-to-end tax analysis across direct and indirect taxes.
• Define and defend tax positions aligned with PayNet's risk appetite.

Skills

Deep technical grounding in direct and indirect tax

Comfort influencing decisions without formal authority

Strong written and verbal communication

Ability to think structurally

Job description

Why PayNet / Why Now

• PayNet operates at national scale where tax decisions directly affect sustainability, pricing, and regulatory credibility.
• Growing platform complexity, new initiatives, and evolving tax rules increase the importance of upfront tax structuring.
• This role exists to move PayNet from reactive tax compliance to proactive, well‑considered tax planning.
• Strong tax judgment today reduces structural risk and limits costly remediation later.

TL; DR

• Reports to the Head of Financial Control and leads a small Tax team, ensuring work is well prioritised, delegated, reviewed, and delivered to a high standard.
• Own tax planning and structuring across PayNet’s products, platforms, and initiatives.
• Act as the internal authority on direct and indirect tax implications of business decisions.
• Shape tax positions early, not after commercial or legal structures are set.
• Balance tax efficiency with regulatory defensibility and long‑term sustainability.

Why This Role Matters

• Poor tax structuring creates long‑term cost, audit risk, and reputational exposure.
• Over‑conservative tax positions can unnecessarily constrain commercial outcomes.
• Strong tax judgment enables confident decisions under regulatory scrutiny.
• This role requires judgment over checklist compliance.

What You Will Actually Do

• Shape tax planning and structuring for new initiatives, products, entities, and partnerships.
• Own end‑to‑end tax analysis across direct and indirect taxes, translating rules into clear business implications.
• Define and defend tax positions that are efficient, defensible, and aligned with PayNet’s risk appetite.
• Lead technical tax input into contracts, pricing discussions, and business proposals.
• Own tax compliance quality across filings, submissions, and audits, while guiding team delivery to ensure outputs align with planning intent.
• Act as the primary technical interface with external tax advisors and authorities.

Examples of This Role in Practice

• Advising early on transaction or operating model design to avoid structural tax leakage.
• Challenging a proposed structure that appears efficient short‑term but creates future audit risk.
• Translating complex indirect tax rules into practical guidance for product or finance teams.
• Defending a tax position during an audit by clearly articulating intent, substance, and rationale.
• Identifying opportunities to simplify or standardize tax treatment across platforms.

What Will Help You Succeed

• Deep technical grounding in both direct and indirect tax, applied with commercial judgment.
• Comfort influencing decisions without formal authority or team ownership.
• Ability to think structurally, not just transactionally.
• Strong written and verbal articulation of complex tax positions.
• Curiosity about how business models, regulation, and tax intersect.