Call for Kenyan Tax Professionals - Nairobi - Adam Smith International

Description

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Adam Smith International (ASI) is seeking qualified Kenyan tax professionals with strong strategic leadership skills and experience in driving significant change to support an upcoming opportunity for technical assistance to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), implemented through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)-funded Public Finance Resource Centre (PFRC).

Background

ASI is a global advisory company that works locally to transform lives by making economies stronger, societies more stable, and governments more effective. For nearly three decades, ASI has partnered with governments, the private sector, and civil society in almost 100 countries to deliver lasting results, particularly in complex and fragile environments.

ASI has a strong track record in delivering impactful public financial management (PFM) reforms across Africa and globally. Our work spans the entire PFM cycle, including budget formulation and execution, revenue mobilization, debt management, procurement, and fiscal decentralization. We have supported governments in strengthening institutions, improving transparency, and enhancing accountability in public finance.

ASI is currently the Managing Supplier for the PFRC which flexibly delivers technical advice on tax, PFM and broader macro-fiscal and debt management support. ASI is responsible for delivering all short-term interventions under the PFRC, and also runs competitive procurement processes for longer-term interventions. ASI can bid for these longer-term interventions, subject to strict conflict of interest controls (including ethical walls between the core PFRC project team and any proposal team).  

About the role

ASI is in the early stages of tendering for an upcoming PFRC opportunity for technical assistance to the KRA. The intervention will focus on building sustainable capacity within the KRA by supporting the design and implementation of organizational changes as identified in its 9th corporate plan. Alongside organizational restructuring, digital transformation is a major focus of the change process.

The intervention is expected to run for several years from September 2025,, with thematic areas of support to be prioritized per financial year. Indicative areas of focus for the first year are:

• Technical assistance in relation to implementation of the Revenue Authority's organizational restructuring plan anchored on digital transformation.

• Data analytics training. Digitisation and data are at the core of Revenue Authority's 9th Corporate Plan. The World Bank is expected to support the introduction of new systems with greater data collection and analysis capabilities. The intervention is expected to complement this with hands-on training and long-term capacity building to ensure that Revenue Authority staff can get the most from new systems.

• Technical assistance in relation to taxation of micro, small, and medium (MSME) enterprises. This includes enabling the development of a detailed and practical strategy to tax MSMEs effectively and fairly, with a focus on sectors and segments with the greatest revenue raising potential whilst considering social impact.

As part of developing our proposal, we are seeking experienced Kenyan tax professionals with significant experience working in or with the KRA, excellent strategic leadership skills, and the capability to drive change through a multidisciplinary team of experts.

While specific needs will depend on the final Terms of Reference, we are particularly interested in advisers who offer:

• Proven experience working with or within the Kenya Revenue Authority or comparable institutions

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in tax administration, revenue reform, or related disciplines

• Expertise in one or more of the following areas: tax audit, risk-based compliance, tax policy for MSMEs, digital transformation, organisational change management, or tax system analytics

• Familiarity with gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) considerations in tax policy and practice

• Ability to deliver high-quality training and capacity-building support to public officials

• Strong stakeholder engagement and advisory skills, including working with government counterparts, donors, and civil society

• A relevant academic background, preferably with a postgraduate qualification in taxation, public policy, economics, or a related field

ASI encourages applications from candidates of all social backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, abilities, and orientations. Qualified female applicants and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. We offer flexible working arrangements, please write to us to discuss further.

Ways of Working

Experts are expected to adhere to the following values and obligations:

• At all times work collaboratively and openly with other members of the programme team, proactively providing guidance, advice and sharing experiences to solve problems, overcome challenges and manage risks together.

• Free and open sharing of information gained from the client, beneficiaries, or other international projects with other members of the team.

• Respect for the confidentiality of the team's discussions, assessments, decisions and plans or agreements with the Client.

• Adhere to decisions taken by the programme's leadership and taking collective responsibility for implementing those decisions and communicating them to counterparts or other external parties.

• Ensure they have an accurate understanding of policies and decisions made by the Contracting Authority that relate to the programme and respecting and adhering to those policies.

• Careful coordination with other team members of communications and meetings with the Contracting Authority to ensure coherence of technical advice and an efficient use of the client's time.

• Constant monitoring of risks to programme delivery and achievement of deliverables/objectives, as well as the reputation of ASI and the Client, and swift referral of those risks to the Senior Programme Manager.

• Comply with ASI's operational and logistical procedures.

• Comply with ASI's Duty of Care and security procedures designed to ensure safety of personnel and notify the Senior Programme Manager of any incidence that threatens the security of personnel or assets of the project.

• Understand and strictly adhere to ASI's Code of Conduct.

Ready to apply

If you meet the above criteria and are excited about the opportunity to help to drive change in Kenyan tax administration, we are keen to hear from you.

Please submit your CV, detailing relevant experience and expertise, by COB Thursday 26 June. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis ahead of the closing date, so we strongly encourage candidates to submit early. Due to high volumes, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.