Group Tax Manager

Purpose

Responsible for the end to end management and governance of all direct and indirect tax matters across the Group. The role provides Group wide oversight, technical leadership and assurance, ensuring tax compliance, robust controls, and effective management of tax risk, while supporting the business with clear, pragmatic tax advice.

The role acts as the senior tax authority within Finance, partnering closely with Financial Accounting, Management Accounting and external advisors, and ensuring consistent tax treatment across all Group entities.

Accountabilities

• Overall ownership of Group tax strategy, compliance and governance across all entities, ensuring adherence to local and international tax requirements and alignment with Group policies.
• Act as the senior point of contact for all tax matters, providing technical leadership, review and sign off on key tax positions and judgements covering both direct and indirect taxes.
• Management and oversight of direct tax obligations, including corporation tax compliance, tax provisioning, forecasting, and review of disclosures within statutory accounts.
• Ownership of indirect tax matters, including VAT & WHT, ensuring accurate treatment, timely filings, effective reconciliations and appropriate systems and controls.
• Review and challenge of accounting and commercial activities from a tax perspective, working closely with Financial Accounting and Management Accounting on complex or non routine transactions.
• Ownership of tax input into Month End and Year End processes, including review of tax balances, provisions and disclosures, ensuring accuracy and consistency across the Group.
• Lead the tax aspects of the Year End audit process, acting as the primary liaison with auditors on tax matters and ensuring timely resolution of audit queries.
• Coordinate and manage external tax advisors, including scoping of work, review of advice, cost control and ensuring practical implementation of recommendations.
• Proactively identify, assess and manage tax risks, ensuring appropriate documentation, controls and mitigation strategies are in place.
• Support business initiatives and projects by advising on tax impacts, structuring considerations and compliance requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement of tax processes and controls, including system enhancements, automation opportunities and standardisation of tax reporting across entities.
• Maintain awareness of changes in tax legislation and regulation, assessing impacts on the Group and advising senior finance management accordingly.
• Support ad hoc tax queries and senior finance requests, providing clear, concise and commercially balanced advice.

Essential Competencies

• Professionally qualified tax specialist (e.g. CTA, ACA with strong tax background, or equivalent).
• Significant experience in a Group or multi entity environment, managing both direct and indirect taxes.
• Strong technical expertise with the ability to apply tax knowledge pragmatically in a commercial context.
• Experience managing audits, external advisors and complex tax issues.
• Confident stakeholder manager, able to influence and challenge at senior levels.
• Strong control mindset, with a focus on governance, documentation and risk management.
• Systems savvy, with experience improving tax processes and controls