Tax Senior - Private Client in Basildon

Reporting to: Tax Manager/Senior Tax Manager

Hours: Full time Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm (37.5 hours per week)

Location: Colchester or Chelmsford or Stratford, London.

Affinia is a UK Top 35 Accounting firm, where we support our clients with everything from day-to-day Accounting, Audit and Tax planning, to strategic business advice, compliance and specialist services such as Cloud Accounting, Payroll and Mergers & Acquisitions across a wide range of sectors. We are committed to delivering excellence in every aspect of our work, adapting to the evolving regulatory landscape while consistently exceeding client expectations.

We focus on building authentic connections, collaboration and growth, both with our clients and colleagues with over 300 years’ experience, bringing together financial experts from across London, East Anglia & Southeast England. We have more than 500 accountancy professionals across our 15 offices and advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across seven principal practice groups: Accountancy & Advisory, Tax and Planning, Audit Services, Corporate Finance, Digital Solutions, Payroll and Financial Planning.

We have invested continuously in technology and gained in-depth knowledge across a broad range of markets, growing through acquisitions and private investment. We offer an exceptional service to our clients, with access to our sector experts to develop the strategy that will help them reach their goals. We keep a finger on the industry pulse, so our clients receive the best short to medium and long-term advice.

We can offer flexible and hybrid working and provide access to training providers such as Croner-i, Tolley’s, Mercia and LinkedIn Learning to meet the needs of our people from both a hard and soft skills perspective. We also work with an Apprenticeship provider to offer the combination of paid work and access to professional qualifications.

Purpose of the role:

As a Tax Senior, this role is about solidifying core technical expertise in your relevant field and applying it consistently to your work. We want to see you take more ownership of client work and begin contributing to team development and business growth. This role is a crucial stepping stone, where you consolidate technical skills while beginning to stretch into client and team leadership. Excellent teamwork and communication skills are essential.

We operate a hybrid working model, so you may split your time between working from home, the office, and client sites when required. If completing your professional qualifications, we will of course support you in this regard and would anticipate that you be able to finalise your chartered qualifications (i.e. CTA). We provide ongoing training to develop your ‘soft’ skills e.g. coaching and leadership, as well as access to Croner-i’s CPD and technical library and some elements of Mercia.

Key tasks and responsibilities:

• Preparation of a broad range of Tax Returns, varying in complexity, including personal, trust and estate tax returns.
• Base knowledge of HMRC’s Trust Registration Service.
• Experience in preparation and/or review of IHT forms.
• Review of Tax Returns and other compliance documents.
• Good technical knowledge of trust and estate work as well as inheritance tax.
• Assist with training the team and providing constructive feedback and guidance on work.
• Liaising regularly with HMRC on a variety of matters.
• Assist with relevant advisory and project work.
• Mentoring staff where required.
• Provide high quality services to clients, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Contribute to the team's objectives by sharing knowledge and ideas.
• Participate in client meetings to understand their tax needs and support senior staff with solutions.
• Work collaboratively with other departments to ensure client satisfaction.
• Identify opportunities for tax planning and communicate them to the management team.
• Participate in professional development activities to enhance tax knowledge and awareness of tax legislation.
• Engaging in business development, promoting Affinia and its services to both existing and potential clients. The level of your involvement in business development will be bespoke to you in your personal development plan.

Professional skills/qualifications:

• Qualified (ATT) and/or CTA (or studying towards).
• Excellent communication skills at all levels including a wide range of stakeholders within the business.
• Proficiency in tax software and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and independently.
• Strong core knowledge of tax laws and regulations.

Core Benefits:

At Affinia, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment, we offer the following core benefits:

• Auto enrolment Pension Scheme with True Potential
• Death in Service
• Professional membership support
• Paycare – claim money back for Dental / Optical / Professional Therapies
• Agile/Hybrid Working Policy
• Dress for your Diary Policy

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Affinia is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion, or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity, or sexual orientation. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.