Senior Director, Real Estate Tax | Corporate Finance in London

About Tax Advisory at FTI Consulting’s independent, expert‑led tax practice sits within the Corporate Finance practice. We provide corporate business tax advisory services to leading private equity and infrastructure fund houses, FTSE 100/listed groups, international funds and major corporations across a broad suite of tax services and technical specialisms.

About the Role

The FTI real estate tax transactions team provides a holistic client offering and frequently acts as an extension of the client’s internal team. As a result, you will have the opportunity to work closely with clients, develop an understanding of their business plan and strategic objectives, and contribute to key decision‑making processes.

Typical projects include:

• Tax and financial due diligence
• Advising on transaction documentation (including SPAs)
• Tax structuring for fund and joint venture formations and acquisitions
• Ongoing advisory projects
• Vendor assist workstreams

The team predominantly advises on UK projects with international aspects, but also manages an increasing number of European transactions. As such, you will work with FTI’s international tax teams and other international tax network members.

The team works across a broad range of real estate asset classes and has a mix of clients such as private equity funds, real estate investment trusts, family offices and foreign listed investors. In this role, you will gain significant hands‑on commercial exposure, working on live transactions and client business plans from inception through to completion, as well as ongoing tax advisory work throughout the life cycle of an investment. You will work closely with client deal and finance teams, as well as other stakeholders such as lawyers and administrators, gaining insight into the commercial drivers behind transactions.

You will have the opportunity to utilise your technical and advisory expertise to deliver commercial and practical advice, develop strong client relationships, and take day‑to‑day responsibility for your own projects to enable you to progress to the next level in your own career.

The team is also increasing its use of AI‑enabled tools in day‑to‑day work to support research, drafting, and efficiency, such that the role offers earlier exposure to higher‑value technical analysis, including reviewing outputs critically, identifying areas requiring further investigation, and applying judgement to develop robust, commercially focused advice.

What You’ll Do

• Leading tax due diligence on corporate real estate acquisitions, including reviewing reports and drafting technical analysis, managing the input of junior team members and other specialists (e.g. VAT, capital allowances, stamp taxes, employment taxes/CIS)
• Leading tax structuring work for acquisitions, refinancing, reorganisations, and disposals, including researching technical points, managing the input of other specialists and drafting clear, practical, robustly supported advice and reports which is commercially driven.
• Developing relationships with existing and target clients and other connectors (e.g. lawyers).
• Supporting clients on related (non‑tax specific) workstreams such as funds flows analysis, financial due diligence, and SPA negotiation.
• Assisting clients with tax modelling for underwriting of deals and also assessment of preferable holding structures such as standard corporate structures, real estate investment trusts (REITs), offshore property unit trusts and exempt elected structures.
• Managing post‑transaction workstreams such as treaty relief claims, disregarding elections and implementation of real‑estate specific regimes such as REITs and exempt elected structures, and other ad hoc client requests.
• Advising landlords and occupiers on all aspects of real estate lease transactions, including incentives, renewals, dilapidations and surrenders.
• Maintaining up‑to‑date knowledge of relevant technical developments and contributing to thought leadership material where appropriate.
• Liaising with the tax compliance and reporting team to ensure transaction‑related and ongoing advice is reflected in the client’s annual UK tax returns.
• Participating on, and leading calls with clients and other key stakeholders (lawyers, administrators) etc.
• Proactively managing risk and engagement administration requirements.
• Delegating work to, and supporting the development of, the junior members of the tax team.
• Supporting on the real estate team’s business development activities.
• Taking ownership of project financial management, including WIP management and billing.
• Using AI‑enabled and other technology tools responsibly to support research and drafting, critically reviewing outputs for technical accuracy and identifying where further analysis or challenge is required.

What You’ll Need To Succeed

• Significant post‑qualification experience in providing real estate (or M&A) tax advisory services on UK assets as well as international inbound investment preferably from a large tax consultancy firm.
• Strong tax technical knowledge in real estate specific areas such as REITs, exempt elected structures and JPUTs, as well as wider areas of corporation tax that have a significant impact such as the corporate interest restriction, anti‑hybrid rules etc.
• Working knowledge of the key considerations for other tax specialisms in a real estate context including SDLT, VAT, CIS, WHT and capital allowances.
• An ability to communicate (verbal and written) complex technical issues in a straightforward and practical way to tax and non‑tax specialists.
• An understanding of the commercial drivers for real estate investors/businesses and the ability to frame advice in the context of wider commercial considerations.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to independently undertake technical analysis and manage sub‑sets of projects.
• Outgoing and personable and able to integrate with a team and interact with colleagues of all grades.
• Track record of developing and maintaining client relationships.
• Ability to prioritise and manage a varied workload under pressure as well as delegate to the wider team.
• Proven ability to take ownership of projects including managing client expectations and demands, and come to decisions independently whilst being supported by the senior team.
• Demonstrable skills at building and maintaining relationships with colleagues within and outside tax teams.
• A curious and adaptable approach to new technologies, with the ability to use AI‑enabled tools responsibly whilst applying independent technical judgment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree (2.1) or equivalent.
• ACA, CTA or equivalent qualified.