Employment Tax Assistant in Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university. We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement, a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

This role is based in the University Tax Team and offers an interesting and unique opportunity to work closely with teams within Finance and Human Resources. You will support the University’s Off-Payroll Working and International Working Policies from both an operational and administrative perspective. As the first point of contact, you will be involved with the day-to-day administration of both employment status determinations and international working tax requests, ensuring timely turnaround to internal and external University stakeholders.

You will be responsible for managing the whole administrative process, ensuring data collection and compliance checks are carried out both accurately and sensitively. You will support audit and tracking and accelerate issues where required. You will support the wider Tax Team in terms of the website, communications and general Tax administration and contribute to process improvements or projects within the team.

To succeed in the role you must bring a proactive approach to work, excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team. You will have strong IT and organisational skills, as well as good analytical skills. This role will enable you to develop wider knowledge of areas such as tax, procurement, employment and payment practices through on-the-job training and self-led development. Prior experience of Off-Payroll/International Working regulations are not required.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Be the initial point of contact for all Off-Payroll working enquiries, providing procedural guidance and support to departments, including virtual drop-in sessions.
• Ensure the University’s engagement practices for personal service providers are administered professionally; including compliance with, and adherence to, both legal and best practice guidelines.
• Lead the processing of all Off-Payroll Working Status Determination Statements, including drafting and issuing required communications for intermediaries and associated parties.
• Maintain accurate records of employment Status Determinations Statements for auditing purposes.
• Undertake regular reporting and auditing activities to assist the senior manager with identifying any non-compliance of University Off-Payroll Working rules.
• Monitor the International Working Inbox and triage new requests for travel in accordance with the University International Working Policy.
• Assist the International Tax Officer with case work and approvals.
• Liaison with HR, Procurement and other teams where necessary for complex cases.
• Engage collaboratively with Finance and HR teams to improve processes and service delivery, including gathering feedback from key stakeholders.
• Implement process and technical changes as agreed with Senior Managers within the Tax Team, including any regulatory requirements.
• Maintain the Off-Payroll Working web pages/wider Tax pages using the University Content Management System (CMS).
• Contribute to project work within the team and associated work within the wider department.
• Participate in sector led Network events and self-led training.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification:

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply.

Criteria:

• Excellent customer service skills, including diplomacy and experience of responding efficiently and effectively to email enquiries, and the ability to establish working relationships with a diverse group of people.
• Excellent IT Skills and willingness to train on bespoke in-house software including Website management and SAP.
• Experience of extracting, analysing and interpreting data.
• Ability to manage and prioritise own workload effectively, to meet deadlines and provide a timely and efficient service.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• A high degree of accuracy, attention to detail and confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information.
• Experience of working in a Finance, HR or Procurement environment, or working in a department dealing with the operational side of these areas.
• A willingness to develop specialist knowledge in the area of Off-Payroll and International working through self-led training and participation in sector updates.
• Experience of working with Google forms and sheets, and handling group inboxes would be an advantage.

Further Information:

Grade G5. Work arrangement: Full-time but flexible options would be considered. Duration: 12 months from September 2026 (start date to be confirmed). Line manager: Employment Taxes Manager. Direct reports: None.

This role does not meet the criteria for Skilled Worker sponsorship under the UK Visa & Immigration points-based system. Information on alternative visa options is available on www.gov.uk.

If you do not currently hold the right to work in the UK, you can find more information here to help determine your visa eligibility.

For informal enquiries about this job contact Jen Loftus, Employment Taxes Manager on j.l.loftus@sheffield.ac.uk.

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place on 7th September 2026. This will consist of an Interview and short test. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage by the 3rd September.

If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact Michelle Potts m.potts@sheffield.ac.uk.

A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more. Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles. A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel. A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development.

We are a Disability Confident Leader. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process. Possession of a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment at the University of Sheffield.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society.