Partner & Employment Tax Manager/Senior Manager - Manchester

For business professionals, our environment is highly collaborative with value being placed on diversity of ideas, skills and mindsets. It’s energetic, fast‑moving and there’s always something new to get involved in.

About The Role

You will get exposure across geographies and the firm as a whole. The future is a place of opportunity. Focusing on your success and for what’s next, will ensure you thrive too. Senior, partner‑facing role responsible for the delivery and oversight of partner individual tax and employment tax matters within a professional services / partnership environment. The role combines technical expertise, senior stakeholder management, people leadership, and operational excellence, with a strong focus on governance, cash‑flow visibility, and process automation. The role is suited to a highly credible tax professional comfortable operating at partner, ExCo, and Board level.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner Tax
  • Lead UK individual tax compliance for partners, including internationally mobile and non‑UK resident partners.
  • Advise on partnership profit allocations, foreign income, treaty claims, and residence/split‑year positions.
  • Advise partners on remote working arrangements and associated UK residence/residency issues (including Statutory Residence Test considerations), and support risk mitigations and partner communications.
  • Manage tax implications for new partner joiners (entry positions, historic exposures) and retiring partners (final year filings and ongoing obligations).
• Employment Tax
  • Provide senior oversight of employment tax matters, including PAYE Settlement Agreements (PSAs) and benefits‑in‑kind and expense treatment.
  • Interaction between employment tax and partner/director remuneration.
  • Work closely with HR, Payroll, Finance, and external advisers to ensure compliance and robust governance.
  • Oversite and guidance on IR35 related matters.
• Partner Tax Payments, Reserving & Cashflow
  • Own the partner tax reserving process, ensuring reserves are accurate, timely, and reflect current‑year performance and emerging risks.
  • Oversee partner tax payment processes (payments on account and balancing payments), including clear partner communications.
  • Provide regular, reliable input into the firm’s cash‑flow forecasting and budgeting process, covering expected partner tax outflows and timing impacts.
• HMRC Enquiries & Risk
  • Lead and manage HMRC enquiries relating to partner individual tax and employment tax.
  • Manage correspondence, technical position papers, and discussions with HMRC and advisers.
  • Identify and elevate tax, financial, and reputational risks at partner and firm level.
• Senior Stakeholder Management
  • Act as a trusted adviser to partners and senior leadership.
  • Communicate complex tax issues clearly, focusing on tax exposure, effective tax rates, cashflow impact, and risk.
  • Confidently and constructively challenge senior stakeholders where governance or tax risk arises.
• Leadership
  • Lead, coach, and develop a small specialist partner tax team.
  • Promote a collaborative culture across Tax, Partner Finance, HR, Payroll, and external advisers.
  • Act as a senior escalation point for partner‑related tax matters.
• Operational Excellence
  • Drive operational excellence across partner and employment tax processes.
  • Lead simplification, standardization, and improved controls.
  • Champion technology‑enabled solutions and AI‑driven automation to improve accuracy, efficiency, and partner experience.

Skills & Qualifications

• CTA, ACA, ACCA or equivalent.
• Strong UK individual tax background within a partnership or professional services environment.
• Good working knowledge of employment tax, including PSAs.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and driving process improvement.
• Law firm or professional services partnership experience.
• Experience advising partners on remote working arrangements and associated UK residence/residency issues (including Statutory Residence Test considerations) and risk mitigations.
• Proven experience dealing directly with equity partners or board‑level stakeholders.
• Global mobility tax experience (including cross‑border working, double tax treaty considerations, and related compliance).
• Experience implementing or working with tax technology, automation, or AI tools.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Eversheds Sutherland, “Inclusive” is a core business value. We bring together different skillsets, global mindsets and approaches. We foster diversity of thought and the freedom to put ideas into action. We have an inherent respect for the individual. We have a strong belief in collaboration and teamwork. Sharing ideas, asking questions, solving challenges and meeting our clients’ goals: together. We want all our people to thrive at work and reach their full potential and we work hard to continue to build a diverse and inclusive culture, monitor and report on our progress and impact, and develop our approach. This is reflected in our policies, systems and processes, and in our work with diversity membership organisations.