Tax Manager in Wembley

Are you an experienced Tax Manager looking for your next challenge? An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Tax Manager to take ownership of the Group’s tax affairs across UK corporation tax, VAT and PAYE/NIC. You’ll play a pivotal role in driving improvements to processes and controls, while working closely with senior finance leadership, including supporting and deputising for the Group Financial Controller and Finance Director.

What will you be doing?

• Compliance & Reporting: Manage tax in accordance with The FA’s Tax Strategy and Tax Governance Framework and keep these up to date. Support Commercial Finance in the preparation of corporation tax forecasts for the annual budget, medium‑term financial plan and scenario analysis as required. Preparation and submission of UK corporate tax computations and quarterly instalment calculations. Responsible for year‑end tax provisioning and disclosures in the statutory financial statements. Perform detailed review and analysis of quarterly VAT returns and appropriate accounting entries. Review of internal processes/databases to ensure tax compliance in all areas is efficiently managed so that comfort can be provided for SAO sign‑off. Support the Payroll team with ad‑hoc employment tax compliance, including reviewing annual PSA returns. Liaise with external advisers and assist payroll with part‑resident employee tax advice. Manage external advisers in the provision of RDEC and Capital Allowances claims. Manage relationship with HMRC, including dispute resolution. Build and maintain a comprehensive permanent database of tax information and establish project files for specific tax advice that can be easily referenced.
• Advisory: Manage all the tax affairs of the Group, covering corporation tax, VAT and PAYE/NIC and ensure advice across all taxes is consistent, giving consideration to both UK and foreign taxes. Manage exposure to and assess risks of major taxes to the Group and proactively initiate tax projects. Ensure the group is proactive in its tax planning and reviews material contracts/projects to ensure they are set up in the most tax‑efficient way. Be the main point of contact for the business on tax issues and proactively partner with the rest of the business (Legal/HR/Procurement/Property, etc.) to support in decision‑making, providing relevant and practical advice. Assess the impact of new and proposed UK tax legislation and update the business accordingly.
• People: Build and manage strong relationships with HMRC and HM Treasury and professional tax advisors for the FA Group and County FAs. Build and manage the relationship with key stakeholders, including payroll, commercial finance, financial operations, financial accounting, and the external auditor, etc.
• Other: Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA’s changing priorities. Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well‑being can be maintained.

What are we looking for?

• Essential for the role: A recognised tax qualification. Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) – minimum 2 years PQE. Experience within the tax department of a medium to large accounting practice or corporate organisation, including leading the year‑end audit process from a tax perspective. Strong experience in Corporation tax and experience in preparing/reviewing VAT returns. Building and managing strong relationships both internally and with external organisations. Strong written and oral communication skills. Ability to disseminate technical information clearly and concisely to a variety of stakeholders. Ability to cope under pressure and meet tight deadlines. Understanding of the broader impact of decisions and ensuring all stakeholders are appropriately engaged. Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• Beneficial to have: Relevant operational finance experience. Good understanding of the football/sports industry. Alphatax experience. Workday Accounting system experience. In‑house experience of working in the industry. Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA).

What’s in it for you?

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles. To achieve this, we have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English Football. We are also delighted to offer a world‑class, Elite Performance Centre, St. George’s Park in Staffordshire, which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high‑performing England teams and leaders. We currently operate a hybrid working model. The Finance team is expected to work from Wembley Stadium for part of the week, as required by the team, with the remaining days worked remotely. This typically means being in the office 2‑3 days per week, usually Tuesday to Thursday. This arrangement is kept under review and may be adjusted in the future if necessary. We pride ourselves on offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:

• Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season, encourages you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and well‑being.
• Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park.
• Free private medical cover.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• An additional ‘Thank You’ day’s leave, volunteering days, as well as 25 days of annual leave (based on a full‑time, permanent contract).
• A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.

For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page.

Equal Opportunities & Diversity

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work. We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.