Alternative Funds Tax - Associate Director

At Grant Thornton we do things differently - looking to the future, driving ambitious growth and pioneering positive change in our industry. Providing audit, tax and advisory services, we empower clients through strategic insight, curiosity, and genuine partnership. And we empower our people with real opportunity, an inclusive culture and work life balance.

Grant Thornton's Alternative Funds tax team provides tax advisory, transactions and compliance services to alternative fund managers across all asset classes including private equity, venture capital, private debt, hedge funds, real estate and infrastructure. The team's client portfolio spans the breadth of the asset management sector, serving traditional asset managers, financial services institutions, private equity funds, alternative investors, the real estate sector, wealth and hedge asset managers, UK pension funds, and global institutional investors. We combine technical expertise with a commercial approach, to build a strong trusted adviser relationship with our clients.

The Alternative Funds tax team sits as part of the wider Financial Services Tax team, which provides tax services to a variety of clients in the Financial Services market across Wealth and Asset Management, Banking and Capital Market and Insurance sectors. We have ambitious growth plans and are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic Associate Director with strong UK tax compliance and advisory experience to join our team in London.

The alternative funds industry is dynamic, technically demanding and global, giving you the opportunity to work on domestic and international structuring, transactions and UK tax compliance and advisory matters, in addition to working with the wider Grant Thornton International network.

You will be responsible for managing the full suite of tax compliance and advisory services for asset managers themselves and the funds they manage, across the entire investment lifecycle including fund structuring, structuring carried interest arrangements, structuring the investment and divestment of assets and ongoing tax compliance and investor reporting. Part of the role will focus on working alongside the partner group in building out the practice, building strong client relationships within the current and target client base.

Working in practice means that the job is, by its nature, different every day and we want someone who is actively looking for this challenge. An agile approach to working with different projects and people is therefore essential. We're happy to talk flexible working and consider reduced hours and job shares, we'll support you to balance your work and life.

As an Associate Director you will:

• Take ownership of providing highly technical tax advice to asset managers and the funds they manage throughout the investment lifecycle of the fund, including transaction and tax structuring support.
• Deliver partnership tax and corporate tax compliance services to asset management businesses, ensuring their tax reporting obligations and compliance deadlines are met.
• Assist with investor reporting to enable clients to effectively communicate taxable results to their individual investors.
• Develop and lead your own diverse client portfolio, ensuring a high level of client service.
• Work closely with our colleagues across Grant Thornton’s tax practice, Financial Services Industry and international network to identify opportunities from both new and existing clients.
• Actively contribute to business development activities by proactively managing existing relationships and pitching work to new clients.
• Proactively train and develop more junior members of the team, including through the delivery of bespoke training sessions.

Joining us as an Associate Director the minimum criteria you'll need is a professional qualification (CTA / ACA / ACCA or equivalent), and to be confident managing a portfolio of clients. It would be great if you also had some of the following skills, but don't worry if you don't tick every box, we'll help you develop along the way:

• Strong tax technical skills and an interest in the financial services sector (previous experience of working with one of the asset classes (private equity, venture capital, private credit) is preferred but is not essential).
• Mix of corporate and partnership tax compliance experience.
• A track record of leading projects, with a focus on accountability, high quality and timely delivery.
• Self-motivated and strong team player.
• Excellent interpersonal skills are required in addition to strong oral and written communication skills.
• Familiarity with Alpha tax, CCH personal tax, Power BI, Microsoft Office, and other relevant software.
• Experience of coaching and developing more junior team members.

Embracing uniqueness, the culture at Grant Thornton thrives on the contributions of all our people, we never settle for what is easy, we look beyond to deliver the right thing, for everyone. Building an inclusive culture, where we value difference and respect our colleagues helps our people to perform at the best of their ability and realise our potential. Our open and accessible culture means you'll interact with leaders who are interested in you and everything you bring to our firm.

The things that set you apart, we value them. That's why we give you the freedom to bring your whole self to work and pursue your passions inside and outside of work. Life is more than work. The things you do, and the people you're with outside of work matter, that's why we're happy to look at flexible working options for all our roles, and we'll always do our best to keep your work and life in balance.

The impact you can make here will go far beyond your day job. From secondments, to fundraising for local charities, or investing in entrepreneurs in the developing world, you'll be giving back to society. It's that drive to do the right thing that runs through our every move, grounded in our firm's values - purposefully driven, actively curious and candid but kind. We're looking for people who want to contribute, spark fresh ideas and go beyond expectations. People who want to be able to proudly do what's right, for the firm, our clients, our people and themselves.