Operational Taxes 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 Financial Services (FS) Tax practice provides tax advisory, transactions and compliance services to a variety of clients in the Financial Services market ranging from large international banks, asset managers and insurance companies to UK based private equity and alternative funds, as well as start‑up fintech companies. We have ambitious growth plans in our FS Tax team and are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic Associate Director to help deliver operational tax services to our clients.

Operational taxes is a core element of our FS Tax practice and we provide services to the full range of financial institutions. We support our clients in operational tax matters from technical advisory, compliance reviews and training, through to managed services such as reporting, audits, withholding tax reclaims and remediation. We work with sophisticated and dynamic businesses, developing your technical knowledge and gaining experience of working on challenging and interesting engagements.

Part of the role will focus on working alongside the Partner and Director 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.

A look into the role:

• Be given significant exposure to clients, working alongside large and complex financial institutions to manage their tax compliance obligations.
• Working within a high performing, specialist financial services team that will support your development and enable you to thrive.
• Have financial management responsibilities, overseeing billing and debtor management.
• Produce and review high quality client deliverables whilst developing your commercial understanding of different types of financial institutions, how they operate in different business, product and geographical areas.
• Train and develop the team, providing training and guidance.
• Work closely with the Partner and Director team on business development opportunities.
• Have access to the firm’s training and development opportunities to broaden your technical and commercial skillsets.
• Can network internally and are afforded a great deal of access to our Partner and Director team.

Knowing you’re right for us:

Joining us as an Operational Taxes Associate Director within Financial Services team 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.

• Significant experience of operational tax matters gained in practice or an in‑house role (eg FATCA, QI, withholding taxes) – knowing what the tax legislation requires and how it is applied in practice.
• Excellent tax technical skills and a desire to learn more in areas that may not be in your skillset currently.
• Strong commitment to client service, looking to always add value.
• Clear and effective communication style to work with clients and internal teams.
• Strong team player, make sure you ask questions and be ready to challenge, good at managing others.
• You’ll take ownership of client work, thinking around the subject and seeing things from the client perspective.

Knowing we’re right for you:

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 their 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.

Beyond the job:

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. It’s how it should be.