Tax Planning Specialist - Croydon

Discover what it's like to work in a compliance role that makes an impact. Could you help us shape a stronger, fairer future? Your next career move starts here. HMRC is one of the UK's biggest government departments. Almost everyone in the UK has some interaction with us. Each year, we collect over £800 billion from millions of people and businesses. This money helps pay for public services in the UK.

Large Business (LB) is responsible for over 2,000 of the largest businesses that pay a significant proportion of the total business taxes and duties that HMRC collects. Each business has a Customer Compliance Manager (CCM) who is responsible for managing the overall relationship with the customer and all aspects of the customer's tax affairs. LB London is specifically responsible for businesses engaged in the banking and asset management sectors. LB employs tax, accountancy, audit and other specialists and works collaboratively with colleagues across HMRC in tackling risk and providing customer service.

HMRC is seeking a Tax Planning Specialist to join our dynamic team, where you will play a vital role in supporting the nation through expert tax guidance and technical consultation. This position offers the opportunity to work on complex tax planning matters involving multinational groups, providing strategic advice to senior corporate tax specialists whilst engaging with major financial institutions to assess risks and deliver solutions that matter.

The Tax Planning Specialist serves as a technical authority on complex corporate tax matters affecting multinational groups. This role requires an individual who can combine deep technical expertise with strong stakeholder engagement skills to provide authoritative guidance on intricate tax planning arrangements. The successful candidate will act as an internal consultant to senior corporate tax specialists, providing expert analysis on corporation tax compliance and international tax issues.

The Tax Planning Specialist plays a vital role in leading on all avoidance risks in the region and working with Customer Compliance Managers (CCMs) and tax specialists in identifying and developing challenges to emerging avoidance areas. In addition to leading on and raising awareness of avoidance, you will assist with working some of the most complex cases in the region. The role primarily has a direct tax focus, you will be responsible for ensuring that colleagues across Corporation Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Employer Duties are aware of the need to record avoidance and follow the avoidance handling processes. This is a technical leadership role with no line management responsibilities. Travel within UK may be required from time to time to fulfil this role.

Responsibilities

• Raise awareness across the region of direct tax avoidance, providing the knowledge to ensure that risks are identified, and deliver high quality relevant advice.
• Act as the single point of contact between the Counter Avoidance Technical Team and caseworkers/Customer Compliance Managers for direct tax avoidance matters, liaising regularly to inform them of significant cases and emerging risks.
• Lead, support, and coach International Tax Specialists, Financial Product Theme Specialists, and others working on complex avoidance risks, encouraging collaboration on unusual issues.
• Provide training and support for CCMs and tax specialists to ensure avoidance issues are recognised and properly recorded early.
• Assist case teams with risk assessment and handling of complex avoidance cases, ensuring adherence to departmental processes.
• Share best practices and knowledge within the Tax Planning Specialist national team and across the Customer Compliance Group.
• Collaborate with policy colleagues to influence proposed legislation, sharing tax planning expertise and previous commercial experience to achieve optimal outcomes.
• Deliver expert technical consultation on complex corporate tax planning matters to senior tax specialists within HMRC.
• Engage with major banks and multinational corporations to assist case teams in the working of potential tax risks.
• Analyse complex international tax arrangements, applying relevant legislation and judicial precedents.
• Support corporation tax compliance activities by offering specialist guidance and contribute to the development of HMRC's approach to emerging tax planning strategies and commercial structures.

Person specification

In addition to their professional qualifications, the successful applicant will need to demonstrate relevant experience and effective delivery of the following essential criteria:

• Extensive experience in complex tax planning for multinational groups, gained either as an external adviser or in a senior in-house tax role.
• Comprehensive corporation tax compliance expertise with proven technical proficiency.
• In-depth technical knowledge of corporate tax legislation, including relevant case law.
• Strong stakeholder communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively at senior levels.
• Sound understanding of international tax and cross-border issues.
• Ability to assess tax risks and deliver clear, practical advice to tax teams.

Qualifications

You must hold at least one of the following qualifications:

• Chartered Tax Adviser (CIOT)
• Advanced Diploma in International Taxation (CIOT)
• AIIT (including Paper 4*)
• A Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) membership qualification including:

• Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales (ICAEW)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland (ICAS)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland (ICAI)
• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
• Post Graduate full legal qualification - in taxation matters.
• For previous or existing HMRC employees TSP or predecessor qualification (TPDP, IDP, ITS2, CPT FT2) - (note - existing HMRC employees would only be eligible if they have completed the appropriate course to get them to G7 level (or above) as a tax professional).

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Candidates will deliver a presentation demonstrating their technical leadership skills. Further details regarding this can be found in the interview section.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £78,988, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £22,882 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs. We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days. Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary. Family friendly policies. Personal support. Coaching and development.