R&D Tax Associate

Reporting to: Head of Tax

Salary: £35,000 to £50,000 depending on experience and qualifications

Location: Remote - Working from Home (UK based)

The UK tech sector is growing rapidly and becoming an increasingly important part of the economy. At Onside, we’ve built a genuinely differentiated way to support tech‑led businesses, combining premium client service with modern systems, automation and commercial thinking. We believe the strongest professional services firms of the future will be technology‑led by design, with automation and data removing low‑value work so people can focus on judgement, relationships and impact.

As an R&D Tax Associate, you’ll work with innovative, high‑growth companies to identify, prepare and deliver high‑quality R&D Tax Relief claims. You’ll manage a portfolio of R&D clients end‑to‑end, engaging directly with founders, technical teams and finance stakeholders to understand their activities, translate complex technical narratives into robust tax submissions, and ensure claims are accurate, well‑supported and commercially sound.

While R&D tax relief is the core focus of the role, you’ll also gain exposure to a broader range of advisory and compliance work over time, including EIS/SEIS, share schemes and wider tax matters. You’ll contribute to improving how we deliver R&D services, helping to refine processes, workflows and systems, and acting as a trusted point of support for R&D‑related queries across the wider firm.

This role suits people who enjoy problem‑solving, client interaction and applying judgement in a fast‑moving, tech‑led environment. You must be confident managing priorities, delivering work independently and collaborating effectively in a remote environment, including throughout the initial training and induction period. This role requires substantial experience of long‑term homeworking within a UK tax or accounting practice. Remote working experience gained solely during Covid‑19 restrictions will not be considered. Applicants from formal hybrid arrangements may be considered, provided homeworking was a long‑term, contracted arrangement involving typically two to three days per week working from home.

Key Responsibilities

• Managing a portfolio of R&D tax relief claims end‑to‑end, planning and prioritising work, coordinating inputs, and keeping clients informed so work progresses smoothly.
• Leading client calls with founders, finance leads and technical teams to understand the work undertaken, explain the process, and gather the right evidence in a structured way.
• Producing clear, well‑structured technical narratives and robust cost analysis that meet Onside quality standards and HMRC expectations.
• Preparing and submitting compliant R&D claims, including drafting R&D reports, completing R&D Additional Information Forms, preparing corporation tax computations and returns with the relevant R&D inputs, and handling HMRC correspondence.
• Advising on share incentives and employee equity matters, including company valuation reports, EMI notifications, and ERS returns.
• Supporting fast‑growth funding and investment schemes, including EIS/SEIS compliance and associated reporting.
• Acting as a go‑to for wider tax advice that comes up for founders and growing businesses (for example corporation tax, VAT, PAYE/NIC, capital gains tax, SDLT, and transfer pricing where relevant).
• Building scalable ways of working, helping to improve templates, guidance notes, workflows and internal knowledge to ensure we can deliver consistently high quality as we grow.
• Carrying out technical research and drafting clear written advice, including remuneration planning and other owner‑managed business topics.

Key Qualifications

• Studying towards ATT or CTA (minimum ATT), with strong exam results and a plan to progress to CTA; or, ACCA (or equivalent) qualified and willing to pursue relevant tax qualifications (ATT/CTA).
• 3+ years’ experience, with a strong focus on R&D tax relief, gained in a UK tax practice or within an R&D specialist firm.
• Strong technical capability and interest in UK taxation, especially affecting UK companies and owner‑managed businesses and start‑ups.
• Strong understanding of the end‑to‑end R&D tax relief process, including identifying qualifying activities, analysing costs and preparing compliant claims.
• Ability to undertake detailed technical research and analysis to support conclusions and technical positions, presenting clear, logical arguments to HMRC standards based on research and analysis, while communicating complex matters in a straightforward way to clients, with strong written and numerical accuracy.
• Strong attention to detail and proven ability to manage competing priorities, deadlines and workloads, while balancing work and study commitments, where relevant.
• Able to work independently, use initiative, and manage workloads effectively in a fast‑paced professional environment.
• Experience advising or supporting clients in start‑ups, technology and innovation‑led sectors, with an interest in the wider commercial context, would be beneficial.
• Extensive structured homeworking experience (non‑Covid) – as a minimum, contractually agreed hybrid homeworking at least two days each week.

Residency and Visa Status

This is a homeworking role with all staff at Onside working from home across the UK; therefore, at the time of application, you must be resident in and have a legal right to work in the UK.