Tax Manager (12 Month Fixed Term Contract)

To provide focused tax leadership during a 12 month fixed term period, with particular emphasis on assessing the current state of tax processes and controls across the business, identifying risks and improvement opportunities, and designing a practical framework to strengthen compliance, governance and delivery. The role will review existing arrangements across corporate tax, indirect tax and employment taxes, propose improvements, and put the structure, documentation, controls and implementation plan in place so agreed changes can be embedded before the contract ends.

Responsibilities

• Carry out an as-is assessment of tax processes, controls, documentation and governance across corporate tax, indirect tax and employment taxes, identifying gaps, inefficiencies, risks and dependencies.
• Review the end-to-end tax compliance and reporting cycle, including corporate tax, VAT, withholding tax, employment taxes (including PSA, IR35), the SAO process and related supporting activities, to assess control effectiveness and operational resilience.
• Develop clear findings and practical recommendations to improve tax processes, controls, ownership, documentation, data quality and SAO governance, with priorities aligned to risk, compliance requirements and business capacity.
• Put in place the structure required for implementation, including defined process ownership, control points, working papers, documentation standards, SAO evidence, governance routines and a phased delivery plan, so agreed improvements can be embedded before the contract ends.
• Support and oversee the transition from assessment to delivery by coordinating stakeholders, tracking progress, resolving issues and ensuring that new ways of working are documented and handed over effectively.
• Provide technical oversight across key tax areas, including SAO requirements, ensuring improvement recommendations remain compliant, practical and fit for purpose.
• Maintain continuity of core tax compliance and reporting obligations during the review period, working with internal stakeholders and external advisers to ensure submissions, calculations and supporting records remain accurate and timely.
• Strengthen tax control documentation, reconciliations, SAO process evidence and audit‑ready working papers, and support annual SAO certification readiness as well as responses to HMRC queries, audits and information requests where required.
• Review the existing SAO framework, including documented tax accounting arrangements, control ownership, testing and evidencing, and propose improvements to support a robust and sustainable SAO process.
• Monitor relevant tax developments and assess the implications for existing processes, controls and future‑state design.
• Provide practical tax input into business initiatives, contracts, restructures and ad‑hoc projects where these affect process design, control requirements or tax risk.
• Ensure recommendations are translated into clear operating procedures, ownership and handover materials so the business can sustain improvements after the fixed term role ends.
• Build effective relationships with finance, legal, commercial, HR, procurement and external advisers to support the assessment, agree priorities and enable delivery of improvements.
• Manage a prioritised delivery plan across assessment, design and implementation activity, ensuring milestones are met and actions are progressed within the fixed term period.
• Create the structure, documentation and stakeholder alignment needed for the business to take ownership of improved tax processes and controls on a sustainable basis after the contract ends.

About you

• Professionally qualified accountant or tax professional (for example ACA, ACCA, CTA or equivalent).
• Strong experience in corporate tax and/or indirect tax within industry or practice.
• Experience of tax reporting, compliance and working with external advisers and auditors.
• Good understanding of tax risk, controls and governance requirements.
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail and the ability to communicate tax matters clearly to non‑specialists.