Associate Director, Tax Operations – International Tax Relief at Source & Tax Reclaim Processing in London

You will lead the operational delivery of Global Markets withholding tax reclaim and relief at source processes across all jurisdictions, custodians, and asset classes, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance while managing day-to-day team activities and quality standards. This role requires 4 days in the office.

What will you do?

• Operational Delivery & Compliance: You will oversee and execute the daily execution of WHT reclaim filing across all custodians and jurisdictions, managing RAS documentation workflows and maintaining comprehensive audit trail documentation for all reclaim decisions and RAS approvals. Work with Front Office & Taxation to help ensure RBC adheres to trading guidelines for priority jurisdictions and identify and escalate compliance risks proactively to prevent regulatory exposure.
• Eligibility & Framework Application: Apply a formal eligibility matrix framework consistently across new accounts and trades, enforcing uniform application of eligibility criteria across team decisions. Participate actively in implementing the formal eligibility matrix framework into operational procedures and provide clear guidance to your team on framework application and edge cases.
• Quality Assurance & Issue Resolution: Implement robust quality assurance protocols for all reclaim submissions and RAS approvals, monitor reclaim and RAS data for anomalies, and investigate root causes systematically. Escalate systemic quality issues to Senior Tax Operations leadership and drive corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Custodian & Stakeholder Coordination: Coordinate custodian network operations and resolve issues across the network, collaborate with the Front Office on reclaim eligibility constraints and account setup requirements, and coordinate with BCS Settlements on account opening and WHT/RAS requirements. Support Asset Servicing on post-trade issues affecting reclaim or RAS status and maintain regular communication with the Taxation Group and Tax Advisors. Attend quarterly business reviews with asset class teams, Tax Operations, and the Taxation Group to align on strategic priorities and operational performance.
• Escalation & Issue Management: Establish clear escalation protocols for operational issues, custodian rejections, and eligibility uncertainty, responding promptly to Front Office escalations on trade readiness and reclaim constraints.
• Management Information & Reporting: Produce consolidated weekly and monthly MI reports covering reclaim and RAS status, jurisdictional trends, and processing timelines. Maintain 10-year historical reclaim and RAS data with ad-hoc analysis capability and track performance metrics monthly to senior leadership.
• Team Leadership & Development: Supervise an Associate-level staff member with regular performance feedback and mentoring on emerging tax developments and jurisdictional changes. Own accountability for team performance against agreed KPIs and foster a culture of accuracy and continuous improvement.
• Process Improvement: Support the implementation of trading guidelines for priority jurisdictions and document process improvements and lessons learned for organisational knowledge sharing.

What do you need to succeed?

• Must-have
• Core Knowledge & Expertise: You will need deep knowledge of international tax withholding, tax treaties, reclaim processes, and relief at source mechanisms across multiple jurisdictions. You will require strong proficiency in tax systems and data management tools, with the ability to troubleshoot technical issues and optimise system workflows. Understanding of Global Markets operations, asset classes, and trading workflows will be essential to your effectiveness.
• Professional Credentials & Experience: You will need a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, taxation, or related field/similar/equivalent with a robust background experience in tax operations or similar roles, including strong experience in a supervisory or leadership capacity. A CPA, CTA, or equivalent professional designation is strongly preferred.
• Leadership & Management Skills: You will need demonstrated ability to lead and develop team members, establish clear performance expectations, and provide constructive feedback. Strong project management and process improvement skills will enable you to drive operational efficiency and implement change effectively.
• Stakeholder Management & Communication: You will need strong cross-functional collaboration skills to work effectively with Front Office, Asset Servicing, BCS Settlements, the Taxation Group, and external Tax Advisors. Clear communication skills—both written and verbal—will be critical for producing effective MI reports, escalating issues appropriately, and maintaining alignment across stakeholders.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving Capability: You will need strong analytical skills to investigate data anomalies, identify root causes of operational issues, and develop systematic solutions. The ability to apply consistent frameworks and policies while exercising sound judgment on edge cases will be essential.
• Organisational & Systems Thinking: You will need the ability to manage complex, multi-jurisdictional processes with attention to detail and audit compliance. You will require comfort working across multiple custodian platforms and the ability to adapt to evolving regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.
• Nice-to-have
• Systems & Technology Leadership: Experience with tax technology platforms and reclaim management tools, with demonstrated ability to evaluate system capabilities and lead implementation or optimisation initiatives. Familiarity with data visualisation tools or BI platforms for strategic reporting and trend analysis.
• Regulatory & Compliance Depth: Advanced knowledge of specific tax treaties or bilateral agreements that inform reclaim strategy decisions. Familiarity with tax authority guidance and regulatory trends affecting withholding tax relief across multiple jurisdictions. Experience supporting external tax audits or regulatory examinations.
• Strategic Stakeholder Management: Track record of building and maintaining relationships with custodian leadership, tax authority representatives, or external tax advisors on significant reclaim or relief at source matters. Demonstrated ability to communicate complex tax strategy and operational challenges to senior business stakeholders and influence decision-making.
• Change Management & Process Leadership: Experience leading process improvement initiatives using methodologies such as Lean or Six Sigma. Demonstrated ability to drive operational change, manage implementation timelines, and build team buy-in during periods of significant transformation.
• Project & Program Management: Track record of leading or supporting major system implementations, custodian migrations, or multi-phase operational initiatives. Ability to manage competing priorities, coordinate across multiple business units, and deliver results under tight timelines.
• Team Development & Talent Management: Demonstrated success developing junior team members into senior individual contributors or leaders. Experience creating training programs or knowledge documentation to build team capability.

What is in it for you?

• A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including bonuses, flexible benefits and competitive compensation.
• Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities.
• Opportunities to work with the best in the field.
• Ability to make a difference and lasting impact.
• Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team.
• A world-class training program in financial services.

Inclusion and Equal Opportunity Employment: At RBC, we believe an inclusive workplace that has diverse perspectives is core to our continued growth as one of the largest and most successful banks in the world. Maintaining a workplace where our employees feel supported to perform at their best, effectively collaborate, drive innovation, and grow professionally helps to bring our Purpose to life and create value for our clients and communities. RBC strives to deliver this through policies and programs intended to foster a workplace based on respect, belonging and opportunity for all.