VAT Transformation Manager

You’ll be joining the Finance Tax team at Sainsbury’s, a critical function that operates at the heart of one of the UK’s largest and most complex retail businesses. The VAT team plays a pivotal role in enabling compliant, efficient and forward‑looking tax operations across the Group, partnering closely with Commercial, Technology and Finance teams. This is a highly visible area of the business, where transformation, innovation and strong governance are essential to supporting sustainable growth and operational excellence.

As VAT Transformation Lead, you will help shape and deliver the transformation roadmap for VAT processes across the Group. Working closely with the Head of VAT and Head of Tax Transformation, you’ll support the delivery of programmes and initiatives that impact VAT, from new technology implementations through to continuous improvement of compliance, data quality and controls. Your day‑to‑day work will involve engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, capturing requirements, supporting change delivery and ensuring solutions are implemented effectively and sustainably. You will also play a key role in monitoring the effectiveness of VAT processes post‑implementation, working with Technology teams to resolve data or control issues, and ensuring controls are embedded into business‑as‑usual operations. This is a role that balances project delivery with operational stewardship, offering exposure to a broad range of systems, processes and transformation activity across Sainsbury’s.

To be successful in this role, you will bring a demonstratable background in finance operations, accounting or tax, with experience contributing to change or transformation initiatives. You are able to look beyond current processes, think strategically about future improvements, and translate ideas into practical, deliverable outcomes. You will be comfortable working in an environment where priorities evolve, managing multiple workstreams while maintaining momentum and attention to detail. You’ll be a confident and collaborative communicator, able to engage credibly with senior stakeholders and work effectively across multidisciplinary teams. A proactive, solution‑focused mindset, combined with the ability to assess risk, challenge constructively and sustain implemented change, will underpin your success in this role.

• Demonstratable experience working within finance operations, accounting or tax in a regulated environment.
• Proven track record of delivering change initiatives from initial design through to implementation and user adoption.
• Evidence of identifying control requirements and supporting the design or implementation of effective controls.
• Demonstratable ability to work with stakeholders across Finance, Technology and Commercial teams to capture and translate requirements.
• Proven capability to manage competing priorities and deliver agreed outcomes within defined timelines.

Benefits include starting off with colleague discount, 10% off at Sainsbury’s, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks, increasing to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We’ve also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You may be eligible for a performance‑related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on how we perform. You’ll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. Other benefits include season ticket loans, interest‑free car loan of up to £10k, cycle‑to‑work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance, access to discounts from hundreds of other retailers, Employee Assistance Programme, and eligibility for private healthcare. We provide up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.