Corporate Tax Manager - Finance Office - 80546 - Grade 8 in Birmingham

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606

Grade: 8

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 24th June 2026

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do. The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Background

The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. They provide outstanding support to our researchers and help the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally. They ensure the University’s resources are used wisely, manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence.

Department overview

The Tax Team sit within the Corporate Accounting section of the University Finance Office. The University has a turnover of more than £1bn and operates in both the UK and several other territories for tax purposes around the world, including Dubai and China. The University has ambitious plans to achieve a top 50 ranking in the QS global university rankings over the next few years; recent years have seen significant growth, including major capital projects, significant increases in its research activities and other major initiatives both at home and abroad.

Role Summary

The role will be responsible to the Tax Manager in all aspects of corporate and direct tax for the University and its subsidiaries – including its international entities and overseas permanent establishments. In performing this role, the Corporate Tax Manager will be responsible for managing all day-to-day direct tax compliance and reporting obligations across all direct corporate taxes for both the UK and other territories in which the University operates – this will include transfer pricing compliance and compliance with our increasing obligations under the BEPS guidelines. The post holder will be responsible for managing the external advisor relationships to the extent they support direct corporate tax issues and staying up to date with new developments that impact the University in this area. In addition, the post holder will be responsible for proactively identifying and managing the implications of the University’s activities including transnational education and other collaborations on direct tax across multiple jurisdictions. Process improvement will be a significant focus in this role – with a strong need for good data skills and an interest in the development of future technologies to enhance process. This role will be involved in shaping the development of the Tax Function as the University moves into an exciting time which brings with it the need to move proactively from a tax perspective and manage both compliance and advisory risk. Energy and enthusiasm will be important as well as an ability to take initiative and be curious.

Main Duties

• Manage the University’s Direct Tax Compliance Calendar and tasks:
• Preparation and filing of the University’s annual UK corporation tax return
• Preparation and filing of the University subsidiaries annual UK corporation tax returns
• Preparation and filing of the University of Birmingham Dubai annual corporate tax return
• Review and management of the other University overseas corporate tax returns for its international subsidiaries and international collaborative programmes – currently in China, India and Belgium
• Management of new corporate tax registrations in new territories
• Management of all transfer pricing compliances in territories in which the University operates
• Leading and responding on queries regarding the corporate tax position of the University and its subsidiaries
• Process improvement of the UK corporation tax processes – to include more ongoing data analysis, automation where possible to design a more efficient robust process. Focus on reduction in reliance on external providers and reduction in professional fees
• Documenting tax processes in the UK and worldwide
• Management of the University group’s transfer pricing obligations to include:
• Management of the group Transfer Pricing policy via the group Masterfile and other documentation (e.g. intercompany agreements)
• Annual updating of the group Masterfile and Local Files
• Ownership and management of reviews of the policy and supporting benchmarking where appropriate
• Undertaking and supporting new transfer pricing reviews where required
• Ensuring compliance with agreed transfer pricing policies within territories and monitoring day to day activities.
• Be responsible for leading and managing specific projects where direct tax implications particular in overseas territories are involved – these could include development of the existing University international subsidiary activities, overseas collaborations with international partners or other University led activities.
• Work would include proactively managing the direct tax implications, supporting teams with developing business cases, presenting to boards or teams on the corporate tax implications of projects and liaising with international partners.
• Being part of the British Universities Finance Directors (BUFDG) Tax Network including attending Quarterly Tax Meetings and Annual Conference or other such industry bodies as appropriate;
• Attending KPMG and other advisors Technical Updates, Webinars etc;
• Further reading and networking as necessary;
• Working closely with the Tax Manager around Personal Development and strategic plans for the development of the Tax Function at the University;
• Deputising for the Tax Manager effectively where necessary;
• Actively contributing to the wider Finance team and being a team player
• Accessing personal development opportunities through the University’s People & Organisational Department or elsewhere.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications)
• Significant relevant practical tax experience
• Tax or accounting qualification e.g. CTA, AAT.
• Highly proficient IT skills – excellent data skills are essential with some evidence of experience in process improvement, data analytics and using the most up to date technologies to innovate
• Authoritative knowledge of the work practices, processes and procedures relevant to both UK and international tax, as well as a broader sector/commercial awareness.
• Experience of working in a complex organisation, ideally in Higher Education.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including orally and in writing, with the ability to explain technical information to those without the technical expertise.
• Customer focussed and enthusiastic approach.
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area. Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied. Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.

Informal enquiries to Lindsey Ingle, email: l.a.ingle@bham.ac.uk

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.