Transfer Pricing Economist in Belfast

Discover what it’s like to work in a compliance role that makes an impact. Could you help us shape a stronger, fairer future? Your next career move starts here.

At HMRC, we want everyone to feel welcome and valued. We aim to be a place where everyone can do their best work, regardless of their background. We offer flexible work options to help you fit work into your life, and we're always looking for ways to make HMRC a great place to work. HMRC is one of the UK's biggest government departments. Almost everyone in the UK has some interaction with us. Each year, we collect over 800 billion from millions of people and businesses. This money helps pay for public services in the UK. Large Business employs around 2,500 people to assure the compliance of HMRC’s 2,000 largest and most complex customers. The size and global reach of our customers places international tax issues at the forefront of our work to ensure they comply fully with their tax obligations.

We are looking for a Transfer Pricing Economist with senior leadership experience. You will play an integral role in strengthening HMRC’s efforts to close the tax gap. Leading and supporting on some of the most adventurous, technical and high-profile Transfer Pricing enquiry cases for some of the UK’s largest multinational groups. Your workload will be varied, consisting of enquiry work, risk assessment, real-time working, agreement of some Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs), Mutual agreement procedures (MAP) and Advance thin capitalisation agreements (ATCAs) and will involve interacting with external customers and their representatives across a range of industries. You will work as a team with a number of key colleagues across the organisation including Customer Compliance Managers, cross-tax regime technical specialists, policy, solicitors and accountants. You will actively assist colleagues to develop their skills and knowledge. You will enjoy a dynamic workload, working across different sectors and industries, both financial and non-financial and a significant degree of autonomy. Your role requires a knowledge of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Transfer Pricing Guidelines and familiarity with their application in the UK. There will be opportunities to influence policy, implement the international strategy, develop innovative solutions and build the international community. This is a technical leadership role with no line management responsibilities. Travel may be required from time to time to fulfil this role, for example to attend customer meetings.

Key Responsibilities

• Applying commercial experience and knowledge to perform Intellectual Property and royalty valuations, financial transaction structuring, value chain analysis and to analyse value drivers and key economic risks in businesses.
• Applying microeconomic and financial economic concepts and tools such as data analysis and modelling, bargaining power analysis, financial econometric analysis, etc.
• Developing and leading innovative microeconomics-based solutions enabling tax compliance case teams and the wider international tax community to identify and resolve tax/transfer pricing and diverted profit risks in high-profile and significant cases.
• Sharing knowledge and building capability in others by running workshops and training events across the country.
• Developing and mentoring junior members of a team.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to drive forward HMRC’s arguments and settle enquiry cases appropriately.
• Assisting in the development of the organisation’s strategy in terms of responding to international tax risks and ensuring the national delivery of this strategy.
• Playing an active role as a senior leader in LB and across HMRC, driving innovation and positively influencing at all levels.

Person specification

The successful applicant will need to demonstrate relevant experience and effective delivery of the following essential criteria and hold one of the qualifications listed in the Qualifications section below.

Essential Criteria

• Significant recent experience of applying microeconomics and financial economics to multinational businesses in relation to transfer pricing gained in HMRC, Industry, Practice or in academia.
• Excellent understanding of OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines.
• Excellent communication skills - both written and verbal.
• Strong Stakeholder management and collaboration skills - ability to work across a range of stakeholders both internally and externally plus mentoring junior colleagues.

Qualifications

A first or upper second-class honours degree in economics (or international equivalent), or a postgraduate degree in economics. If it is a joint economics degree, at least 50% of the total course credits must be in economics.

The panel may consider significant relevant experience at a sufficiently similar level of seniority to the role being advertised in place of the above qualification requirement and this will be considered and judged on its own merits.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of 71,725, HM Revenue and Customs contributes 20,778 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs. We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days. Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary. Family friendly policies. Personal support. Coaching and development.