Personal Tax Manager in Scotland

Vero Recruitment has been exclusively engaged by McKilligan Financial, Rural Family Business Accountants, to recruit an experienced Personal Tax Manager. The position can be handled fully remotely, hybrid, or in office.

Who is our client: McKilligan Financial is a modern, rural family business accountancy practice based between Banff and Keith in Aberdeenshire, founded in 2020 by Elaine McKilligan and now trusted by over 500 clients ranging from sole traders and farming families through to partnerships and limited companies across sectors including agriculture, motor trade, construction, forestry, beauty, equipment hire and property. This is not a traditional, transactional accountancy firm. The team are made up of people with real, lived experience of rural and small business life, and they pride themselves on being straight-talking, highly approachable and genuinely invested in the long-term success of their clients’ businesses. Their belief is simple: business owners should never feel in the dark about their tax position, and should always have clear, practical and proactive advice they can actually use.

At McKilligan Financial, compliance work such as accounts and tax returns is just the starting point. The real value comes from the ongoing advice, the conversations, the planning, and the support that helps clients grow, protect and better understand their wealth and business decisions over time.

The role: As Personal Tax Manager, you will play a central role in shaping and delivering the firm’s private client tax offering, working closely with Client Managers and the wider team to ensure clients receive clear, practical and proactive advice tailored to their personal and business circumstances. This is a hands-on, advisory-led role where you will help clients understand not just what they owe, but why, and how they can structure their affairs more effectively so they pay the right amount of tax. You will be equally comfortable reviewing technical work, contributing to advisory projects, and having direct, jargon-free conversations with clients who value clarity over complexity. You will also play an important internal role within the team, acting as a go-to technical specialist in private client tax matters while helping to develop the capability and confidence of others around you.

Key responsibilities: Your work will span a broad mix of advisory and compliance support, including close collaboration with Client Managers to identify planning opportunities, review self-assessment tax returns, and deliver tailored advice across income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax matters. You will support clients with a wide range of personal tax and planning needs, including agricultural and rural business structures, property and asset planning, Scottish partnerships, LBTT considerations, succession planning, and more complex advisory work such as incorporation of farming partnerships and wider restructuring projects. Alongside this, you will manage a small portfolio of tax return-only clients, ensuring a consistently high level of service, accuracy and responsiveness, while also contributing to estates and executry-related matters where required and supporting wider corporate and business tax discussions when relevant. A key part of the role will be communication, ensuring that complex technical issues are translated into straightforward, relatable advice that clients can understand and act on with confidence. You will also contribute to shaping how private client tax services evolve across the firm, bringing ideas, insight and a proactive mindset to continuous improvement.

About you: You will be professionally qualified and bring strong practical experience in private client tax, with particular confidence in income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax planning, alongside experience reviewing self-assessment tax returns to a high standard. Just as important as technical expertise is your ability to communicate clearly, build trust quickly and work collaboratively across a close-knit team where personality, approachability and attitude matter as much as qualifications. You will be someone who enjoys being part of a grounded, values-led environment where egos are left at the door and everyone is willing to roll up their sleeves.

Why McKilligan Financial: This is a business built on genuine relationships, rural understanding and a very human approach to accountancy and tax. The culture is informal but highly professional, supportive but ambitious, and rooted in values that are consistently lived rather than simply stated. The firm offers a competitive salary, pension, death in service cover, 36-hour working week, and 5.6 weeks’ holiday (inclusive). In addition, the team regularly benefits from additional time off when targets are met, alongside a culture that actively supports flexibility, development and wellbeing, with regular social events, small gestures of appreciation and a strong sense of team connection. This is a rare opportunity to join a growing, values-led firm at a genuinely exciting stage of its journey, where your expertise will be valued, your voice will be heard, and your work will have a direct impact on clients and the future direction of the business.

To find out more, in confidence, please speak with Andrew Ferguson of Vero Recruitment.