UK Senior Tax Manager

Why we're hiring:

The tax department is seeking to recruit a UK Senior Tax Manager (or Manager) to take responsibility for managing the group's UK corporate tax affairs and supporting our UK operating companies. There is opportunity to be involved with employer taxes issues too, although no prior experience is required.  The role will provide broad experience across a wide range of UK and international tax matters.

Based at our head office in Sea Containers House in London you will report to the Deputy Group Tax Director and will work closely with the other nine members of the UK tax team and other HQ teams.  WPP offers a complex and dynamic environment that provides excellent technical development through exposure to a wide range of issues and interaction with a wide range of stakeholders, both internally and externally.

What you'll be doing:

• HMRC & Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the primary liaison between WPP and HMRC, expertly managing the group's relationship and serving as a crucial interface for our UK operating companies.
• UK Direct Tax Compliance: Drive and oversee the UK corporate tax compliance cycle, including the rigorous review of holding company tax computations prepared by outsourced advisors. Strategically manage and optimise the group relief position and other complex group schedules covering CFCs, debt cap, and Corporate Interest Restriction (CIR).
• Strategic Tax Advisory: Provide proactive and reactive tax advisory services to UK operating companies on a diverse range of issues, such as mergers, trade transfers, and new business ventures, ensuring robust tax solutions.
• M&A and Restructuring Expertise: Lead the tax structuring and due diligence for UK acquisitions (including UK sub-groups of multinational entities), group restructurings, and disposals, with a focus on areas like Substantial Shareholder Exemption (SSE) analysis where applicable.
• Collaborative Transaction Support: Partner with UK and overseas WPP tax team members (across the US and other jurisdictions), internal and external legal teams, and the WPP group reporting team to design and implement complex restructuring transactions involving UK companies.
• Transfer Pricing Support: Work closely with the group's Transfer Pricing specialist to support and validate UK transfer pricing positions, such as management recharges.
• Tax Reporting & Forecasting: Assist in the ongoing maintenance and documentation of the group’s UK tax hedging arrangements, and play a key role in forecasting the UK tax position and preparing year-end tax accruals for our UK group.
• Employer Taxes Development: Contribute to the management of group-wide employer tax issues, engaging with advisors as needed. This is an exciting opportunity to develop expertise in a new area; a willingness to learn is all that's required.

What you'll need:

• Strategic Acumen: Your ability to think strategically will be key, enabling you to foresee tax implications, offer forward-thinking advice, and effectively navigate complex project work.
• Proactive & Organised: You thrive in a fast-paced environment, expertly managing multiple priorities and consistently delivering high-quality work on schedule.
• Collaborative Spirit & Autonomy: An exceptional team player, you build strong, trusting relationships, collaborate effectively across diverse groups, and confidently manage your own responsibilities.
• Resilience & Clarity: You excel at translating complex or ambiguous information into clear, actionable advice, even when dealing with tight deadlines and incomplete data.
• Robust UK Tax Knowledge: Demonstrable expertise in UK tax compliance and reporting is essential for this role.
• Impactful Communication: Your excellent verbal and written communication skills will allow you to articulate complex tax concepts clearly to a wide range of audiences.
• Professional Qualification: CTA/ACA/ACCA qualified, bringing significant corporate tax experience to our team.

 

Who you are:

You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary: we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

 

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

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