Indirect Tax Senior Manager, EMEA

Purpose of the Job

The purpose of this role is to join the global tax team as the Indirect Tax Senior Manager for EMEA VAT, leading the EMEA VAT team located in the UK and Czech Republic.  The role will be reporting to the Global Head of Tax and will be supporting three junior members on the team based at our Basingstoke office so the candidate should be able to travel to that office.

The role will support the VAT team on managing and reviewing VAT returns prepared both in-house and through external advisors, advising the business on ad hoc queries, and supporting indirect tax projects such as mergers, business restructuring, implementing a global tax engine to determine tax on invoices, and general process and system improvements.

HH Global primarily sells goods to its customers and so a strong knowledge of VAT on the cross-border movement of goods is required to be able to support the business and the team from day one.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the EMEA VAT team with six members located in the UK (Leatherhead, Basingstoke and remote) and Czech Republic (Prague)
• Manage and support the team with the preparation and review of VAT returns in-house and the management of external advisors, both for the outsourced preparation and filing of VAT and other returns, and advisory support
• Supporting the tax and finance teams on VAT account reconciliations
• Leading on EMEA VAT audits
• Work with the business to respond to ad-hoc day-to-day queries, applying knowledge on the VAT implications of the movement of goods cross-border across the UK, Europe and the rest of EMEA, to give technical advice and find solutions on new transactions and contracts
• Being part of project teams to support the VAT workstreams on mergers, the transfer of trade within the group, system improvements and integration, and the rollout of a global tax engine
• Input into SAO reviews and disclosures and management/improvement of any risk areas
• Supporting the business with queries, and developing processes to stay compliant with, customs issues and new indirect taxes (eg plastic taxes, green taxes, etc)
• Working with the team to document processes and controls and drive forward procedure and risk management improvements

Knowledge, Skills + Experience

• Full or partially qualified tax professional or accountant specialised in VAT, with a sound knowledge of indirect tax rules across the EMEA region, with a particular requirement for strong experience and knowledge in the movement of goods
• Very strong experience in European VAT and applying this in a commercial environment
• Strong numeracy skills
• Strong knowledge of excel and experience with accounting systems and the interaction with other systems
• Strong communication skills – both internally and externally in order to listen to and understand potentially complex VAT issues and explain those to lay persons, and communicate messages on tax improvements and changes
• Experience of dealing with and resolving queries
• Strong organisational/time management, people management and team-building skills
• Eye for detail
• Driven to grow in the role, be proactive and seek improvements and solutions
• Pro-active and self-motivated
• Strong communicator and team player
• Reliable with a can-do attitude