Tax Lead

As Tax Lead, you will provide strategic direction and leadership for the Partnership’s tax function. Reporting to the Group Financial Controller, you will shape tax strategy, manage risk, and lead a team of 9 with 3 direct reports across corporate, indirect, and employment tax.

In this role, you will act as the primary liaison with HMRC including addressing any queries, oversee compliance returns, statutory accounts, champion modern tax technology, develop the team and collaborate across Finance, Commercial, Legal, and Technology to integrate tax requirements into the Partnership’s projects and daily operations. You will interact with senior stakeholders across the business - particularly on projects - including CFO for the SAO process.

At a glance

• Expected Salary: £100,000 - £120,000 (depending upon experience)
   

• Hybrid Working - This is a hybrid working role, therefore your time will primarily be split between working from home and the London / Bracknell Head Office. However, there will also be an expectation to visit other locations as the need arises. 
   

• Our team currently works from the office around three times a week to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings, but again the frequency is dependent on the business needs.
   

• Contract type - Permanent.
   

Key Responsibilities: 
 

Service Delivery: 

• Be accountable for leading, developing and implementing the tax strategy and policies for the Partnership taking account of the risk appetite mandated by the Partnership Board. 
   

• Ensure a timely response to tax matters and accurate tax filings.
   

• Provide leadership and direction of service management relationship with customer and stakeholder groups. 
   

• Proactively manage your own development including keeping up to date with internal and external development in relevant business/regulatory areas. 
   

• Liaise with other internal teams to ensure integration and effective service delivery to the Partnership.
   

• Communicate tax policies to the business and externally as required.
   

• Liaising and managing relationships with HMRC during routine audits and ad hoc enquiries, including correspondence, leading meetings and maintaining a proactive relationship.
   

• Primary point of contact for tax advisors & external auditors.
   

• Leading the Tax team of nine Partners. 
   

• Manage Partnership tax risks and mitigate risks by ensuring tax-related ICF controls are operated correctly and are fit for purpose. 
   

• Managing the tax budget. 
   

• Look for opportunities to drive value in terms of latest thinking for instance VAT on product files.
   

Quality & Compliance 

• Ensure that all relevant business users are aware of corporate, indirect, and employment requirements and that these are addressed in any impacted business initiative.
   

• Review and communicate relevant changes to tax legislation or guidance. Liaise with other business functions e.g. Internal Audit, Business Risk, HR, Property, New Business, Legal and Company Secretarial, to identify and advise on new business and corporate initiatives. 
   

• Lead on the annual Senior Accounting Officer process. 
   

• Perform the final sign off of the tax numbers and disclosures in the annual and interim financial statements.
   

Delivering Change

• Identify, lead and deliver opportunities to optimise the Partnership's tax position, ensuring that arrangements are managed and implemented in a controlled and accurate manner and in accordance with the Partnership’s Tax Strategy. 
   

• Represent the Partnership for tax matters on industry bodies. 
   

Continuous Improvement 

• Be accountable for fostering and maintaining a culture seeking to make incremental improvements to propositions, processes, controls and/or policies. 
   

• Embed tax awareness across the organisation and improve operational efficiency by developing and using best practices and technology. 
   

Core Finance Profession 

• You will be a member of the Core Finance profession leadership team and support the overall development of skills and capabilities for Partners aligned to this profession.
   

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• CTA qualified (or ACA/ACCA qualified with extensive in-house or practice tax experience). 
   

• Deep tax knowledge with a strong bias/specialism toward Indirect Tax / VAT.
   

• Experience operating within complex, fast-paced retail or consumer-facing environments at scale.
   

• Proven track record of team management, challenging the status quo, and influencing matrix stakeholders.
   

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Exposure to international tax regimes 

• Hands-on experience driving tax technology implementation.
   

Additional Information

• Should your initial application be successful, the subsequent stages will comprise two rounds of interviews -  virtual and in-person assessments.

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We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.