Deputy Director, VAT Principles - Bristol
About the job
Job summary
HMRC is the UKs tax and customs department. We collect the money that pays for the UKs public services and provides financial support to people. Our work is central to the business of government and were proud of our track record. Were an historic and yet modern department, undergoing ambitious transformation which affects all our colleagues and customers.
In Customer Strategy and Tax Design, we are working to build a trusted, modern tax administration system- one that brings in revenue for public services, makes it easy to get it right, is valued and trusted, and which promotes sustainable economic growth.
Indirect Tax Directorate is made up of around 350 colleagues overseeing VAT, Excise and Environmental taxes and duties, raising over £220 billion for the Exchequer each year. This represents a substantial and growing proportion of overall tax revenue.
The largest tax for which Indirect Tax is responsible is VAT which brings in £169bn annually for the Exchequer. This challenging and exciting role is responsible for VAT Principles, which is about the fundamental way the VAT system works. The postholder will be responsible for the fundamental integrity of the VAT system, advising on emerging risks and on case law and legislative changes to ensure HMRC collects the maximum VAT due.
This rewarding role will be an opportunity to work in an exciting and complex environment where you will test your tax and leadership skills to their limits. You will work with some incredible colleagues having a real impact in helping HMRC to achieve its longer-term ambitions and strategic goals.
Job description
Strategic Impact & Core Purpose
* VAT System Integrity: Maintain the fundamental integrity and fairness of the VAT system, which secures around £170bn annually for the Exchequer.
* Revenue Protection: Advise on emerging risks, case law, and legislative changes to ensure HMRC collects the maximum VAT due, protecting vital public revenue.
* Policy & Design: Drive the design, development, and maintenance of complex VAT policy in collaboration with HM Treasury, ensuring policies align with Ministerial and Departmental objectives (simplicity, cost efficiency, compliance).
Leadership & Governance
* SCS Leadership: Provide confident, empowering, and visible SCS leadership as a member of the Indirect Tax Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
* Team Management: Lead and develop a multi-site, multi-disciplinary team of approximately 40 technical and policy professionals (located in London, Bristol, Manchester, and Liverpool).
* Accountability: Accountable for key decisions on legal interpretation and guidance that impact HMRCs reputation, resources, and the Exchequers revenue.
* Financial & Organisational: Manage the allocated budget for the team (paybill and non-paybill) and ensure the teams capability is fit for the future, including skill identification and capability build plans.
Stakeholder Engagement
* Senior Influence: Exert influence across the tax system, advising Ministers, Commissioners, and senior colleagues (e.g., Solicitors, Compliance) on VAT Principles and high-profile litigation cases.
* Governance: Represent the Directorate at key Cross-Departmental Boards and attend Tax Assurance Boards to assure HMRCs approach to tax integrity.
* External Relations: Build and maintain productive relationships with challenging external stakeholders (e.g., Joint VAT Consultative Committee) and Other Government Departments (OGDs).
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
* Tax Technical Expertise: Recent, proven experience working with VAT legislation and its complex application to protect revenue and resolve novel technical issues.
* Executive Leadership: Demonstrable ability to lead and develop expert teams, often working across boundaries, through periods of high complexity and ambiguity, setting a clear vision, culture, and operational objectives.
* Stakeholder Management: Strong senior stakeholder management skills, with proven experience influencing, negotiating, and advising at Ministerial or equivalent executive levels
* Communication : Excellent communication and collaborative skills to successfully deliver positive outcomes
* Policy Acumen: Experience in designing, developing and delivering policies that are technically sound while meeting organisational or Ministerial objectives
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £81,000, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
* Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously and want to enable you to build a successful career with the department and wider Civil Service.
It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and youll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing.
As a Civil Service employee, youll be entitled to a large range of benefits.
This includes:
o 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years service. This is in addition to your public holidays.
o This will be complemented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the Kings Birthday.
o Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle.
o Flexible working patterns and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.
o A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join and where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension. Your contribution comes out of your salary before any tax is taken and will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire.
o Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.
o Use of onsite facilities (where applicable).
o Occupational sick pay.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
For full selection process details please see the attached Candidate Pack
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
* UK nationals
* nationals of the Republic of Ireland
* nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
* Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissions recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).