Head of Tax
Leeds / Manchester Hybrid
37.5 hours a week (Monday – Friday)
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Accelerate your career with a company that leads the way!
Overview
The Finance department within Central Corporate Services, headquartered in the Leeds head office, provides financial leadership across Cox Automotive UK & EU and acts as a key central support function for the wider business.
The team is responsible for maintaining the company’s financial records, ensuring robust controls and governance are in place to minimise risk, and delivering detailed management reporting and analytics to support business decision-making. Finance also plays a key role in enabling strategic change by providing financial insight, guidance, and business partnering across the organisation.
The Central Finance team is the primary point of contact with the parent company, Cox Automotive US, and is responsible for the regular reporting of financial management information.
Reporting to the Group Financial Controller, this role will play an important part in the continued success of the Group by operating as the local tax function across UK and EU entities.
The tax function is responsible for safeguarding the Group’s financial integrity by ensuring compliance with UK and EU tax legislation, optimising the Group’s tax position, supporting financial forecasting, managing risk, and providing specialist technical expertise across the business.
The role works closely with multiple areas of the organisation where tax considerations arise. This includes supporting Board-level strategic decisions, managing research and development tax credits, advising on employee benefit tax matters, reviewing IR35 arrangements, working with IT on system changes that may impact tax processes, supporting legal teams on contractual tax treatments, and advising on commercial activities such as import/export risks, cross-border expenditure, and multi-jurisdictional invoicing.
The Tax Manager will also collaborate with the Risk and Compliance team to ensure appropriate internal controls, policies, and audit processes are maintained.
Why Join Us & What’s In It For You?
As a Cox Automotive team member, you’ll have access to a wide range of benefits, including exclusive discounts, cashback offers and our brilliant peer to peer recognition scheme. And there’s even more to enjoy:
* Option to buy additional holiday days
* Your birthday off every year - paid
* One annual Well-Being Day for you to relax and recharge
* One paid Charity Day to give back and support a cause that matters to you
* Opportunities for career progression across the Cox Automotive network
* Competitive pension scheme
About The Role
The Head of Tax is responsible for safeguarding the organisation from tax risk while ensuring full compliance with UK and EU tax obligations. The role provides strategic tax leadership and insight to support informed commercial and financial decision-making across the business.
The position is accountable for managing all aspects of local tax governance, ensuring the business meets its statutory compliance obligations and Group reporting requirements, while optimising the company’s tax position in a responsible, transparent, and efficient manner. The role provides expert technical guidance to finance, operations, and senior leadership, enabling sustainable growth while minimising financial and reputational risk.
As the organisation continues to expand across Europe, the Head of Tax will play a key role in supporting the business to grow in a controlled and compliant manner, ensuring tax considerations are effectively managed across new markets, structures, and commercial activities.
What You’ll be Doing
* Support the delivery and ongoing development of the UK & EU Group tax strategy, including oversight of Senior Accounting Officer (SAO) documentation and compliance requirements.
* Ensure effective tax governance and compliance across the Group, including the timely and accurate preparation and submission of tax returns, payments on account (POAs), and VAT filings.
* Provide expert technical guidance on tax accounting matters, including assessing and communicating the tax implications of strategic and commercial decisions.
* Manage the organisation’s relationship with HMRC and relevant tax authorities, including maintaining regular engagement, responding to correspondence, and managing enquiries or reviews.
* Support mergers and acquisitions activity by assessing tax implications, identifying risks and opportunities, and advising on appropriate tax structuring.
* Identify and implement optimised solutions to tax challenges, driving continuous improvement in tax calculation processes, reporting, and governance frameworks.
* Work closely with the UK Head of Accounting to ensure accurate tax treatment within the annual financial statements and alignment with accounting standards and Group reporting requirements.
We’re Committed to Inclusion
We are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in all its forms. We are a place where you can be you.
Ready To Join Our Team & Make A Difference?
Apply now and drive your career forward with one of the automotive industry’s most trusted names.
STRICTLY NO AGENCIES PLEASE
We kindly ask that agencies do not contact us regarding this vacancy. We work with a carefully selected and trusted group of recruitment partners. We do not accept unsolicited CVs sent to the recruitment team or directly to a hiring manager. We will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited submissions.