About the job

Job summary

The Business & Property Taxes Litigation Team handles complex, novel and high value litigation before the First-tier (Tax) Tribunal, appeals to the higher courts (Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court), as well as judicial review claims. 

The work of the team is often novel, involving substantial sums of money.​

SOLS Office and the litigation function within SOLS has ongoing transformation as part of ensuring that we meet SOLS and HMRC strategic objectives, provide a professional and modern working environment and continuously improve. The role holder will be expected to play their full part in this and the wider leadership of the Litigation Directorate and SOLS as part of the leadership team. This will include a focus on our use of data, insight, technology, knowledge management, legal skills, and career development.​

This role leads the Business & Property Taxes Litigation team. The team's work entails complex and high value litigation concerning: ​

• Corporation Tax  ​
• Business Income Tax ​
• Business International & Stamps ​
• Capital Gains Tax ​
• Inheritance Tax ​
• Trusts & Charities

Job description

Key Responsibilities ​

• To lead and deliver effective and efficient litigation and legal services to HMRC to support HMRC’s vision, objectives, and priorities within the areas of the Business & Property Taxes Litigation Team. ​
• Provide strategic direction and input to support the delivery of high-quality, timely, efficient, risk-based litigation, providing personal input (particularly to senior colleagues) where required and ensuring that lawyers within the team provide creative, practical legal solutions that add value, share knowledge, and that all litigation meets our quality standards. ​
• To provide strong enterprise leadership of the wider Litigation Directorate, and wider SOLS and HMRC, delivering on SOLS and HMRC strategic priorities, particularly focusing on data, insight, technology, knowledge management, the management of legal and fiscal risks, and ensuring that SOLS is a great place to work.​
• Provide inspiring, confident, and empowering leadership that is open and inclusive of all, supports staff to improve their skills and performance, and offers support to career development. ​
• Develop and maintain highly effective working relationships with key stakeholders in HMRC, other Government Departments and externally. 

Key Interactions​

• Management of a team of 24 lawyers, and matrix management of paralegals and administrative support staff, currently based across four locations (Stratford, Croydon, Bristol and Manchester)​
• Direct line management of four senior lawyer managers​
• SOLS Senior Leadership Team​
• Colleagues in wider HMRC​
• Government Legal Department​
• Counsel, courts and tribunals​
• Other Government Departments​

Person specification

Essential Criteria:​

• Experience of leading the delivery of high quality litigation services within the public sector​
• Demonstration of excellent legal professional skills, knowledge of public law, the ability to brief senior colleagues and officials, and the ability to think creatively and give authoritative risk-based legal direction that facilitates practical solutions ​
• An engaging, inspiring and collaborative leader, with the experience of managing a geographically disparate team to deliver excellent legal services and which embeds a positive and inclusive culture that supports wellbeing ​
• The ability to work collaboratively to lead and manage ongoing transformation across the Directorate to meet HMRC and SOLS vision ​
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, showing the ability to work collaboratively with senior leaders across SOLS, HMRC, GLD and external stakeholders​

Essential Qualification:​

• Must be qualified as a Solicitor or Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive and able to practice in England and Wales. ​

Desirable experience:​

• Knowledge of tax and law within areas that align with the team’s work. ​

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £20,250 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Application:​

To apply for this post, you will need to complete an online application by submitting the following:​

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​
• A Statement of Suitability explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the criteria in the person specification.​

Your CV and Statement of Suitability should reflect your most relevant and recent skills and experience in relation to the role. Therefore, we recommend that each document is no more than two A4 pages long. ​

By not submitting a CV and a Statement of Suitability will mean we only have limited information to assess your application against the person specification. Please ensure both documents contain your full name.​

If you encounter any issues with your application or don’t receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours, please contact Sarah Hawes at  scs.resourcing@hmrc.gov.uk 

Shortlist​

An application pre-sift will be conducted by the SCS Recruitment Team followed by an in-depth review by the Vacancy Holder and Panel.​

The panel will assess and select applicants who demonstrate the best fit with the role by considering the evidence provided against the criteria set out in the Person Specification. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application. The closing date for applications is Monday 17th June and a shortlist decision is expected to be made by w/c 24th June. All candidates will be notified of the outcome shortly afterwards.​

All shortlisted candidates will be offered an opportunity to have an informal conversation with the vacancy holder, Samantha Pullin. This is not an assessment phase but is an opportunity for each candidate to gain greater insight into the context of the role. This is optional, but highly recommended.​

Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS)​

Candidates applying under the Disability Confidence Scheme are guaranteed an interview if they meet the minimum criteria outlined in the person specification. 

This scheme works in conjunction with the Great Place to Work for Veterans, for former members of the armed services, and the Redeployment Interview Scheme for existing Civil Servants at risk of redundancy. Each scheme works in the same way.​

Use of Data​

As part of the recruitment process, we may share your data and assessment results internally with our SCS Talent team. ​

This will provide insight into how to support your development and wider talent management, should you be successful in your application. ​

If you do not want your data to be shared, please email Sarah Hawes at scs.resourcing@hmrc.gov.uk ​

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security 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 Commission's 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.