About the job

Job summary

Large Business (LB) is responsible for HMRC’s compliance work with the largest and most complex business customers, businesses which account for some 40% of HMRC’s annual revenues. Our strategy is applied to the UK’s 2,000 most complex businesses, we subject these businesses to an exceptional level of scrutiny and are actively investigating around half of them at any one time. 
 
This is an exciting and challenging time to be part of Large Business. The taxation of multinationals remains the focus of keen media and Parliamentary interest. You will join one of the largest Civil Service departments and work in a fast paced and dynamic environment where you will be supported to provide high quality services. 
  
About the Customer Compliance Group & Large Business  
HMRC’s Customer Compliance Group (CCG) plays a pivotal role in maximising the collection of the correct amount of money due from UK taxpayers, investigating breaches and offences against the tax system, and acting to identify and mitigate potential threats.

See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Job description

This is a technical leadership post. To lead a theme-based approach for LB’s avoidance and aggressive tax planning response. 
 
Duties include: 
 
Providing support and guidance to LB case teams applying  HMRC’s Avoidance Handling Process (AHP), including supporting the case teams in making the appropriate referrals and submissions from identification through to Anti-Avoidance Board agreement of a settlement strategy. 
 
Acts as point of contact for all avoidance issues across all taxes and acts as intermediary between case teams and Counter-Avoidance where necessary, including providing support on formal and informal submissions to Counter-Avoidance’s technical team. 
 
Provides technical, tactical and commercial advice to case teams in identifying and challenging both UK & International tax avoidance by LB customers across direct taxes.  

Specialises and acts as a Single Point of Contact for specific avoidance issues such as the General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR), Ramsay challenges, Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes (DOTAS) rules, Unallowable Purpose challenges, Partial Closure Notices and Enablers legislation. 

As well as delivering and assisting with high quality casework, the Tax planning specialists are flexible members of our Large Business teams and will be involved in the development of our response on high profile risks, devising and leading projects, upskilling tax specialists and taking responsibility for specific themes. 
 
These posts are full time however applicants who wish to work alternative working patterns are welcome to apply. The preferred working pattern may or may not be available, agreement will be subject to business need, and any request to work an alternative working pattern should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.  
 
Training and support will be provided - requirements of the successful candidate will be assessed once in post and a training programme agreed with your manager.  

Additional Information

• Travel and overnight stays may be required across the UK. 
• This role does not include any direct line management.

Person specification

• You are curious, investigative and constructively challenge when presented with information that is incomplete or unclear.
• You adopt a strategic approach to tasks/cases, always with an eye on the bigger picture.
• When progress has stalled you are skilled in resolving disputes and an active listener, seeking to resolve problems.  
• When planning your work and collaborating with others you are organised, disciplined and structured in approach.  
• You communicate with confidence, influential across a range of stakeholders.
  

Essential Criteria:

It is essential that you are a tax professional, having recent experience of Direct tax technical work, and that the following is demonstrated in your application. 

• Experience of working with businesses at a senior level in tax planning and compliance. 
  
• Proven leadership in a technical environment and an interest in developing others.
  
• A Strong understanding of accounting principles and integration with tax.  

Qualifications:  

You must hold one of the following:

• Chartered institute of tax (CTA).  
  
• Advanced Diploma in International Tax (ADIT).
  
• Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies membership qualification (such as ICAEW).
  
• Successfully completed the HMRC Tax Specialist Programme, or one of its predecessors (TPDP, IDP, ITS2, CPT, FT2). 
  
• Successfully completed BDDP, ITS1 or equivalent Pathway training in direct tax and have recent relevant tax professional experience. Relevant tax professional experience must include evidence of working technical and complex casework in the direct tax field which, for internal candidates, would be at G7 level or above. 

Desirable Criteria:

• International Tax knowledge. 
  
• Experience of working in tax planning.  
  
• Experience of developing, marketing or implementing tax planning structures.   

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%.

Find more about HMRC benefits in 'Your little extras and big benefits handbook' for further information or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a name blind CV and a 1000 word Personal Statement.

Your CV should cover your job history which should cover up to the last 5 job roles and your qualifications and will be scored against the roles and responsibilities outlined in the advert. 

Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the Essential Criteria and Person Specification outlined in the advert. 

You will also be asked to provide a statement addressing the Desirable Criteria, which will not be sifted on, but may be used in the event of a tie-break.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications an initial sift will be carried out on your CV to assess Experience.

At full sift your Personal Statement will be assessed with the successful candidates being invited to interview. 

Interview

During the panel interview, your experience will be assessed and this will also include a Technical presentation and will explore your experience in Tax Planning work.

Interviews will take place via video link. Interview dates to be confirmed. 

We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process in order to manage numbers.

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Eligibility

To check that you are eligible to apply, review this eligibility information

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:

Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.

Reasonable Adjustments 

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition, or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. 

If you need a reasonable adjustment or a change to be made so that you can make your application, review this information on reasonable adjustments, and contact hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible.

Diversity and Inclusion

At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues and creating an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We’re committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues here at HMRC. We want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential at HMRC.

For more information on how we make this happen, review this information on our culture and values

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible after considering operational and customer service needs. We can’t guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly, as agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate, and any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process. 

The Civil Service runs 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. 

Locations 

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

Security Update

For more information on the level of security checks we will carry out, review this information on security checks 

Further Information

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application/s will be withdrawn from the process. 

Duplicate applications for the same vacancy will also be withdrawn.

Transferring into HMRC from Civil Service If you are currently working for an ‘Other Government Department’ (OGD) and would like to consider the impact on your pay when joining HMRC, please see the attached document "Combined T&C and OGD Pay English”, found at the bottom of this advert. Further information on staff transfers can be found on gov.uk

Problems during the application process 

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. 

If you think you’ve made a mistake on a short application form (e.g. you’ve ticked the incorrect eligibility box), please contact hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at least two working days before the vacancy closes. After this, we won’t be able to reopen your application.   

Please use the subject line to insert appropriate wording e.g. Please re-open my application - 334503 & vacancy closing date 12/02/2024. Please note that we cannot amend or re-open your application if you have submitted your full application in the interests of fair and open recruitment.

For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details within reasonable adjustments section above.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.