About the job

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC. 

    

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential. 

At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve. 
 
We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at HMRC accessible to you. 
 
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. 

• Can you demonstrate strong leadership, organisational and communication skills to drive successful business outcomes? 

• Can you bring your expertise in Tax or Benefits/Credits litigation to mentor and lead a dedicated team of legal professionals? 

• Are you ready to take on a critical role within HMRC’s Solicitor’s Office & Legal Services (SOLS), defending the Department’s decisions through effective litigation strategies? 

If so, continue reading to find out more about this fantastic opportunity. 

About SOLS: 

Across Solicitor's Office and Legal Services (SOLS) we provide legal services to the whole of HMRC. This includes: 

• The conduct of independent reviews of decisions made by HMRC which are requested by customers under the legislative provisions. 

• The conduct of tribunal and civil litigation on a full range of services. 

• Work on new legislation. 

• Drafting of statutory instruments and other legal documents. 

• Legal advice to ExCom and staff. 

We also provide technical accountancy and forensic services to HMRC, are head of the Compliance Accountants’ and Insolvency Professions as well as handling Ministerial Correspondence and Freedom of Information requests for HMRC. 

This Team Specifically deals with-  

The successful applicants will be part of the Litigation Function within Legal Operations, working in a team with responsibility for the litigation of appeals against Direct Tax, VAT and Tax Credit decisions.

Job description

The vacancy is for the manager of a team of tax litigators based in the Leeds Regional Centre.

The successful applicant will carry out a range of duties, including but not limited to: 

• Management of litigators, including Performance and Development Conversations, proactively managing attendance etc. and managing work on the team through proactive conversations ensuring cases are progressed and deadlines met, including making sure that the Case Management System is kept up to date. 

• Triaging and allocating new appeals. 

• Signing off on legal applications. 

• Conducting Independent File Reviews. 

• Being the first line of support to litigators on litigation/tax matters. 

• Occasional attendance at tribunal with litigators. 

• Additional corporate responsibility including acting as lead on a specific major  area of litigation. 

• Leading at team meetings. 

• Acting as vacancy holder for recruitment, leading at interviews and sift panels 

• Inducting new starters onto the team, and working with the Learning Manager to ensure trainees on the team complete their required and continuing learning. 

• Role-modelling Civil Service values/behaviours at all times.
  
  
• Close working with other Litigation managers, including deputising for other managers when required. 

The successful applicant will be based in the Leeds Regional Centre or, if not, will be expected to attend the Leeds Regional Centre on a regular basis.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

The successful candidate must have either previous and recent litigation experience (preferably in a Tax or Benefits & Credits space) or previous and recent management experience in a litigation environment. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,618, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £11,506 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

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

SOLS use the Success Profiles framework for its recruitment. Your application will be assessed against the Experience element of the framework.  The experience and Strengths element of the framework will be tested at interview. 

How To Apply

Your application will include: 

• A CV, to include a Job history and experience of litigation, plus any management or tax experience. 

• A 750-word Personal Statement to include why you have applied for the role and what you can bring to the role in terms of expertise and experience, including how you would excel in the role requirements as listed above.  You should specifically include any examples of: 
  
  - Evidence of managing or leading a team through change 
  - Evidence of leadership within a litigation/legal environment 
  - Dealing with complex HR issues, making difficult decisions and undertaking difficult conversations. 

Selection will be by sift and (if required) interview.  

Sift

A preliminary sift on the CV against the Essential Criteria will be conducted and only candidates meeting the criteria will progress. 

Candidates progressing beyond the preliminary sift to a full sift, will be tested on their personal statement and CV which will be given a combined score. 

Candidates who are successful at the sift stage and progress to interview will be given further information about the interview at that time. 

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications. 

Interview

During the panel interview, you will be assessed on your experience, and you will be asked strength-based questions to explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.

Further information on the format of the interview, and examples of the experience and strengths-based questions will be provided to those applicants who progress to the interview stage.

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

Start dates may not be agreed straight away but this will be discussed further with successful candidates.

Eligibility 

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake, please contact us via: ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

HMRC welcomes applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, taking into account our 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. 

There may be a need to travel across the UK with occasional overnight stays being required and there may be a need for occasional travel for business purposes. 

This vacancy is only available at the specified locations, alternative locations are not available. 

Additionally, as the role is of a manager of a team based in the Leeds Regional Centre, the successful applicant will be expected to attend the Leeds office on a regular basis.

Your office location is contractual so if you are successful, there is an expectation that you will attend that office location as required by the business. 

You need to consider how you will meet this requirement before you apply and discuss any concerns with the vacancy holder before accepting any role. 

Reserve List 

A reserve list may be held for 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. 

Merit List  

After interview, merit lists will be created for each location advertised within the vacancy. If you are successful at interview, you will be placed on the merit list for any locations you have expressed an interest for. Appointments from each merit list will be made in strict merit order.   

Criminal Record Check 

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. 

Reasonable Adjustments 

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

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:  

• Contact the UBS Recruitment Excellence Team via ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.  

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

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. 

Terms and Conditions 

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. 

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. 

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.   

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations. 

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert. 

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.  

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. 

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.  

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

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.