Indirect Tax Manager

About the roleAre you looking to take full end-to-end ownership of VAT and indirect tax compliance? The John Lewis Partnership is seeking an experienced Indirect Tax Manager to safeguard the integrity of our indirect tax affairs. In this pivotal role, you will partner with the Tax Lead to shape our indirect tax strategy, translate legislative changes into actionable business solutions, and provide expert counsel to senior stakeholders. In additon to compliance, you will lead, mentor, and coach a dedicated team, fostering professional growth while ensuring our tax processes remain robust, strategic, and aligned with the Partnership’s broader business goals.

• Salary - £75,000 - £110,000

• Contract type - This position is a Permanent contract.

• Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. The team aim for 2 days per week in the office to connect with the Tax team and stakeholders. There may also be occasions where you are required to travel to the Head Office you are not based at.

• Location - The Head Office location of the role can be at our London Pimlico or Bracknell location.

Key responsibilities

• Reviewing and communicating legislative changes and case-law, and liaising with other functions e.g. Internal Audit, Business Risk, HR, Legal, and Company Secretarial to identify and advise on new business and corporate initiatives.

• Reviewing indirect tax returns (indirect excludes Customs returns but includes an overview of Excise processes). Reviewing the VAT input for the year-end/half-year reporting process. Monitoring Partnership indirect tax risks and mitigating risks by ensuring tax-related controls are operated correctly and are fit for purpose.

• Ensuring the team maintains close contact with Finance and Commercial teams, and provides advice and value-added insight concerning initiatives in the business, to ensure that tax implications are both known and understood from a financial and systems requirements perspective.

• Accountability for leading in a culture seeking to make improvements to propositions, processes, controls, and/or policies both proactively and based on feedback and insight from stakeholders, colleagues, and clients.

• Maintaining good working relationships with external tax advisers and HMRC.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• CTA or equivalent or ACA/ACCA with extensive VAT experience 

• Strong indirect tax technical knowledge and solid understanding of tax accounting 

• Extensive experience of managing a team

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Good understanding of other tax areas

• Experience with tax aspects of property transactions 

• Technology and how it can help improve indirect tax processes 

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About The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.