What if your ability to transform tax processes could unlock thousands of pounds in savings while building best-in-class compliance systems for one of the UK's biggest charities?
As a Financial Accountant within our Finance & Assurance directorate, you'll be part of a team that's transforming how we deliver financial partnership across the organisation. We're on an ambitious journey to become the Society's single point of financial truth. We aim to be trusted partners and credible experts who enable the organisation to make faster, better-informed decisions.
This is a highly technical, hands-on role where you'll own and improve our tax function. You'll be responsible for the essential technical delivery, preparing VAT returns, managing partial exemption calculations, overseeing Corporation Tax and Gift Aid. Ensuring we meet every regulatory requirement. But what sets this role apart is the opportunity to transform how we deliver this work. You'll drive continuous improvement across all tax processes, identifying inefficiencies, implementing automation, redesigning workflows, and developing robust controls that optimise our position while maintaining compliance. This is your opportunity to leave your mark on a critical area of the finance function.
Your process improvement mindset and ability to explain complex matters clearly, will help colleagues make tax-efficient decisions.
About you:
You're a qualified accountant with strong process improvement experience who thrives on identifying inefficiencies and implementing better ways of working. You're excited by the prospect of shaping an entire area within a finance function.
You're a problem-solver who constantly asks, "how can we do this better?" You have a genuine curiosity about how things work and a drive to continuously improve. Existing knowledge of VAT compliance, particularly partial exemption, would be beneficial, as would broader familiarity with Corporation Tax, Gift Aid, and other statutory obligations. However, what matters most is your appetite to learn and your determination to find better ways forward.
You'll have:
- Proven experience driving process improvements in a finance environment, demonstrating where you've identified inefficiencies, redesigned workflows, or delivered measurable improvements.
- A CCAB qualification achieved through education, or demonstrable equivalent knowledge and experience that evidences your understanding of the role's requirements.
- Some experience with VAT, Corporation Tax, Gift Aid, or other UK tax regulations. You don't need to be a tax specialist, but you should have exposure to tax compliance and a genuine interest in developing deep expertise in this area.
- The ability to quickly build technical knowledge and confidence in complex tax scenarios, with a problem-solving approach to navigating regulations.
- Experience working with HMRC or other regulatory bodies, demonstrating credibility and professionalism in external relationships.
- Demonstrated experience as a Financial Accountant in a large or complex organisation.
- The ability to work effectively across departments and at all levels, translating complex financial or technical matters into practical guidance.
- Experience with cloud-based ERP systems (we use Unit4) and a mindset of continuous improvement.
What you'll focus on:
- Driving continuous improvement across the tax function.
- Developing robust tax processes and controls that optimise our position while ensuring compliance.
- Overseeing VAT compliance – preparing and reviewing accurate VAT returns, managing partial exemption calculations, and optimising our VAT position.
- Overseeing Corporation Tax and Gift Aid compliance as well as other statutory tax obligations.
- Building and maintaining strong relationships with HMRC, managing enquiries or audits with professionalism.
- Providing clear tax guidance across the Society, empowering colleagues to make tax-efficient decisions.
- Working seamlessly with colleagues across the Finance team to provide integrated financial partnership, while role-modelling our values.
Can you see yourself as the person who transforms our tax function, not just maintains it? Are you ready to shape an entire area within our finance function and make your mark?
Rolling applications
We are accepting applications on a rolling basis for this role. There is no fixed deadline. We will continue to review applications until the role is filled. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as we may close the vacancy once we've made a successful appointment.