Corporate Tax Manager

A thriving 8 partner independent accountancy firm in the West End of London is looking to strengthen their Tax team as they continue to enjoy growth and success.

Established over 70 years ago, this accountancy firm in Marylebone has gone from strength to strength.

The firm has a traditional service ethos with high-quality advice delivered by the partners/directors, supported by a stable team of approximately sixty experienced and motivated professionals, working across accounting and assurance, taxation, payroll, and company secretarial services.

They take pride in providing a service that meets the individual needs of each client. Their clients’ success is rooted in their hard work, energy, and enthusiasm for their businesses, and they know that these are qualities they share with their accountants. Close attention to the detail of their clients’ needs results in a high level of service not often seen in modern times. It is worth pointing out that some of these client companies (and the families behind them) have been with the firm for up to 50 years.

As might be expected for a West End firm, their client base is diverse with many high net worth, often internationally based, private clients as well as private companies/partnerships operating in many different business sectors. What makes this accountancy firm stand out is their ability to work with large funds, blue-chip institutions, and family offices, which generally expect a higher level of commitment. They have also become well-versed in working closely with other professional advisers – accountants, lawyers, agents – to find the pragmatic way forward for mutual clients.

The business tax team has a portfolio of approximately 600 entities with a UK tax presence, mainly in London and the south-east of England. Their mainly entrepreneurial clients are engaged in many businesses such as retail, leisure, and real estate, raising money through joint ventures, partnerships, and EIS. In addition, they act for a number of very substantial real estate companies/funds with gross assets of up to £2bn, which involve a variety of structures, such as UK & offshore groups of companies, LPs, LLPs, unit trusts, and REITs.

Owing to their focus on maintaining long-term relationships, they provide a variety of services for high net worth clients, in some cases acting as a ‘family office back office’ where their wealth has been channeled into diverse investment projects, including forestry and farming.

This firm believes in becoming an integral support to their clients’ businesses – but only to the extent the clients require it – ensuring a full appreciation of the issues – financial or otherwise – that can be the drivers behind business or family decisions.

Their philosophy towards client service leads them to adopt a highly flexible approach, providing additional or fewer services as the situation demands. For some, they may provide accounts preparation and corporation tax compliance. For others, they may assist with management accounts, preparation for audit, and family office matters – right down to dealing with the payroll for the crew on the family yacht.

They might be viewed as a medium-sized firm, but their broader experience and expertise in delivering the compliance and consultancy services demanded by their clients makes them comparable, in delivery terms, with many much larger practices. Their ‘large enough to perform, small enough to care’ approach means they work closely with clients to support and guide them. They pride themselves on providing a friendly, proactive, effective service.

None of this would be possible without the staff. The firm tends to attract energetic and pragmatic people from a variety of backgrounds who wish to take their training and profession seriously and develop successful careers. The partners take pride in the fact that, despite their size, they are a ‘training’ firm at heart and are keen to help their people broaden their knowledge and experiences. As with any firm, as people qualify, they may stay or move on. Quite a few wish to stay (some of the partners trained with the firm), and they are encouraging more to do so by offering joint ACA/CTA training. The tax teams themselves are evolving, creating new opportunities.

They encourage their people to interact with clients and provide a flexible working environment, with hybrid working and variable start and finish times. Work-life balance is important to the firm as people cannot deliver at their best when exhausted. They emphasize the need to take breaks and lunch just as much as training. There are, of course, peak points from time to time, but they work hard to plan for these to reduce the impact.

It is generally understood that the firm pays salaries that are often more competitive than larger firms. There are flexible bonus packages for senior qualified staff.

On the social side, there are the usual unofficial (pub on Thursday/Friday evening, yoga, pacer challenges) and official (Summer party, summer picnic in Regent Park, Christmas party, client gatherings, tennis evening) events.

A recent joiner (from a big 4 practice) commented that the firm is a bit like a ‘family’.

The Corporate Tax Manager will work as part of the Business Tax team of eleven people (including one partner and two directors). This is a client-facing role that requires a mixture of good technical knowledge, a commercial approach, and an ability to work with a wide variety of individuals both inside and outside the practice, often at a senior level. Being in a small but high-quality tax team brings a great range of work, and there is ample opportunity to develop as a rounded tax practitioner.

The role includes taking ownership of client relationships alongside the partner and director, managing day-to-day routine work (compliance), and being key to the delivery of advisory projects.

The firm can advise on a wide range of business opportunities with a degree of competence comparable with much larger organizations.

The Successful Candidate:

The successful candidate will be ACA / ACCA / CTA qualified with predominantly corporate tax experience and be at least two years post-qualified. An interest in real estate tax work and experience in current or previous employment would be beneficial.

This is a brilliant opportunity; please contact Lydia at ProTalent to find out more.