Head of Tax - UK Listed REIT - Hertfordshire

The Group Head of Tax is a senior leadership position with full ownership of all tax matters across the Group. The role is responsible for designing and delivering the Group's global tax strategy, ensuring robust compliance, conducting efficiency analysis, and providing long-term strategic direction. A central focus is partnering closely with the business to ensure all activities comply with relevant regulations while optimising the tax implications of commercial decisions and transactions. The Group Head of Tax plays a critical role in safeguarding this status and leads regular reporting to the Board to ensure ongoing transparency, assurance, and alignment with statutory obligations.
This role oversees all direct and indirect tax matters across multiple European jurisdictions, requiring strong cross-border understanding and the ability to collaborate effectively with remote teams across diverse cultures.

Key Accountabilities:

* Tax Compliance: for both direct and indirect taxes, completing returns, working with advisors to ensure compliance in all territories.
* Tax efficiency: ensuring appropriate usage of allowances and deductions available through operational costs, financing and capital expenditure in all jurisdictions. This includes assessment of tax risks including those arising from transfer pricing between countries and companies.
* Tax strategy: develop long term structures which enable tax optimisation within the context of the Group's risk appetite such as the establishment of REIF and SOCIMI structures. This includes assessment of tax implications from real estate and joint venture transactions.
* REIT compliance: monitor compliance with REIT requirements including calculation of appropriate dividend / PID payments, and report / make recommendations to the Board.
* Tax authorities: manage relationship with tax authorities, particularly HMRC in the UK
* Accounting and Audit: manage Group tax accounting and relationship with auditor tax teams. Work with internal and external accounting to ensure financial data is appropriately consolidated and prepared for tax purposes.
* Executive guidance and risk management: provide authoritative guidance to the Executive Team, proactively manage tax risks, and identify opportunities to enhance the Group's tax efficiency as the business continues to develop and expand internationally.
* International Collaboration: Partner with local finance teams across European markets to ensure alignment with Group priorities, consistent application of tax principles, and proactive management of cross-border tax issues.
* Horizon Scanning & Regulatory Monitoring: Monitor changes in tax legislation, international tax frameworks, and emerging regulatory developments to assess potential impacts and ensure the Group remains ahead of compliance requirements.
* Transaction Support: Lead tax due-diligence, structuring and modelling for acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, refinancing, and other corporate development activities.

Experience & skills:
* ACA qualified, with Big Four training preferred; additional tax-focused qualifications (CTA or equivalent) are advantageous.
* Proven experience including:
o Operating as a Head of Tax, or serving as a Deputy Head of Tax within a large and complex organisation.
o Significant Real Estate tax expertise, including REIT regulations, property transactions, and cross-border structuring.
o Working within or advising multinational organisations, ideally with pan-European exposure.
* Highly collaborative style, able to engage, influence, and challenge effectively at all levels-across Group functions, local finance teams, senior leadership, external advisors, and tax authorities.
* Track record of delivering change, acting as an enabler for continuous improvement, process optimisation, and adoption of tax technology or automation tools.
* Comfortable operating in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment, balancing structure with adaptability and pragmatism.
* Deep technical expertise with a strong commercial mindset, able to interpret complex tax issues and translate them into clear, strategic recommendations aligned with business objectives.
* High level of attention to detail coupled with strong analytical skills, ensuring accuracy in reporting, modelling, and compliance.
* Exceptional communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to explain tax implications in a clear, concise, and commercially relevant manner.

Please note our advertisements use PQE/salary levels purely as a guide. However, we are happy to consider applications from all candidates who are able to demonstrate the skills necessary to fulfil the role.

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