Tax Director - Entrepreneurial Private Wealth, BDO, London

This jobholder will be a senior member of the London Tax Group and provide tax advisory and compliance services to a wide range of clients.

The Entrepreneurial Private Wealth team sits within Private Client Services in London. The client base principally includes private equity executives, entrepreneurs, and management teams of private equity backed companies.

The team are looking for a tax director to help support the team in delivering a full range of services to complex clients and contribute to the future management, growth and direction of the business.

Expertise in one or more of the following areas (and awareness of/interest in all) will be a requirement of the role:

Private equity fund management, typical structures and the tax issues arising from these (in particular, carried interest and disguised investment management fee rules)

Residence, domicile and offshore trust matters,

Tax issues in relation to transactions, such as private equity acquisitions, management buy outs and those advising owner managed businesses (e.g. capital gains tax rules on entrepreneurs’ relief, reorganisations, transactions in securities and employment-related securities).

The primary responsibilities will be to lead on a portfolio of clients and related advisory projects and transactions, provide assistance to Partners in both client work and in the management of the group and to actively seek new business opportunities arising on existing and new clients.

Responsibilities

Project/delivery involvement:

Act as main point of contact within the firm for clients. This will involve responding quickly to, as well as anticipating, client requests/needs, keeping clients informed of progress in relation to all aspects of the service provided, and maintaining regular contact with clients

Manage a portfolio of clients including non-domiciled individuals and take responsibility for delivery of complex advisory projects

Negotiate scope, proposed fees and final fees with clients

Provide technical sign off and take responsibility for review and delivery of final advice to clients, subject to consultation with Partners

Delegation to others in the team to support advisory work and undertake compliance

Financial management of client portfolio and projects within the firm’s criteria

Review of work prepared by more junior members of staff

Liaise with HMRC

Ensure assignments are completed within agreed budgets and keep client/Partner informed of overruns and plan staff assignments in order to give an appropriate spread of experience

Ensure that the firm’s quality control procedures are adhered to

Identify risk and technical matters, and discuss with Partners, whilst exercising judgement within agreed parameters.

Management:

Provide overall support to Partners on client matters and assist Partners in the management of the group,

Take part in/run interviews

Work as part of management team with other senior staff within the business group, and provide support to the wider firm

Train junior staff both on the job and through monitoring exam and on the job performance, whilst consistently providing feedback

Counsel, appraise, develop and motivate staff as appropriate

Business development:

Recognise business development opportunities and inform and work with the Partners and the client to develop these when they arise

Participate in bids/proposals for new work

Participate in networking events as required

Actively target new clients within an overall strategy agreed with the team

Communication and representation:

Provide an efficient and proactive service to clients and ensure that clients’ needs are fully met

Develop professional relationships with clients at senior level

Develop relationships within the firm to support other parts of the business, maximise business development opportunities and act as a liaison between the client and other specialist service groups within BDO

Proactively share knowledge within the firm and contribute centrally by lecturing on internal courses where appropriate

Work on own initiative

Consult with colleagues and Partners on technical and risk matters.

Requirements

Significant experience of dealing with senior clients and complex advisory work

Experience advising on matters relating to private equity, transactions, residence and domicile

Confident reviewing legal documentation critically (e.g. articles of association or partnership agreements)

Staff management experience

Maintains an in depth, up to date, knowledge of taxation

Ability to profitably manage a client portfolio

Ability to manage fast moving projects to demanding deadlines

Ability to actively seek opportunities for developing new clients and for selling new services to existing clients

CTA and/or ACA qualified or equivalent (or legal qualifications)