Tax recruitment by Accountancy Capital · Call 020 4553 8893 Part of FD Capital Group
Tax recruitment insight

Tax doesn’t need to be taxing

Tax Capital shares insight on tax careers, tax teams and tax hiring. When you are ready to hire, the tax recruitment team at Accountancy Capital places corporate, employment, indirect, international and private client tax specialists across practice and industry.

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Practice and in-house tax Manager to Director level CTA, ATT, ACA and ACCA qualified
Tax roles we recruit

Specialist tax recruitment with Accountancy Capital

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Practice tax

Corporate Tax DirectorLeaders of corporate tax advisory and compliance teams in practice. Employment Tax DirectorPAYE, NIC, IR35, expenses and share scheme specialists. VAT DirectorSenior indirect tax leaders for advisory and compliance. Senior Corporate Tax ManagerCompliance, advisory and Pillar Two experience. International Tax ManagerTransfer pricing and cross-border structuring. VAT ManagerPractice VAT managers across advisory and compliance. Personal Tax ManagerSelf-assessment portfolios and owner-managed businesses. Private Client Tax ManagerHigh-net-worth individuals, trusts and estates. Tax Investigations ManagerHMRC enquiries, disclosures and disputes.

In-house tax and London

Tax recruitment hubPractice and in-house tax roles in one place. In-house tax salary guidePay benchmarks for first in-house hires and senior tax managers. London tax recruitmentTax hiring across the London market.
Latest insight

From the Tax Capital blog

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The tax market

Why good tax people are hard to find

Tax is one of the most specialised corners of finance. A strong management accountant can move between industries with relative ease, but a VAT specialist and a private client tax manager share very little day-to-day knowledge. Each area has its own legislation, its own HMRC processes and its own career path, and that makes every tax hire a narrower search than it first appears.

Demand has also grown faster than supply. Changes to the rules keep adding work to tax teams. The global minimum tax rules under Pillar Two have created new calculations and returns for larger groups. The off-payroll working rules moved IR35 decisions onto many private sector businesses, pulling employment tax specialists into the spotlight. And Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is reshaping the work of personal tax teams in practice.

At the same time, the number of people completing the Chartered Tax Adviser qualification has not kept pace. The result is a market where qualified, experienced tax professionals usually have several options, and where employers who move slowly or brief poorly lose good candidates to faster competitors.

Timing adds to the pressure. Tax work peaks around filing deadlines, year ends and transactions, so many teams need extra capacity for a few months rather than a permanent hire. Interim and contract tax professionals can cover a busy season, a parental leave or a project such as a Pillar Two implementation, and the best of them are booked well in advance. Planning ahead, and knowing whether a role is really permanent or temporary, makes a real difference to who you can attract.

That is why Accountancy Capital runs tax recruitment as a specialist practice. Knowing the difference between a corporate tax compliance manager and an advisory manager, or between a practice VAT role and an in-house indirect tax role, is what lets us put the right people in front of a client quickly.

Practice or in-house

Two tax markets, two different briefs

Most tax careers run through practice, in-house or both. Each side hires for different things, and a good search starts by being clear which one you are in.

Tax in practice

Accountancy and tax advisory firms hire tax specialists to serve clients. Roles are usually organised by discipline, such as corporate tax, employment tax, VAT, international tax, personal tax and private client, and progress from senior through assistant manager and manager to director and partner.

Practice employers look for technical depth, client handling and the ability to build a portfolio. Advisory roles also reward commercial awareness and the confidence to bring in new work. For senior practice roles see Corporate Tax Director, VAT Director and Employment Tax Director recruitment.

Tax in industry

Businesses hire in-house tax professionals to manage their own tax affairs. A first in-house tax manager often covers corporation tax, VAT and employment taxes together, working closely with the finance team and external advisers. Larger groups build teams with specialists in transfer pricing, indirect tax and tax reporting.

In-house roles reward breadth, business partnering and good controls. Salaries and packages differ from practice, so benchmarking matters. Our in-house tax salary guide sets out current pay for first in-house hires through to senior tax managers.

Qualifications

The qualifications that matter in tax

We assess every candidate’s qualifications against the role, not just the job title on their CV.

Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA)

The Chartered Institute of Taxation awards the CTA, the leading tax qualification in the UK. It is the usual benchmark for manager-level and senior advisory roles in practice, and increasingly for senior in-house roles too.

ATT

The Association of Taxation Technicians qualification is strong preparation for compliance-focused roles and a common stepping stone towards the CTA.

ACA and ACCA with tax

Many tax professionals qualify as chartered accountants first, through the ICAEW or ACCA, then specialise in tax. A combination of ACA or ACCA with CTA is particularly valued for corporate tax and in-house roles, where accounting knowledge and tax expertise overlap.

For a full view of the roles we recruit and the qualifications each one calls for, visit Accountancy Capital’s tax recruitment page.

How a tax search works

From brief to shortlist

Every tax search with Accountancy Capital follows the same core steps.

Start a tax searchCall 020 4553 8893
  1. BriefingWe agree the discipline, level and scope of the role, whether it sits in practice or in-house, and what success looks like in the first year.
  2. Market viewWe give you a straight view of salary expectations and how many suitable candidates are likely to be available, so the brief is realistic from the start.
  3. SearchWe search our tax network and FD Capital Group’s shared candidate base, and approach people directly, including those who are not actively looking.
  4. Technical assessmentCandidates are interviewed on their technical depth, qualifications and experience in the specific area of tax the role covers.
  5. Shortlist and offerYou receive a focused shortlist with clear write-ups. We manage interviews, feedback and the offer through to the start date.
For tax professionals

Thinking about your next tax role?

Tax Capital is written for tax professionals as much as for employers. Our insight covers the questions that shape a tax career: whether to specialise in direct or indirect tax, how to make the move from practice to industry, and how changes such as Pillar Two are changing what employers look for.

If you are a qualified tax professional considering a move, Accountancy Capital can talk you through the market in confidence. We only put your details forward to an employer once you have agreed to be considered for that specific role.

Start with our tax insight, or explore Accountancy Capital’s pages for personal tax, private client tax and tax investigations roles.

Questions

Tax recruitment questions

What is Tax Capital?

Tax Capital is a tax careers and hiring insight site run by the team behind Accountancy Capital, part of FD Capital Group. It shares guidance for tax professionals and the businesses that hire them.

Who handles tax recruitment?

Tax searches are run by Accountancy Capital’s tax recruitment team. Visit the tax recruitment page or call 020 4553 8893 to discuss a role.

Which tax roles do you recruit?

We recruit across practice and in-house tax, including corporate tax, employment tax, VAT, international tax, personal tax, private client and tax investigations, from manager to director level.

Do you recruit for in-house tax teams?

Yes. We help businesses make their first in-house tax hire and strengthen existing tax functions, including senior tax manager and head of tax roles.

Do you recruit tax professionals in London?

Yes. London is our largest tax market. See our London tax recruitment page for more.

Can you help with senior finance roles beyond tax?

Yes. As part of FD Capital Group, we can connect you with FD Capital for CFOs and Finance Directors, Exec Capital for the C-suite, NED Capital for non-executive directors and SMF Capital for FCA-regulated roles.

Adrian Lawrence FCA

Founder, FD Capital Group and Accountancy Capital

Adrian is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the ICAEW with a practising certificate, and a former listed-company Finance Director. Accountancy Capital’s tax practice places corporate, employment, indirect, international and private client tax specialists across practice and industry, drawing on the shared network of FD Capital Group.

View Adrian’s ICAEW profile →Tax recruitment at Accountancy Capital →

Our network

Part of FD Capital Group

Tax is one part of the picture. FD Capital Group’s five brands cover every senior finance, leadership and regulatory hire.

Accountancy CapitalTax & qualified finance FD CapitalCFO · FD · Interim Exec CapitalC-suite · Board NED CapitalGovernance SMF CapitalFCA senior managers

Visit FD Capital Group →

Hiring for a tax role?

Tell Accountancy Capital about the role, the team and your timescale. We will come back with a view on the market, salary expectations and how quickly we can put a shortlist together.

Tax recruitment at Accountancy Capital Call 020 4553 8893