Tax Reserves Manager

A&O Shearman; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A&O Shearman in Belfast is seeking a Tax Reserves Manager to join the Finance team. You will manage partners' tax reserves across multiple jurisdictions and support year-end tax calculations.

The role requires ACA or equivalent, strong ledger and numeric skills, and experience in personal or corporate tax at managerial level. You will coordinate UK and international tax teams and work with Partners and CFOs.

Qualifications

• ACA or equivalent accounting qualification.
• Strong General Ledger accounting skills.
• Evidence of strong numeric skills.
• Personal or Corporate Tax Experience to Manager level.
• Collaborative approach and ability to build strong relationships with PAT team colleagues and others across the globe.
• Ability to communicate complex tax and accounting issues both orally and in writing to non-specialists.
• Strong analytical skills and an eye for detail.
• Broad knowledge of tax issues affecting partners in professional partnerships would be helpful but not prerequisite.

Responsibilities

• Develop a detailed understanding of tax systems of territories in which A&O Shearman operates relating to partner tax reserves.
• Set up tax reserves in GBP and currency for equity and partner types, and reconcile balances.
• Coordinate UK and international tax teams to obtain a consolidated view of reserves positions.
• Review existing processes and identify opportunities to improve them.
• Lead in establishing processes for reconciling partner tax reserves for new offices.
• Support year-end work to deliver reserves calculations, tax equalisation calculations and disclosures.
• Ensure positions taken are reflected in accounting systems.
• Maintain deferred tax control accounts.
• Explore technology solutions (AI/automation) to improve the reserving process and propose implementations.
• Communicate with partners, CFOs and stakeholders on tax reserving matters.
• Coordinate and support junior team members in London and Belfast.

Skills

General Ledger

Numeric Skills

Communication

Analytical Thinking

Collaboration

Tax Experience

Managerial Experience

Education

ACA or equivalent

Tax qualification (ADIT/CTA) desirable

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Tax Reserves Manager to join our Finance team, based in A&O Shearman's Belfast office.

Finance team - Belfast

The Tax Reserves Manager is a member of the Partners' Affairs and Tax ("PAT") team supporting the Head of International Tax in the management of the global tax affairs of the A&O Shearman grouping, with a specific focus on the delivery of partners' tax reserves.

What you will do

• Develop a detailed understanding of the tax systems of the territories in which A&O Shearman operates in relation to partner tax reserves.
• Set up of tax reserves both in GBP and in currency, for both equity and employee/consultant partners, and subsequent reconciliation and release of residual balances, including review of various tax equalisation arrangements.
• Coordination of work done by UK and international tax teams to obtain a consolidated view of partners' overall tax reserves positions as part of ongoing reserves reconciliation and releases processes.
• Ongoing review of existing processes to ensure that they continue to be appropriate (e.g. to reflect impacts of business change transactions and external legislative developments), and to identify opportunities to improve these.
• Play a leading role in determining and putting in place appropriate processes for reconciling partner tax reserves for new offices and ensuring that these are maintained going forward.
• Support year-end work to deliver tax reserves calculations, tax equalisation calculations and relevant tax disclosures.
• Ensuring that positions taken in relation to partner tax reserves are correctly reflected in relevant accounting systems.
• Reconciliation and ongoing maintenance of deferred tax control accounts.
• Build awareness of technology solutions (including use of AI and automation) that could generate efficiencies in the tax reserving process and propose recommendations on how these could be implemented.
• Communications with partners, CFOs and other stakeholders in relation to tax reserving matters.
• Liaising with external advisors where required.
• Coordinate and support the work of junior team members in London and Belfast.

What you will have

• Strong General Ledger accounting skills.
• Evidence of strong numeric skills.
• ACA or equivalent accounting qualification.
• Tax qualification (e.g. ADIT or CTA) desirable.
• Personal or Corporate Tax Experience to Manager level.
• Collaborative approach and ability to build strong relationships with PAT team colleagues, as well as colleagues in other teams located across the globe.
• Ability to effectively communicate complex tax and accounting issues both orally and in writing to non-specialists.
• Strong analytical skills and an eye for detail.
• Broad knowledge of tax issues affecting partners in professional partnerships would be helpful but is not a pre-requisite.

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.

We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE - A&O Shearman does not accept unsolicited CVs. For further information, please see our UK Recruitment Agency Policy and our commitment to direct sourcing here.

Role level: Manager