Overview
Senior Corporation Tax Specialist – Belfast
About the job
Job summary
Discover what it’s like to work in a compliance role that makes an impact. Could you help us shape a stronger, fairer future? Your next career move starts here.
This is one of the most senior and high-profile Corporation Tax Specialist roles within HMRC and is a chance for you to add value to Large Business’ strategy to reduce the Tax Gap by tackling key areas of legal interpretation risk within Corporation Tax.
We are looking for dynamic individuals to lead areas of legal interpretation risk and tackle complex enquiries. Identifying and driving down Corporation Tax risk by working collaboratively with customers and Customer Compliance Managers, Tax Specialists, and stakeholders across Large Business. The role requires strategic and commercial thinking, and technical capability to help influence and develop compliance approaches.
Job description
As a Senior Corporation Tax Specialist, you will be responsible for handling the most complex Corporation Tax matters involving large multinational groups and legal interpretation issues. This role is central to HMRC’s efforts to reduce the tax gap by leading and supporting high-profile, technical enquiries and shaping future compliance approaches in this area.
Your workload will be varied. You will lead our response on complex enquiries through risk assessment, enquiry work, real-time working and interacting with external customers and their representatives across a range of industries. You will also inform and support our operational strategy for driving down Corporation Tax risks. You will work with a number of key colleagues across the organisation including Customer Compliance Managers, cross-tax regime technical specialists, policy specialists, economists and accountants.
Successful applicants will be responsible for technical leadership of experienced Corporation Tax Specialists (CTSs); focusing on building their capabilities through mentoring, training, and knowledge sharing.
This is a leadership role with no line management responsibilities.
Travel may be required from time to time to fulfil this role, for example to attend customer meetings.
Candidate Information Session
We will be holding a Candidate Information Session as a group webinar where you can hear directly about a day in the life of the role, the wider team & HMRC. We will also be discussing the application process and next steps. Additionally, there will be time on these sessions for you to ask questions directly to the team.
We are holding an information session about this role on Wednesday 28th January 2026 at 12.30pm. To register, follow this link to forms.
Person specification
You will:
- Take ownership of key areas of legal interpretation risk within Corporation Tax and influence strategies to reduce the Tax Gap.
- Act as a subject matter expert on Corporation Tax for complex compliance cases and provide authoritative guidance to colleagues regionally and nationally.
- Work collaboratively with Customer Compliance Managers (CCMs), Tax Specialists, and other stakeholders to design and refine compliance strategies.
- Lead and manage end-to-end delivery of complex Corporation Tax enquiries involving multinational enterprises, ensuring robust risk assessment and resolution.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, communicating technical issues clearly and persuasively to influence outcomes.
- Support the development of junior team members through coaching and sharing best practice, promoting a culture of continuous learning.
- Contribute to HMRC’s Large Business strategy by identifying trends and emerging risks in Corporation Tax and providing input into cross-government initiatives.
- Adhere to HMRC governance frameworks and ensure all work meets legal and regulatory standards while maintaining confidentiality and integrity.
Essential Criteria
- Significant recent experience of Corporation Tax compliance of multinational enterprises gained in HMRC, industry or in practice; and/or
- Significant recent experience in a wider Corporation Tax work in respect of multinationals in HMRC, industry or in practice.
- In-depth knowledge of corporation tax.
- Proven ability to manage and deliver complex enquiries or projects
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills – ability to work across a range of stakeholders both internally and externally plus mentoring junior colleagues.
Transitional Sites Information
If your location preference is for the following site, it’s important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.
For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations (opens in a new window)
This site is:
- Benton Park View, Newcastle – moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.
Qualifications
You should hold one of the following qualifications:
- HMRC Tax Specialist Programme or Equivalent (Direct Tax).
- Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA)/Associate of the Taxation Institute Ind (ATII)/Advanced Diploma in International Taxation (ADIT).
- Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) membership qualification, i.e. ICAEW, ICAS, CIPFA, ACCA with direct tax professional experience.
- Solicitor, Barrister or CILEX Lawyer (including the Professional stage Business and Commercial Law module) in England and Wales (or equivalents in Scotland and
Northern Ireland) with Corporation tax professional experience. - The interview will begin with a technical question/assessment. You’ll be given the question at the start and will have 10 minutes to consider your response before presenting your answer to the panel.
- Pension – We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
- A name-blind CV including your job history, qualifications and previous experiences. Your CV should cover up to your last 5 roles, detailing your responsibilities and key achievements (max 300 words per role). Please also reference how you meet the Essential Criteria.
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £71,725, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £20,778 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
At sift your CV will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
During the panel interview, your Experience and Technical Skills will be assessed.
The interview will begin with a technical question/assessment. You’ll be given the question at the start and will have 10 minutes to consider your response before presenting your answer to the panel.
You will also be asked questions with reference to the job specification and Essential Criteria, to assess your experience and explore in detail what you are capable of, and this is an opportunity to evidence your expertise.
Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Hybrid working at HMRC
HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers
This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants – GOV.UK.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
