AVP Tax Specialist

As an AVP Tax Specialist, you will play a key role in supporting the end-to-end tax reporting and compliance processes for Barclays in Germany. This position requires a good technical foundation in tax operations, enabling you to confidently address queries from Finance teams and escalate where necessary. You will be responsible for delivering accurate and timely outputs, leveraging your expertise in data processing and Excel (including pivot tables) to manage complex tax data efficiently. With a robust background in corporation tax, transfer pricing, VAT, and withholding taxes, you will help maintain a good tax risk control environment while providing ad hoc tax advice to various business units. Collaboration is central to this role, as you will work closely with Tax and Finance teams across multiple geographies to ensure seamless execution and delivery.

To be successful as an AVP Tax Specialist, you should have the following experience:

• Tax experience ideally gained at a leading tax advisory firm or within the financial services sector, with exposure to cross-border tax matters.
• Good technical tax knowledge to accurately assess and apply the correct tax treatment across corporation tax, VAT, transfer pricing, and withholding taxes.
• Proficiency in interpreting and working with tax accounting data, including advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, data processing) to manage and analyse complex datasets.
• Excellent communication and time management skills, with the ability to work independently, prioritize multiple tasks, and deliver to tight deadlines.

Some other highly valued skills may include

• Good academic background, ideally in a technical or quantitative discipline such as Tax Law or Tax Accounting.
• Understanding of Corporate and Investment Banking operations, including the complexities and nuances of cross-border transactions.
• Experience across a broad range of taxes, including corporate income tax, VAT, operational taxes, and transfer pricing, with international exposure.
• Fluent in German and English, combined with good problem-solving skills and commercial awareness to assess stakeholder priorities and advise on tax impacts of business decisions.

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills

This role is a full-time permanent position based in our Frankfurt office.

This role is deemed as a Controlled Function role under the Central Bank of Ireland Fitness and Probity Regulations and may require the role holder to hold mandatory regulatory qualifications or the minimum qualifications to meet internal company benchmarks.

Purpose of the role

To provide both corporate and indirect advisory and compliance tax services to   business areas in a specific jurisdiction(s).  

Accountabilities

• Management of tax risks arising from the bank's business activities, investments, and financial transactions and development of tax risk management strategies to mitigate potential tax liabilities and protect the bank's financial interests and reputation.
• Analysis of complex tax issues to support tax planning strategies, compliance matters, and risk management initiatives.
• Liaising, with tax authorities and resolving legacy tax risks.
• Identification and assessment of potential tax risks associated with complex transactions (including potential mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring) and development and implementation of tax risk mitigation strategies to minimise the potential impact.
• Stakeholder management to ensure that tax requirements and the associated risks are understood and appropriately managed, including reputational risks with tax authorities and external stakeholders.
• Analysis of relevant developments in tax law to ensure the impact on Barclays is understood and appropriately managed.
• Preparation or review of relevant tax returns in accordance with applicable tax law and agreeing compliance positions with the tax authorities.
• Preparation or review of tax accounting calculations and disclosures in accordance with applicable accounting standards for group forecasting, reporting and stress testing.
• Design and operation of tax process controls to ensure tax risk is appropriately managed and tax treatments can be supported.

Assistant Vice President Expectations

• To advise and influence decision making, contribute to policy development and take responsibility for operational effectiveness. Collaborate closely with other functions/ business divisions.
• Lead a team performing complex tasks, using well developed professional knowledge and skills to deliver on work that impacts the whole business function. Set objectives and coach employees in pursuit of those objectives, appraisal of performance relative to objectives and determination of reward outcomes
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.
• OR for an individual contributor, they will lead collaborative assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will identify new directions for assignments and/ or projects, identifying a combination of cross functional methodologies or practices to meet required outcomes.
• Consult on complex issues; providing advice to People Leaders to support the resolution of escalated issues.
• Identify ways to mitigate risk and developing new policies/procedures in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Take ownership for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work done.
• Perform work that is closely related to that of other areas, which requires understanding of how areas coordinate and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the organisation sub-function.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategy.
• Engage in complex analysis of data from multiple sources of information, internal and external sources such as procedures and practises (in other areas, teams, companies, etc).to solve problems creatively and effectively.
• Communicate complex information. 'Complex' information could include sensitive information or information that is difficult to communicate because of its content or its audience.
• Influence or convince stakeholders to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.