Group VAT Manager

About the role

Balfour Beatty has an exciting opportunity for a Group VAT Manager to join our Enabling Functions team to work in Newcastle upon Tyne (Longbenton).

Role Purpose: 

• As assistant to the Head of Indirect Tax, you will deal with all UK indirect tax matters, including VAT, import duties, aggregate tax and excise duties.

What you'll be doing 

As a Group VAT Manager  you will: 

• Responding to ad-hoc queries on UK indirect tax issues;
• Reviewing contracts to identify and advise on any VAT issues or concerns;
• The provision of VAT training to finance and accounting staff;
• Reviewing VAT returns prepared by the Groups in-house VAT compliance team;
• Providing advice and support to the Groups in-house VAT compliance team;
• Setting up new VAT registrations or amending existing VAT registrations;
• Notifying HMRC of options to tax;
• Working with joint venture partners to ensure that VAT accounting and reporting is carried out correctly;
• Maintaining VAT process and procedure manuals;
• Managing projects (e.g. Accounts Payable VAT reviews);
• Responding to queries from HMRC;
• Liaising with HMRC on issues affecting group companies;
• Liaising with external advisors;
• Liaising with commercial staff to establish any liability to aggregate levy;
• Completion and submission of aggregate levy returns;
• Dealing with inward processing relief queries;
• Advising on the use of VAT and duty deferment accounts;

A secondary requirement of the role will involve some internal auditing of the VAT processes and systems of the business. This will involve: 

• Carrying out VAT accounting audits of Balfour Beatty UK businesses to review accounting and reporting processes to identify any risk areas, including ledger reconciliation issues;
• To resolve any issues discovered during the audit;
• To produce a written report of the audit and resulting action plan.

Who we're looking for

Personal Qualities and Experience: 

• You must have experience of VAT advisory work with a background obtained in HMRC, a recognised accounting firm or a large corporate organisation. You will either have a professional qualification, e.g. ATT/ATII, or be qualified by experience;
• You must have strong communication skills and be able to demonstrate good technical knowledge of VAT issues. Construction industry experience is not required but would be advantageous;
• You will be self-motivated and capable of working independently and without supervision. The position will require you to travel within the UK and may involve overnight stays.

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver amazing projects in challenging conditions; developing, managing and maintaining the vital infrastructure and public spaces that modern economies, societies and communities rely on.

About us

Balfour Beattys Enabling Functions includes our centralised HR, IT, Procurement, Finance, Health & Safety, Sustainability and Comms teams. Together we support Balfour Beatty to deliver projects on behalf of our clients. We operate according to our Build to Last values of Lean, Expert, Trusted, Safe and Sustainable.

At Balfour Beatty we are committed to creating a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential, not only because this is the right thing to do, but because it makes us a better business. To ensure we deliver on this commitment, we have a UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the wide range of targeted, proactive, measurable steps we are taking to make this a reality. You can read our UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan in full at www.balfourbeatty.com/value_everyone

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and Women into Construction. In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role.

Further information on Disability Confident can be found at: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

For further information, and to apply, please visit our website via the “Apply” button below.