We’re First Central Insurance & Technology Group (First Central for short), an innovative, market-leading insurance company. We protect the things customers love so they can get on with what matters to them in life.

Data drives us. It fuels our outstanding distribution, finance, technology and legal services. Our underwriting skills are built on data expertise; it creates the insights we need to give the right cover to the right customers at the right price. But, it’s the people inside and outside our business that power us. They make us stand out, help us succeed. We’re ambitious. We’re growing. We’ve won awards.

We’re on the hunt for a Head of Tax to join our awesome team. If you’re a tax expert with a knack for compliance and a passion for all things tax-related, this could be the perfect role for you!

You'll be responsible for all the tax rules and regs across the First Central Group and in all the countries we operate in, Guernsey, UK, and Gibraltar. Taking ownership of our Tax Strategy and Tax Policy, you'll keep it up to date and on point, coordinating the preparation and submission of Corporation Tax returns.

Taking the lead on our Transfer Pricing (TP) Policy, you'll review and sign off on the monthly model outputs. Working with our finance team you'll ensure our TP journal is posted correctly and its kept up to date with any changes in tax regulations.

Working flexibly, you'll spend most of your time working from home, with a couple of visits to the office per month when needed! But of course, it’s your choice - if you prefer to be in the office more - that's good with us too.

We’d love you on the Team if you:

• hold a professional taxation qualification, such as Chartered Institute of Taxation or equivalent
• have strong technical tax knowledge especially around BEPS/Transfer Pricing rules and an understanding of FCA requirements, including SMCR and Consumer Duty
• have experience of dealing with tax investigations/tax audits

Job Responsibilities:
• Ensure compliance across the Group with all Tax provisions/legislation applicable to the Group and to mitigate all tax risks
• Own the Group’s Tax Strategy and Tax Policy and update as necessary
• Coordinate the preparation and submission of Corporation Tax returns for all Group companies and deal with queries from the relevant Tax Authority in each jurisdiction
• Coordination of detailed documentation to support the Corporation Tax return submissions, e.g. ensuring appropriate documentation is in place under the Guernsey Economic Substance Test (GEST) rules
• Review all Corporation Tax payments, both on account and final, and ensure payments are submitted within deadlines
• Review and approve the quarterly VAT returns prepared by the Financial Control Department before they are submitted to HMRC
• Review and approve the quarterly IPT returns prepared by the Financial Control Department before they are submitted to HMRC
• Review and approve all PAYE returns before they are submitted to HMRC including PAYE settlement agreements
• Own the Group’s Transfer Pricing (TP) Policy and review/sign off the monthly outputs from the model
• Liaise with the Financial Control Department to ensure that the monthly TP journal is posted to the ledger
• Ensure the TP Policy and model are updated to reflect OECD/BEPS/relevant tax regulations changes
• Agree planning assumptions with the Corporate Finance Director/FLT ensuring the TP model is updated for planning purposes
• Update tax disclosures in the financial statements of the Group’s entities
• Maintain a substance register for all Guernsey entities under GEST and maintain a similar register for the Gibraltar insurance company
• Advise on tax implications of proposed changes in the Group’s structure including impact of colleagues being employed by certain entities
• Advise on tax implications of strategic and commercial decisions, e.g. introducing new products, amending commercial contracts etc.
• Advise on tax implications of any capital restructuring
• Liaise with tax authorities over tax investigations or tax audits
• Review deferred tax provisions for statutory reporting purposes
• Own and manage the relationship with external tax consultants
• Keep abreast of all relevant tax legislation and future changes and advise the FLT/Boards accordingly
• Establish an appropriate system and processes for tax risk management across the Group
• Reporting into Group Executive Committee and Group Boards as required
• Lead and co-ordinate ad-hoc tax driven initiatives across the Group

Job Specific Competencies:
Qualifications
- Professional taxation qualification (Chartered Institute of Taxation or equivalent)

Experience
- Minimum of 6 year’s post qualification experience, essential within the insurance industry
- Experience of having worked in a Group and across different jurisdictions (preferably the UK, Guernsey and Gibraltar)
- Experience of having dealt with tax investigations/tax audits

Skills
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written (ability to explain technical issues in plain English)
- Good PowerPoint skills (ability to write presentations to Boards/Committees)
- Excellent planning skills and ability to deliver under pressure, meeting tight deadlines and to appropriate quality
- Excellent problem solving skills, with the ability to identify problems and adopt a logical approach to resolving problems
- Excellent numeracy skills
- Strong Excel / formula skills
- Ability to think strategically, giving consideration to Group structure and implication on tax compliance

Knowledge
- Strong technical tax knowledge especially around BEPS/Transfer Pricing rules
- Knowledge of FCA requirements (including SMCR and TCF)

Behaviours
- Commercially focused
- Self-motivated and enthusiastic
- An organised and proactive approach
- Taking responsibility for tasks and seeing them through to completion
- Takes initiative to make decisions
- Embrace, embed and incorporate the Group’s values (Ambition, Ownership, Agile, Collaboration)
- Ensures great attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy
- Flexible approach to work and adopts a positive attitude
- Strives to drive business improvements and contribute to the success of the business

If you’re excited about the world of tax compliance and want to be at the forefront of First Centrals success, send us your updated CV. We can't wait to meet you!

What can we do for you?

People first. Always. We’re passionate about our colleagues and know the best people deserve an extraordinary working environment. We owe it to them so that’s what we offer. Our workplaces are energetic, inspirational, supportive. To get a taste of the advantages you’ll enjoy, take a look at all our perks in full here .

Intrigued? Our Talent team can tell you everything you need to know about what we want and what we’re offering, so feel free to get in touch.