Director of Tax, Payroll and Pensions - Hybrid

Reports into: Chief Financial Officer

Location: Hybrid (preferably Bristol, London or Milton Park). A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office, we have hubs in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford. Specific patterns for working in the office are not mandated, and the frequency of time worked in the office is agreed with your manager. Meeting in person is something we value so you may need to travel on occasion to any of our hub offices.

About Jisc:

Jisc is the UK digital, data and technology agency focused on tertiary education, research, and innovation. We are a not-for-profit organisation with a big ambition to improve lives through education and research by providing hardware, software, and networking solutions. Our talented people bring their own unique skills and experience to empower our members and customers with the technology they need to succeed. Take your next career step with us and you can make a real difference to the education and research sectors.

About the team:

In finance and procurement we enable Jisc to achieve its strategic objectives by providing prudent and effective financial compliance, management and advice. We are responsible for maintaining Jisc’s solvency and liquidity. This includes all finance and tax matters, reporting, control, budgeting and forecasting at a group, directorate and service levels. We also manage all procurements across Jisc and assist and support the work of colleagues across Jisc.

About the role:

In finance and procurement we're responsible for contracts, expenses, payroll, pensions and procurement. In this exciting and varied role you will be responsible for ensuring the group stays compliant with all areas of tax, payroll and pension regulations.

Responsibilities will include:

• Lead, develop, agree and implement a strategy and operational plan to improve Jisc’s tax efficiency.
• Use technical expertise and up to date knowledge of the external market to suggest improvements, inform senior level decision-making and play a proactive role in ensuring the achieve of Jisc’s strategic priorities.
• Keeping abreast of changing taxation laws and requirements, particularly in relation to changes as a result of Brexit, to develop proposals for ensuring Jisc remains tax efficient and compliant.
• Calculate and file annual Corporation Tax returns, oversee quarterly and annual VAT computations.
• Respond to HMRC queries.
• Provide specialist advice and guidance to finance business partners on taxation matters.
• Giving general advice on Jisc’s taxation position, including structural considerations in relation to mergers.
• Liaise with Jisc’s external auditors and tax advisors, reviewing outcomes to develop and implement improvements and remedial actions.
• Proactively contributing to a culture of continuous improvement; reviewing processes to identify weaknesses as well as driving and adopting changes that improve processes, financial control and management information.
• Overseeing the monthly payroll for c.1300 employees to include reviewing the payroll and pensions managers’ work for submission.
• Manage a team of three including the payroll and pensions managers and assistant
• Provide specialist advice around Jisc’s pension schemes including reviewing all changes and the impact on the business.
• Reviewing all returns to HMRC including P11ds and PAYE Settlement Agreement.
• Responsible for overall compliance in overseas’ territories, working with the group financial controller and Governance team

Key Skills and Experience:

• Significant experience of tax planning at a senior manager / director level
• Significant experience of delivering insightful and impactful analysis to senior management
• Indepth knowledge and experience of complex payroll, defined contribution and/or USS pension schemes
• Experience of working in a charity-oriented role, or in higher education in or out of practice is preferred
• Experience of the following: Microsoft D365, PowerBI, Dayforce, Alphavat, Alphatax will be advantageous
• Strong analytical skills including the ability to rapidly interpret, concisely explain and act on complex information.
• A strategic thinker with ability to recognise and balance interdependencies to achieve the desired outcome
• Excellent problem-solving skills with evidence of successfully applying creative solutions
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to communicate complex tax issues in a simple and impactful way
• Strong negotiating and influencing skills with the ability to resolve conflicting priorities when dealing with stakeholders’ needs
• Ability to anticipate and adapt to new situations and issues to exploit potential opportunities
• Qualified ACA is essential,  CTA or ADIT advantageous

Don’t meet every single requirement?

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements, but you feel this role is perfect for you. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

Why work for us?

At Jisc, everyone plays a key role and gets the chance to feel part of it, that to us is the definition of a meaningful career. We want to create a culture of lifelong learning. You can look forward to a rewarding job with opportunities to develop and make a real difference to the education and research sectors.

We believe a balance between your personal and professional life is essential to your happiness and fulfilment. We work flexibly at Jisc and focus on outputs rather than presenteeism and are open to a whole range of ways of working.

It isn’t about how many hours you spend at home or at work; it’s about the flow you establish that brings energy to both parts of your life. Our hybrid working policy is flexible, and the frequency of time spent in your nominated office will vary across teams and job roles.

Take a look at our fantastic benefits! We offer:

• Flexible work pattern, which can adapt to suit your schedules and personal commitments
• 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) that includes an additional three closure days over Christmas plus the opportunity to buy up to an additional 5 days
• Generous flexible pension schemes
• Protection benefit – life cover
• Annual Jisc performance award
• A range of wellbeing lifestyle benefits including company paid health care cash plan, employee assistance programme, mental health first aiders and support
• A generous budget to support you with external learning and Continuous professional development
• Allocated allowance of up to £250 to equip your home office
• Financial well-being support including access to preferential loan and savings plans, mortgage advice, will writing tools and support and resources to help you make the most of your money
• The opportunity to donate to charity tax-free with our Payroll Giving benefit
• Electric Car Lease Scheme and option to purchase SmartTech – spreading the cost of your everyday white goods and technology
• A wide range of discounts from retailers and big-name high-street stores and CSSC membership
• Family friendly policies including enhanced parental, maternity and paternity leave and opportunity for career breaks
• Support your volunteering with up to 3 days volunteer leave
• Cycle to work scheme and eye care scheme including free eye test vouchers and £70 towards new glasses for VDU use
• Free flu vaccinations
• Employee recognition awards and travel loans
• A company culture which supports and promotes personal learning and development, including access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning

Equity, diversity and inclusion:

At Jisc, we don’t look for ‘sameness’, but to truly include people who can add unique perspectives and experiences to our culture, and we are working hard to achieve progressive change. ‘Always inclusive’ is one of our six guiding principles which actively encourages us to bring our whole authentic selves to work. We believe that our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to our success.

Jisc believes our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging. We work with passionate colleagues to strengthen knowledge and awareness, provide learning and development opportunities, and foster multiple employee networks which create a sense of community and influence our policies and practice.

We work hard to create an equitable experience for our candidates and workforce which embraces all aspects of their identity including race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, trans identities, age, class, disability, neurodivergence, or veteran status.

Application process:

We want you to showcase your talent throughout the recruitment process. Please let us know how we can best support you to do that; for example, if there are any reasonable adjustments we may be able to put in place. We will be happy to help you.

To apply, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above

Just so you know, we review CVs as soon as we can and aim to provide an update on your application within 4 weeks of receiving it.  However, you may hear from us a lot sooner, so please keep an eye out for our emails or calls! 

If you are currently a Jisc employee, please apply through your Dayforce Employee profile.

We advertised this role on 27/08/2024.

Please note you will be required to have a basic DBS check if you are successful

Jisc has an active sponsor licence to recruit on a Skilled worker visa basis. Candidates wishing to apply who require sponsorship should determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant Home Office criteria. Jisc does not offer any financial re-imbursement towards the applicant costs, such as re-location, skilled worker visa and dependant costs or the immigration health charge.