At Burberry, we believe creativity opens spaces. Our purpose is to unlock the power of imagination to push boundaries and open new possibilities for our people, our customers and our communities. This is the core belief that has guided Burberry since it was founded in 1856 and is central to how we operate as a company today.

We aim to provide an environment for creative minds from different backgrounds to thrive, bringing a wide range of skills and experiences to everything we do. As a purposeful, values-driven brand, we are committed to being a force for good in the world as well, creating the next generation of sustainable luxury for customers, driving industry change and championing our communities.

JOB PURPOSE

As Lead Accountant, Indirect Tax Operations at Burberry, you will be responsible for ensuring that all in scope regulatory submissions are completed accurately and in accordance with legal deadlines.

This Lead Accountant, Indirect Tax Operations role is offered on a permanent, full time basis. This is a hybrid role with 2 days per week required in our Queen Street, Leeds office.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensuring the timely completion of key deliverables e.g. Indirect Tax returns, etc.
• Reviewing consolidated information for the submission of VAT refund claims and/or information requests from tax authorities for audits
• Managing and supporting accountants with the prioritisation of ad hoc queries to ensure that these are responded to on a timely basis
• Ensuring responses to Transfer Pricing (TP) requests for related party financial information for TP documentation and TP returns
• Supervision/review of reports to support Indirect Tax reporting / reclaim processes
• Managing the various internal and external stakeholder relationships (e.g. IT, Tax Team, Co Sec, External Audit) to oversee successful service delivery
• Management of internal BBS resources and external service providers including external auditors
• Supporting the design, development, embedding and documentation of the Indirect Tax Processing team
• Supporting the team around roles, goals, timescales and standards and that work is carried out to expected standards
• Providing indirect tax processing expertise for Finance across projects, change initiatives, changes to laws and regulations and other ad-hoc initiatives as they arise
• Leading the delivery of sustainable process optimisation activities to support Indirect Tax on a timely basis (including leveraging work flow management tools)
• Staying abreast of best practice Indirect Tax processing concepts, technology and methodologies and ensuring these are implemented at Burberry to the extent possible
• Working closely with the process owners and team leads to understand root causes and represent process procedures, practicalities and exceptions
• Seeking and acting upon feedback from stakeholders as well as the delivery team to help inform future delivery of services
• Providing support to the wider Indirect Tax Processing and Statutory Accounting team when required

PERSONAL PROFILE

• Professional accounting qualification is required e.g. ACA, CA, ACCA or CIMA
• Has managed teams and can provide examples of effective leadership and getting the best out of people, including during demanding and unsettling periods of change
• Good technical indirect tax / compliance experience preferred
• Demonstrable ability to identify and grasp the broader issues and provide guidance
• Supports continuous improvement and has proven track record demonstrating a commitment to change
• Consistently demonstrates collaborative working
• Requires good understanding of IT systems and processes - SAP training is a plus
• Is able to influence a range of technical and non-technical stakeholders across a range of operational issues. Able to establish personal credibility at all levels
• Has good negotiation skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills especially stakeholder management
• Creates effective relationships through interpersonal skills and technical expertise to aid cross-functional working, delivery and a sense of collaboration and teamwork
• Can operate both tactically and, where required, at a detailed level
• Consistent ability to work under pressure and handle multiple priorities and operational demands
• Proactively asks for and acts on personal feedback, developing a high level of self-awareness
• Displays an affinity for technology’s ability to drive efficiencies and enhance service delivery

Burberry is an Equal Opportunities Employer and as such, treats all applications equally and recruits purely on the basis of skills and experience.