AstraZeneca
Associate Director, Tax Controversy and Risk Management

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Job Title
About the Role
Are you ready to steer high-stakes tax examinations and conflicts in a way that protects investment in life-changing science? This role puts you at the heart of safeguarding resources and certainty so our teams can focus on delivering medicines to patients faster.
You will join a highly collaborative group focused on preventing, managing, and resolving tax controversy across multiple taxes and jurisdictions, working closely with internal leaders, external advisors, and tax authorities. From day one, you will set strategy for complex matters, shape how we engage authorities, and embed robust, tech-enabled processes that reduce risk and avoid disputes before they arise.
How will you turn complexity into clarity, and create durable outcomes that protect the business and support our mission?
Accountabilities
- Global Audit Leadership: Lead and manage tax audits, disputes, and litigation across jurisdictions, setting strategy and driving timely, high-quality resolutions that protect cash flows and certainty.
- Resolution Strategy: Develop smart, principled approaches to engage with tax authorities, negotiate settlements, and close issues efficiently while safeguarding the company’s position.
- Evidence and Documentation: Oversee comprehensive documentation and coordinated responses to tax authorities, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and readiness for statutory audit.
- Stakeholder Partnership: Partner with Finance, Legal, and Business stakeholders to resolve disputes, oversee tax risk and internal reporting processes, and ensure audit-ready documentation.
- Strategic Insight: Advise senior leadership on emerging tax issues and global trends; identify areas prone to disputation and shape proactive strategies for prevention and early resolution.
- Compliance and Policy Support: Support the global compliance team with consultations; assess and handle risks from policy and legislative changes to maintain compliance and certainty.
- Process and Technology Enablement: Drive efficiency by using technology and data to manage audits and controversies; embed scalable processes that strengthen control and transparency across Group Tax.
- Progressive Impact: Deliver immediate outcomes through issue resolution, then scale your influence by building frameworks and playbooks that reduce future risk and shorten audit cycles company wide.
Essential Skills/Experience
Education:
- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in law, taxation, accounting, economics, or a related field; or a professional qualification such as CPA, Chartered Accountant or Chartered Tax Adviser
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Professional background:
- Significant experience in the management and resolution of tax disputes and tax risk management gained at a leading professional services firm (legal or accounting), Big 4, multinational corporation, or revenue authority — or a combination thereof.
Technical expertise:
- Strong corporate income tax, international tax, transfer pricing, and/or indirect tax experience.
Dispute resolution:
- Consistent track record in tax dispute management, including litigation, settlement negotiations, and the resolution of international tax disputes through Mutual Agreement Procedure and arbitration.
Procedural knowledge:
- Previous experience in leading tax litigation or dispute resolution proceedings, with a strong understanding of the administrative law and procedural aspects of resolving tax disputes in more than one jurisdiction — including tax certainty instruments, tax authority powers and processes, discovery assessments, penalty regimes, and information and access powers.
Technology:
- Experience in, awareness of, and interest in using and developing technology to lead and resolve tax audits and disputes.
Communication:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence at various organisational levels and communicate effectively to diverse audiences.
Professional attributes:
- High level of integrity, professional judgment, critical thinking, and analytical capability.
Why AstraZeneca?
Here, strategy meets science with urgency and heart. You will work alongside bright, digitally savvy colleagues who move quickly, think creatively, and back big ideas with data and rigor. We bring diverse authorities into the same room—scientists, finance leaders, technologists—to pressure-test approaches and make fast, well‑judged decisions. Ethics, compliance, and transparency guide every step, and recognition is real: we celebrate successes and reward long-term commitment. Your impact is tangible, every risk avoided and dispute resolved helps accelerate the development of medicines that improve lives—and you will have room to grow, learn, and lead in a supportive culture that values kindness alongside ambition.
If you’re ready to lead complex tax controversy to clear the path for scientific breakthroughs, step forward and shape outcomes that matter!
Date Posted: 13-Jul-2026
Closing Date: 26-Jul-2026
Our Mission
Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.


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About Us
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company. We focus on discovering, developing and commercialising prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. But we are more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. At AstraZeneca, we’re dedicated to being a Great Place to Work. Where you are empowered to push the boundaries of science, challenge convention and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. To embrace differences and take bold actions to drive the change needed to meet global healthcare and sustainability challenges. There is no better place to make a difference in medicine, patients, and society. An inclusive culture where you will connect different thinking to generate new and valuable opportunities. Where you will find a commitment to lifelong learning, growth and development for all. Our Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) mission is to create an inclusive and equitable environment where people belong, using the power of our diversity to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines to patients. Inclusion and diversity are fundamental to the success of our company, because innovation requires breakthrough ideas that only come from a diverse workforce empowered to challenge conventional thinking. We’re curious about science and the advancement of knowledge. We find creative ways to approach new challenges. We’re driven to make the right choices and be accountable for our actions. As an organisation centred around what makes us human, we put a big focus on people. Across our business, we want colleagues to wake up excited about their day at the office, in the field, or in the lab. Along with our purpose to bring life-changing medicines to people across the globe, we have a promise to you: to help you realise the full breadth of your potential. Here, you’ll do work that has the potential to change your life and improve countless others. And, together with your team, you’ll shape a culture that unites and inspires us every day. This is your life at AstraZeneca.
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