St. James's Place
Product & Operational Tax Divisional Director
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Are you ready to chart your own career path? With our refreshed strategy, we’re building on our rich heritage and transforming our business to be more scalable and efficient, unlocking the capabilities needed for future success. This includes significantly investing in technology, streamlining the way we work and creating an environment where colleagues feel engaged, empowered and accountable; where they can show up, speak up and perform - because we believe in the difference our work makes.
At a glance:
- Location: Cirencester Office
- Workplace Type: Hybrid
- Employment Type: Permanent
- Seniority: Director
About the role:
This is a high-impact leadership role created to support our continued growth strategy, ensuring tax considerations actively support client outcomes, Partner propositions and shareholder value.
This role is about much more than technical tax compliance. We are looking for a leader who can bring commercial insight, strategic judgement and strong business partnering capability to the tax function, building on the team's strong foundations in risk management and governance while further enhancing its strategic contribution to the business.
The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping tax strategy, strengthening governance, supporting business decision-making and embedding tax considerations into product design, operations and wider business outcomes. In doing so, they will help further develop the function's role as a trusted adviser, ensuring tax expertise is brought into discussions early and contributes to the delivery of sustainable value for clients, Partners and shareholders.
What you'll be doing:
Technical Expertise & Credibility
- Deep, senior-level tax expertise across relevant regimes within Financial Services, with the judgement to apply complex legislation in a commercial context.
- Strong track record designing and overseeing control frameworks for tax reporting and operational processes, ensuring accuracy, resilience and regulatory compliance.
- Broad understanding of how tax interacts with product design, client outcomes and financial performance across a wealth management business.
Strategic Judgement & Commercial Insight
- Applies forward-looking judgement to balance client outcomes, commercial objectives and the Group’s low risk tax strategy.
- Anticipates emerging tax, regulatory and market developments, translating them into clear strategic implications and actionable recommendations.
- Makes sound, timely decisions in complex and ambiguous situations, resolving competing priorities across tax, legal, regulatory and commercial considerations.
- Delivers pragmatic, sustainable solutions that are technically robust while enabling business growth and efficiency.
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Business & Governance Insight
- Strong understanding of Group financials, business model and value drivers and how tax outcomes shape commercial performance.
- Navigates governance forums effectively, aligning decisions to the Group Tax Strategy, risk appetite and regulatory expectations.
- Understands the interaction between product, operational and investment tax considerations, ensuring alignment within clearly defined decision-making boundaries.
Influence, Leadership & Stakeholder Impact
- Influences senior stakeholders through clear, concise and commercial communication, translating complex tax issues into strategic insights.
- Operates effectively, driving outcomes through influence rather than direct authority where required.
- Builds trusted relationships across the business, regulators and external advisers, enabling constructive challenge and high quality decision making.
- Provides leadership and coaching to develop capability within the tax function and wider business, setting clear expectations and raising performance standards.
About you:
We are seeking a senior tax professional with strong leadership capability and commercial judgement. You will ideally bring experience from financial services, particularly wealth management, asset management or a closely related regulated environment. However, we are open to exceptional candidates from broader industry backgrounds who can demonstrate the right blend of technical grounding, commercial acumen and leadership.
Essential Criteria:
- A recognised tax or accounting qualification such as CTA, ACA or ACCA.
- Strong tax expertise with the ability to apply legislation in a commercial and pragmatic way.
- Proven experience operating in a regulated environment with strong awareness of governance, risk and compliance.
- Excellent understanding of financial services, ideally with knowledge of product structures, client outcomes, operational tax and tax governance.
- Strong grasp of key tax and reporting concepts such as withholding taxes, AEOI, corporate criminal offence obligations and operational tax controls.
- Demonstrable experience of business partnering, influencing senior stakeholders and translating tax issues into clear, practical advice.
- Ability to lead, coach and develop others, creating a positive and high-performing team culture.
- Experience driving change, transformation, automation and improved ways of working.
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Special Requirements:
No major travel requirements but a willingness to travel throughout the UK to visit SJP locations, Partner business and HMRC; and overseas as necessary.
What's in it for you?
We reward you for the work you do, whether that’s through our discretionary annual bonus scheme that reflects both personal and company performance, competitive annual leave allowance (28 days plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase an additional 5 days), or online rewards platform with a variety of discounts.
We also have benefits to support whatever stage of life you are in, including:
- Competitive parental leave (26 weeks full pay)
- Private medical insurance (optional taxable benefit)
- 10% non-contributory pension (increasing with length of service)
Reasonable Adjustments We're an equal opportunities employer and want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive for all, if you require reasonable adjustment(s) at any stage please let us know by emailing us at careers@sjp.co.uk
Research tells us that applicants (especially those from underrepresented groups) can be put off from applying for a role if they do not meet all the criteria or have been on an extended career-break. If you think you would be a good match for this role and can demonstrate some transferable experience please apply, regardless of whether you tick every box.
What's next?
If you're excited about this role and believe you have the skills and experience we're looking for, we'd love to hear from you! Please submit an application by clicking ‘apply’ below and our team will be in touch.
As a business regulated by the FCA we would advise you to familiarise yourself with the conduct regulations and in particular consumer duty obligations prior to an interview with SJP.
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